Sathi Debnath Eyes AFC Women's Champions League Knockouts at 'Special' Kishore Bharati

For East Bengal midfielder Sathi Debnath, the upcoming AFC Women's Champions League campaign carries a special personal significance. As the Kolkata-based club prepare to begin their Group B journey against Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City WFC, the midfielder is looking forward to playing on a ground that holds important memories from her career.

East Bengal will host all three of their Group Stage fixtures at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan, beginning with Sunday's encounter against Ho Chi Minh City. They will subsequently face South Korea's Hwacheon KSPO WFC on November 4 and North Korea's 4.25 SC on November 7.

For Sathi, returning to the venue brings back memories of her first trophy with the club. A girl from Nadia, Sathi has emerged through the ranks for East Bengal and now finds herself at the centre of defence, being one of the pillars for the women's team.

"I won my first trophy (CWFL 2022-23) with East Bengal at the Kishore Bharati, so it's a very special stadium for me. We've been preparing rigorously over the past two months for this competition, and we've played multiple friendlies against boys during this time. These games have helped us become physically and mentally stronger," she said at the pre-tournament press conference on Saturday.

East Bengal are entering their second consecutive AFC Women's Champions League Group Stage campaign after an impressive preliminary round in Malaysia in August. The Moshal Girls topped Group A with three victories, scoring 18 goals without conceding.

Their preparations have also involved regular practice matches against U-15 and U-17 boys' teams, helping the squad adapt to the pace, physicality and intensity expected at the continental level.

The club enjoyed a historic 2025-26 season, winning the SAFF Women's Club Championship, Indian Women's League and Calcutta Women's Football League to become the first Indian club to complete the women's football treble.

However, the AFC Women's Champions League remains a different challenge. East Bengal narrowly missed out on a knockout berth during their previous appearance and are determined to make progress this time.

Sathi acknowledged the importance of learning from last season's disappointment and expressed the squad's determination to secure a place in the quarter-finals.

"We are determined to rectify last year's mistakes and advance to the AWCL knockouts," she added.

While the Moshal Girls have won back-to-back IWL titles, the talk amongst the players has been about the AWCL only, as she revealed.

"We have worked very hard to put ourselves in this position. We talk among ourselves to give 100 per cent on the field, and the talk in the dressing room has been that we need to go a step further in the Champions League," she concluded.