WE ARE LIVE! The AFC Champions League Two playoff match between East Bengal and Al-Arabi is underway! East Bengal in their classic red and gold, Al-Arabi in all white.

1' EBFC 0-0 AASC

East Bengal isn't the only Indian club in action today. FC Goa is set to take on Turkmenistan club FK Arkadag in a similar playoff match in the AFC Champions League Two. That game starts at 8:30 PM IST, one-and-a-half hours after the start of East Bengal's game.

We are about 15 minutes away from kickoff at the Salt Lake Stadium, for the match between East Bengal and Al-Arabi. East Bengal will be hoping to make full use of their home advantage, with their passionate fans in the crowd.

East Bengal have a few fresh faces in their team for the 2026-27 season. Antonio Lopez Habas, who has coached their biggest rivals Mohun Bagan to success in the past, is their new manager. 

All eyes are also on their new Spanish midfielder Dani Ramirez, who is a product of Real Madrid's academy and has played for Valencia and Getafe in La Liga.

East Bengal finally won the Indian Super League (ISL) last season, ending 22 years of wait to win the top division of Indian football. That emotional triumph can be sweetened further today if they manage to qualify for a major continental tournament such as the AFC Champions League Two.

While East Bengal are vying to qualify for the AFC Champions League Two for the first time, they previously played the AFC Cup - the previous version of the ACL Two - on multiple occasions. East Bengal even became the first Indian team to reach the semi-finals of the AFC Cup, doing so in 2013. On that instance, it was another club from Kuwait, Al-Kuwait, who ended their journey.

East Bengal XI vs Al-Arabi: Prabhsukhan Gill (GK) | Hardik Bhatt, Anwar Ali, Sandip Mandi, Jay Gupta | Jeakson Singh, Mo Rashid, Dani Ramirez, Edmund Lalrindika, Bipin Singh | Jesin TK

Massive stakes in today's match, which is being held at the iconic Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. The winner of the clash gets a spot in the 2026-27 AFC Champions League Two group stage, something which East Bengal have never achieved in the past.

A very warm welcome to one and all to NDTV Sports, for the live coverage of the AFC Champions League Two qualifier match between Indian Super League champions East Bengal and Kuwaiti side Al-Arabi SC. It's a big match, as the winner gets direct entry to the ACL Two group stage.

Stay tuned for all the live updates from the match!