Asian Women’s Champions League: Pakistan’s USA-based defender in Kolkata for Ho Chi Minh City FC

Kolkata: Days before defending champions India take on Pakistan in the SAFF Championship in Dhaka, East Bengal could have a player from Pakistan running out against them in the AFC Asian Women’s Champions League here. One of the imports in Ho Chi Minh City Women’s FC, whom East Bengal play on Sunday, is Kayla Siddiqi. One who has scored against India.

India and Pakistan have not played a bilateral cricket series since 2012-13. When India hosted the T20 World Cup earlier this year, Pakistan played their matches in Sri Lanka.

But an Indian government directive in May has allowed sportspersons to visit for multi-team events.

“With regard to international and multilateral events, in India or abroad, we are guided by the practices of international sports bodies and the interest of our own sportspersons. It is also relevant to take into account India’s emergence as a credible venue to host international sports events,” the union sports ministry said in a statement in May.

India are in the fray to host the 2036 Olympics and will host the Commonwealth Games in 2030.

Siddiqi, a 23-year-old central defender, signed for the Vietnam champions in September. She has been registered as one of the players for this group stage which also has North Korean champions 4.25 SC and winners of the South Korean league last year, Hwacheon KSPO.

According to the website pakfutball.com, Siddiqi is one of the three foreigners in Ho Chi Minh City FC’s roster with USA’s Chesna Reilly Marie (defender) and Brazilian forward Joelma. In 2025, Siddiqi represented Florida Atlantic University. She played 19 matches, starting in 15.

Without a team since October 2025, Siddiqi, nicknamed ‘Baji (elder sister) Banana”, played for Pakistan in the 2026 FIFA Series in Ivory Coast. The home team beat Pakistan 2-0 in the final. Pakistan beat Turks and Caicos Islands 8-0 and lost 0-1 to Mauritania.

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Siddiqi is the second player after Maria Jamila Khan to play for Ho Chi Minh City. The five-foot-10 defender is majoring in civil engineering, as per Florida Atlantic University’s website. She had an assist against Jacksonville in 2025 which was also her senior year in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) division one. Her international debut came in 2023 against Singapore.

Most of the players in the Pakistan women’s team are based in Europe and the USA, according to an official of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF). Born in Denver, Colorado, Khan though plays in Malaysia, said the official.

First international goal vs India

Siddiqi lives in the USA and got noticed first at Richmond United FC in Virginia. She started as a winger and full back but has moved into central defence since, the official said. Siddiqi’s first international goal came against India in the SAFF Championship in 2024.

According to footballpakistan.com, Siddiqi’s idol is the USA striker and 2015 World Cup winner Sydney Leroux. It was Khan who got in touch with Siddiqi on social media, as per Pakistan federation’s website. “She (Khan) really sold the idea of playing international soccer for Pakistan,” Siddiqi told footballpakistan.com. This was when Pakistan women’s team was returning from international exile and after a FIFA ban on the federation ended. Siddiqi got Pakistan citizenship from her paternal grandfather Shaukat who had migrated to the USA in the 1960s, as per the website.