FC Goa were drawn alongside Qadsia SC of Kuwait, Fortis FC of Bangladesh and FC Regar-TadAZ of Tajikistan in a tricky Group C of the AFC Challenge League 2026-27 after the draw was held in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.
FC Goa dropped into Asia’s third-tier men’s club competition after losing to Turkmenistan’s FK Arkadag in the AFC Champions League 2 preliminary stage last Wednesday.
Qadsia SC and Fortis FC finished third in the Kuwaiti Premier League and Bangladesh Football League respectively in the 2025-26 season, while FC Regar-TadAZ entered the competition as winners of the 2025 Tajikistan Cup.
The draw featured 20 teams divided into five groups of four, with three groups in the West and two in the East.
The group stage will be played in a centralised single round-robin format from October 17 to 24, with FC Goa travelling to Kuwait for all Group C matches hosted by Qadsia SC.
Tough Road To Knockouts
In the West region, the three group winners and the best-ranked runner-up across the groups will advance to the quarter-finals.
The East region will send both the group winners and runners-up into the last eight.
FC Goa will need to negotiate a challenging group to keep their continental campaign alive after dropping down from the AFC Champions League 2.
The quarter-finals and semi-finals will be played over two legs from March 3 to 18 and April 7 to 15, 2027 respectively.
The final is scheduled for May 8.
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