The Indian Women’s League (IWL) will begin its 2026-27 season on November 13, with eight clubs competing for the title across Kolkata, Jamshedpur and Bengaluru. The campaign will feature 56 matches in a double round-robin format, with the final fixtures scheduled for January 23, 2027.
Defending champions East Bengal FC will headline the competition after a dominant 2025-26 campaign in which they recorded 13 wins and just one defeat. They will be joined by Sethu FC, Kickstart FC, Nita Football Academy, Gokulam Kerala FC and Garhwal United FC, who return for the new season.
HOPS FC and Juba Sangha FC complete the eight-team line-up after earning promotion from IWL 2. The two clubs finished first and second, respectively, in the 2025-26 second-division competition.
The double round-robin format will see every club face the other seven teams twice. Matches will be played across three cities, with the season running for just over two months.
East Bengal will aim to build on their impressive title-winning campaign, which also produced the league’s leading scorer. Fazila Ikwaput finished the 2025-26 season with 20 goals, while Nita Football Academy’s Pyari Xaxa and Sethu FC’s Lynda Kom Serto were among the other notable attacking performers.
The upcoming season also marks a new phase in the commercial development of women’s club football in India, following the 15-year partnership between the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Capri Sports for the commercial development and marketing rights of the IWL and IWL 2.
AIFF Deputy Secretary General M Satyanarayan said the league remained central to the development of women’s football in the country.
“The Indian Women’s League remains a cornerstone of the development of women’s football in India. The 2026-27 season will see eight clubs compete for the title, with players across the country looking to make their mark on the national stage. Alongside the IWL, the IWL 2 provides a valuable pathway for clubs and players to progress through the domestic structure. We look forward to an exciting season and remain committed to creating more opportunities for women footballers across India,” Satyanarayan said.
With East Bengal targeting a successful title defence and HOPS FC and Juba Sangha FC making the step up from IWL 2, the new season will offer a fresh test for the eight competing clubs when the league kicks off on November 13.
Kalyani: Kalyani Stadium
- November 13: East Bengal FC vs Gokulam Kerala FC
- November 14: Kickstart FC vs Sethu FC
- November 16: Nita FA vs Garhwal United FC
- November 17: Juba Sangha FC vs HOPS FC
- November 19: Nita FA vs East Bengal FC
- November 20: Sethu FC vs Gokulam Kerala FC
- November 20: Kickstart FC vs HOPS FC
- November 21: Juba Sangha FC vs Garhwal United FC
- November 23: Kickstart FC vs East Bengal FC
- November 24: Gokulam Kerala FC vs Garhwal United FC
- November 26: HOPS FC vs Sethu FC
- November 27: Nita FA vs Juba Sangha FC
- November 27: Garhwal United FC vs East Bengal FC
- November 28: Kickstart FC vs Gokulam Kerala FC
- November 30: Juba Sangha FC vs Sethu FC
- December 1: HOPS FC vs Nita FA
- December 3: East Bengal FC vs Sethu FC
- December 4: Gokulam Kerala FC vs Nita FA
- December 4: Juba Sangha FC vs Kickstart FC
- December 5: Garhwal United FC vs HOPS FC
Jamshedpur: Tata Football Ground
- December 10: East Bengal FC vs HOPS FC
- December 11: Gokulam Kerala FC vs Juba Sangha FC
- December 12: Sethu FC vs Garhwal United FC
- December 14: Kickstart FC vs Nita FA
- December 14: East Bengal FC vs Juba Sangha FC
- December 15: Gokulam Kerala FC vs HOPS FC
- December 17: Kickstart FC vs Garhwal United FC
- December 18: Nita FA vs Sethu FC
- December 18: Gokulam Kerala FC vs East Bengal FC
- December 19: HOPS FC vs Juba Sangha FC
- December 21: Garhwal United FC vs Nita FA
- December 22: Sethu FC vs Kickstart FC
- December 24: Garhwal United FC vs Juba Sangha FC
- December 25: East Bengal FC vs Nita FA
- December 25: HOPS FC vs Kickstart FC
- December 26: Gokulam Kerala FC vs Sethu FC
- December 28: East Bengal FC vs Kickstart FC
- December 29: Garhwal United FC vs Gokulam Kerala FC
Bengaluru: To be confirmed (TBC)
- January 4, 2027: Juba Sangha FC vs Nita FA
- January 5: Sethu FC vs HOPS FC
- January 7: East Bengal FC vs Garhwal United FC
- January 8: Sethu FC vs Juba Sangha FC
- January 8: Gokulam Kerala FC vs Kickstart FC
- January 9: Nita FA vs HOPS FC
- January 11: Sethu FC vs East Bengal FC
- January 12: HOPS FC vs Garhwal United FC
- January 14: Kickstart FC vs Juba Sangha FC
- January 15: Nita FA vs Gokulam Kerala FC
- January 15: HOPS FC vs East Bengal FC
- January 16: Garhwal United FC vs Sethu FC
- January 18: Juba Sangha FC vs Gokulam Kerala FC
- January 19: Nita FA vs Kickstart FC
- January 21: Juba Sangha FC vs East Bengal FC
- January 22: Garhwal United FC vs Kickstart FC
- January 22: HOPS FC vs Gokulam Kerala FC
- January 23: Sethu FC vs Nita FA
– Ends
