East Bengal FC Women’s stunning 3–1 victory over Bam Khatoon FC on Matchday 1 of the AFC Women’s Champions League 2025/26 has done more than rewrite sporting history.
It has created a financial and strategic milestone for Indian women’s football, positioning the club and the Indian Women’s League (IWL) at the beginning of a new economic era. The win in Wuhan, China, not only made East Bengal the first Indian team to win a main-draw match in the AWCL, but also secured a guaranteed $120,000 (₹1.08 crore) in prize money, validating the club’s high-investment model and offering a blueprint for the future.
The club entered the tournament as champions of the 2024–25 IWL, having invested heavily in its women’s programme with a bold strategy that involved bringing in quality foreign players, increasing wage budgets, and appointing coach Anthony Andrews on a record deal. Their immediate continental return both sporting and financial now serves as powerful justification for this approach.
According to AFC regulations, each AWCL participant is guaranteed $100,000 for reaching the group stage, with an additional $20,000 awarded for every win. East Bengal’s opening-day triumph instantly triggered this payout. The financial impact is particularly striking when compared to domestic structures. The IWL and state-level competitions offer prize money that is only a fraction of continental rewards—the Women’s IFA Shield, for instance, has carried a winner’s purse of just ₹1 lakh. In contrast, East Bengal achieved nearly a crore in revenue from a single AWCL fixture, underscoring the enormous gulf between domestic and continental football economies.
The win itself was a commanding statement. Goals from Shilky Devi (4’), Fazila Ikwaput (32’) and Resty Nanziri (87’) delivered a complete performance against an opponent that reached last season’s quarterfinals. The 3–1 result was more than a morale boost—it has meaningfully improved East Bengal’s chances of qualifying for the knockout stages. In the group’s other fixture, defending champions Wuhan Jiangda were held to a draw by PFC Nasaf, leaving East Bengal as the early leaders in Group B. This two-point cushion, in a tight three-match group stage, has created a significant advantage ahead of the tougher fixtures to come.
The AWCL format allows eight of the twelve teams to advance top two in each group and two best third-placed teams overall making every point invaluable. East Bengal’s early momentum now means that even a narrow loss to Wuhan Jiangda in Matchday 2 would not derail their campaign; a win or draw against Nasaf on the final day could still be enough to reach the quarterfinals.
Progression would trigger an additional $80,000 bonus, taking their guaranteed earnings to $200,000, or nearly 55% of their reported ₹3-crore annual salary budget.
The economic potential grows even more dramatic if East Bengal continues to progress. A perfect group stage could yield up to $160,000 before the knockout stages begin, while a deep run into the semifinals or final could push total revenue towards $780,000 or even $1 million as high as ₹9 crore at current valuations. In a landscape where most Indian women’s clubs operate on limited resources, this financial framework is transformative.
Beyond the immediate revenue, the win has profound implications for Indian women’s football. For one, it validates East Bengal’s internal governance model, proving that investment in infrastructure, salaries, and top-tier coaching is not just an act of goodwill but a viable business strategy. Prize money earned in US dollars gives the women’s team financial autonomy and strengthens its argument for future budget allocations.
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Additionally, the success directly impacts talent acquisition and retention. The club can now consider improved contracts for stars like Ikwaput and Nanziri while becoming a more attractive destination for elite international players. The financial security offered by AWCL revenue allows clubs to build competitive squads capable of challenging Asia’s top teams something that was largely aspirational even a year ago.
The broader effect on the IWL may be even greater. With continental participation now tied to significant prize money, the IWL title has become the most valuable property in Indian women’s sport. Clubs will be compelled to invest more aggressively in training facilities, coaching staff, and player recruitment, triggering what could become an “investment arms race” within the league. The elevation of standards would in turn provide a stronger platform for India’s national team, complementing AIFF initiatives like the ASMITA Women’s Football Leagues, which have already led to a 232% increase in registered female players.
For East Bengal, the challenge now is to ensure that this historic breakthrough becomes a foundation rather than a one-off achievement. The club will need to strategically reinvest its AWCL earnings strengthening sports science departments, acquiring advanced performance analytics tools, improving travel and logistical support, and building a sustainable youth pathway to maintain competitiveness. Recommendations within the document also call for a dedicated reinvestment fund to support long-term development, helping the club become financially self-sustaining at the continental level.
But for now, the moment belongs to the players and staff who delivered a historic result for Indian football. East Bengal Women have shown that an Indian club can not only compete but also excel on Asia’s biggest stage. More importantly, they have demonstrated that women’s football backed by the right investment and vision can generate real sporting and commercial returns.
India has waited decades for a breakthrough like this. East Bengal have delivered it in style, and the ripple effects are just beginning.
