Kings draw East Bengal in AFC Challenge League
This season marks a structural overhaul in AFC’s club competitions, with the second-tier now known as the AFC Challenge League.
Bashundhara Kings will be the sole representative from Bangladesh in this year's AFC club tournaments.
The club, which has secured the Bangladesh Premier League title for five consecutive seasons, will compete in the AFC Challenge League, positioned just below Asia's top-tier club competition, Elite-2. In the group stage draw for the Challenge League's West Asian Zone, the Kings have been grouped in Group 'A' alongside India's East Bengal, Lebanon's Nejmeh SC, and Paro FC from Bhutan.
Traditionally, in the AFC Cup, which is another prominent competition at the Asian club level, Bangladeshi champions often encountered India's heavyweight, Mohun Bagan, in the group stages.
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However, this will be the first time that Bashundhara Kings face East Bengal, one of India's other legendary clubs, in an AFC tournament. The matches against Nejmeh and Paro will also be first-time encounters for the Kings.
The AFC Challenge League will not adopt the home-and-away format that is typical of the AFC Cup.
Instead, all group stage matches for the Kings will take place at a single location between October 26 and November 2. Notably, the Kings have opted not to bid for hosting rights.
