Kolkata : East Bengal FC made history by securing both the men’s Indian Super League (ISL) title and the women’s Indian Women’s League (IWL) crown for the 2025-26 season. With this, they became first team to achieve such feat.
On one hand, The Women’s Team under Anthony Andrews retained their IWL title with two rounds to spare, ending the 2025-26 season with 39 points, losing just once in their campaign, on other hand, Oscar Bruzon-coached Men’s East Bengal team came back from a goal down to beat Inter Kashi 2-1 at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan, ending a 22 years drought, since their last win in 2003-2004 season when they won National Football League. East Bengal also create another record – both their men’s and women’s team have qualified for ACL 2 in the same season, a proud moment for Indian Football.
East Bengal win Maiden ISL title
Tears flowed, the Red and Gold scarves swirled in the air and decades of pain disappeared into one unforgettable night as East Bengal finally reclaimed their place at the summit of Indian football. Twenty-two long years after their last national league triumph, the Red-and-Gold Brigade were crowned champions of India after defeating Inter Kashi 2-1 in a nerve-shredding Indian Super League 2025-26 finale at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan on Thursday, May 21, 2026.
When the final whistle blew, the stadium erupted into scenes of pure emotion. Players collapsed to the ground, fans embraced in disbelief and chants of “East Bengal, East Bengal” thundered around the packed arena.
Mohammed Rashid emerged as the unlikely hero with the decisive winner in the 72nd minute after league top scorer Youssef Ezzejjari had brought East Bengal level early in the second half, cancelling out Alfred Planas’ 14th-minute strike for Inter Kashi with a 50th-minute goal of his own.
The victory ensured East Bengal finished at the top of the ISL table with 26 points from 13 matches. Mohun Bagan Super Giant also won their final match against Sporting Club Delhi by the same 2-1 scoreline and finished level on points, but East Bengal’s superior goal difference of five finally ended the club’s agonising wait for a national league title.
Yet the night began with tension and anxiety gripping the home supporters. The enormity of the occasion seemed to weigh heavily on East Bengal as Inter Kashi stunned the crowd with an early goal.
Oscar Bruzon’s men started brightly enough, with Ezzejjari and Miguel Figueira testing Inter Kashi from distance in the opening exchanges. Despite the early pressure, Inter Kashi remained composed and organised before striking against the run of play in the 14th minute.
David Munoz floated a long ball towards the East Bengal penalty area and Alfred Planas timed his run perfectly to latch onto it. Without hesitation, the Spaniard struck a magnificent first-time volley that flew beyond Prabhsukhan Gill and into the net, silencing the stadium.
For a few moments, fear crept into the stands. The dream that had felt so close suddenly looked fragile again.
East Bengal, though, almost found an immediate response eight minutes later. Bipin Singh delivered a teasing cross across the face of goal and Ezzejjari only needed the slightest touch from close range. Somehow, the forward managed to send the ball soaring over the crossbar, leaving supporters clutching their heads in disbelief.
Inter Kashi, sensing vulnerability, continued to threaten. Planas tormented the East Bengal defence and nearly doubled the lead in the 24th minute after gliding past Anwar Ali before unleashing a powerful effort that Gill tipped behind.
Inter Kashi could have gone further ahead in the 35th minute when Gill spilled a long-range effort from Planas. Fortunately for East Bengal, the rebound was dragged into the side netting. Minutes later, Tomba Singh forced another save from Gill as nervousness spread around the stadium.
East Bengal desperately pushed forward before halftime, but their attacks lacked the final cutting edge.
Then came the turning point.East Bengal emerged after the break with renewed purpose and intensity. In the 50th minute, Anwar Ali produced a stunning defence-splitting pass from deep inside his own half to release Ezzejjari. The Moroccan outpaced his marker Munoz, reached the ball ahead of goalkeeper Shubham Dhas and showed immense composure to nutmeg the advancing keeper before calmly rolling the ball into the empty net.
The stadium exploded. Relief turned into belief. Suddenly, East Bengal looked alive again.
The equaliser transformed the atmosphere entirely. Every tackle was cheered, every forward run roared on by thousands sensing history was within reach.
East Bengal continued to press and nearly took the lead in the 61st minute when substitute Nandhakumar unleashed a fierce strike that forced Dhas into a sharp save at his near post.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 72nd minute. And fittingly, it came through sheer determination. Bipin Singh whipped in a dangerous cross from the right flank and Rashid stretched out a boot to guide the ball into the far corner.
Pandemonium followed. The bench emptied. Supporters jumped over barricades in celebration. The noise inside the stadium became deafening.
Still, there was work to do. Every minute felt endless as East Bengal defended their lead with grit and composure while updates filtered through from Mohun Bagan’s match.
But when the final whistle finally arrived, years of frustration disappeared instantly.
East Bengal recorded 2nd consecutive IWL title
Just a week ago newly-crowned champions East Bengal FC signed off with a 2-0 victory against Sribhumi Football Club at the East Bengal Ground.
East Bengal FC secured a 2-0 victory over Sribhumi Football Club in the Indian Women’s League 2025-26 at the East Bengal Ground, thus condemning the latter to relegation.
The Moshal Girls made a bright start and nearly took the lead in the third minute when Resty Nanziri drove into the box and forced a save from Sarangthem Khambi Chanu. The rebound fell kindly for Fazila Ikwaput, but the league’s leading scorer blazed her effort over the crossbar. Soumya Guguloth also came close in the 11th minute with a glancing header from a cross on the left, but failed to keep her attempt on target.
East Bengal dominated possession and territory for most of the opening half, although Sribhumi’s disciplined defensive shape helped them withstand sustained pressure. The visitors created their first meaningful attack in the 37th minute when Rimpa Haldar surged forward and unleashed a shot from the edge of the box, forcing Elangbam Panthoi Chanu into a stretched save.
Karthika Angamuthu then struck the woodwork before East Bengal eventually broke the deadlock in the 41st minute. Angamuthu won a penalty after being brought down inside the box, and Ikwaput calmly converted from the spot to score her 20th league goal of the season. The Ugandan forward had also become the outright highest goalscorer in Indian Women’s League history in the previous match after taking her tally to 61 goals, moving past Sabitra Bhandari’s mark of 60.
East Bengal resumed the second half on the front foot, with Ikwaput trying her luck from distance shortly after the restart. The hosts doubled their advantage in the 55th minute when Angamuthu threaded a precise through ball into the box for Sulanjana Raul, who poked the ball past the goalkeeper.
The Kolkata side continued to control proceedings and kept Sribhumi pinned back for large spells, with the defence forced into constant action to deal with East Bengal’s attacking pressure. Guguloth came close to adding a third in the 85th minute when her low strike from inside the box rattled the near post, before missing another opportunity in stoppage time.
Despite Sribhumi’s defensive resilience in phases, East Bengal comfortably saw out the remainder of the contest to register a deserved 2-0 win. The celebrations continued after the final whistle as the players marked their title-winning campaign with the supporters, dancing with the fans while flares lit up the atmosphere at the East Bengal Ground.
With this win, East Bengal have secured direct qualification to the upcoming AFC Women’s Champions League 2026-27.This back-to-back championship guarantees their return to the continental stage for the East Bengal FC (women).During the 2025-26 season, the club became the first Indian side to register a win in the group stage of the AFC Women’s Champions League. They finished third in their group with 3 points from 3 matches.They historically defeated Iran’s Bam Khatoon FC 3-1. However, suffered a 2-0 loss to China’s Wuhan Jiangda WFC, and were eliminated from the knockout contention following a 3-0 defeat to PFC Nasaf of Uzbekistan.
