Anew chapter started in Indian women’s football, when East Bengal signed Hitomi Tanaka from Dutch Eredivisie Vrouwen side Hera United Women in September.
In doing to, Tanaka became the first-ever Japanese female footballer to sign for an Indian club.
The signing of Tanaka particularly bolstered East Bengal defense ahead of their 2026-27 AFC Women’s Champions League group stage campaign, which the Red and Gold started with a win over Vietnamese club Hồ Chí Minh City at home. East Bengal play South Korea’s Hwacheon KSPO on Wednesday at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan, in Kolkata.
Notably, Tanaka, who spent most of her club career in Spain, is one of the few from Japan to play in top leagues in the world. Her addition to the side brings a lot of experience to East Bengal from her decade-long career and strengthen their defensive structure.
Hitomi Tanaka – All you need to know
Born in Yokohama, Tanaka started football with boys in Japan as a kid before joining a girls team soon after, according to Sportstar. She kept on honing her skills through her school and University days. Tanaka played for semi-professional clubs Setagaya FC and Yamato Sylphid in Japan for a year, before looking for a professional setup.
It was in 2017, when Tanaka passed trials in Spain and never looked back. Four years later in 2021, Japan officially announced their first professional female league, WE League, thus becoming as a huge boost for women in the country. Naturally a defender, Tanaka can also play in midfield. She spent six years in Spain, playing for clubs like CD Alba FF, Córdoba CF, CD Santa Teresa, Cacereño Femenino, SE AEM and Sporting Club de Huelva.
At her previous club Hera United in 2025-26 season, Tanaka played 20 games – the third-most amount of minutes played by any player in the club. Tanaka even played a in East Bengal’s 2-1 win over Ho Chi Minh City, providing an assist. It was her header in the 34th minute from outside the box, that found forward Fazila Ikwaput, who netted her second goal.
East Bengal in 2026-27 AFC WCL
Meanwhile, East Bengal have been India’s representatives at the AFC Women’s Champions League (AWCL) for the second consecutive season. The Kolkata-based club qualified for the group stage after winning all three matches in the preliminary round in Malaysia in August 2026.
This is also a historic campaign, with Kolkata hosting AFC Women’s Champions League group-stage matches for the first time.