ISL 2025-26 | East Bengal’s return to the top ignites red-and-gold carnival

Absolute scenes of joy engulfed the East Bengal FC camp as hundreds of supporters flooded the club premises, smearing each other in EBFC’s iconic red-and-gold colours to celebrate the arrival of the Indian Super League title.

The festivities appeared to have carried on uninterrupted from the final whistle of East Bengal’s last league match against Inter Kashi FC on Thursday night at the Kishore Bharati Stadium, where the team returned as the champion of the country’s top league after a wait of 22 long years.

The last time EBFC celebrated a triumph of similar magnitude was when the club won back-to-back National Football League titles in 2003 and 2004.

Coach Oscar Bruzon emerged as the architect of the latest historic achievement, assembling a side capable of achieving the feat in an era largely dominated by arch-rival Mohun Bagan Super Giant.

“This is not an ordinary Indian club that simply gathers 500 or 1,000 people for chants and songs,” Bruzon said. “East Bengal is a legacy passed from father to son, and from son to grandson. It is a community club where thousands of people live and breathe it every day. That emotional connection deeply influences how we work, how hungry we are, and how committed we remain,” he added.

Comparisons with Arsenal F.C.’s long-awaited English Premier League triumph inevitably surfaced. “Our triumph feels similar to what Arsenal achieved in the Premier League,” said Debabrata Sarkar, one of the key figures in EBFC’s administration.

By virtue of this triumph, EBFC became the first club in the country to secure qualification for the continental championship — the AFC Champions League — in both the men’s and women’s categories. The achievement gained significance as the EBFC women’s side recently clinched the Indian Women’s League title, completing a historic double for the Red and Gold brigade.