Two new clubs join the fray as Indian Women's League returns on November 13

The Indian Women's League 2026-27 season begins on November 13, with eight clubs competing across Kolkata, Jamshedpur and Bengaluru. Defending champions East Bengal FC will target another title in a 56-match campaign running until January 23.East Bengal are the defending champions in the Indian Women's League coming into the 2026-27 season. (Image: AIFF)New Delhi,Oct 19, 2026 19:13 ISTThe 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 StadiumNovember 13: East Bengal FC vs Gokulam Kerala FCNovember 14: Kickstart FC vs Sethu FCNovember 16: Nita FA vs Garhwal United FCNovember 17: Juba Sangha FC vs HOPS FCNovember 19: Nita FA vs East Bengal FCNovember 20: Sethu FC vs Gokulam Kerala FCNovember 20: Kickstart FC vs HOPS FCNovember 21: Juba Sangha FC vs Garhwal United FCNovember 23: Kickstart FC vs East Bengal FCNovember 24: Gokulam Kerala FC vs Garhwal United FCNovember 26: HOPS FC vs Sethu FCNovember 27: Nita FA vs Juba Sangha FCNovember 27: Garhwal United FC vs East Bengal FCNovember 28: Kickstart FC vs Gokulam Kerala FCNovember 30: Juba Sangha FC vs Sethu FCDecember 1: HOPS FC vs Nita FADecember 3: East Bengal FC vs Sethu FCDecember 4: Gokulam Kerala FC vs Nita FADecember 4: Juba Sangha FC vs Kickstart FCDecember 5: Garhwal United FC vs HOPS FCJamshedpur: Tata Football GroundDecember 10: East Bengal FC vs HOPS FCDecember 11: Gokulam Kerala FC vs Juba Sangha FCDecember 12: Sethu FC vs Garhwal United FCDecember 14: Kickstart FC vs Nita FADecember 14: East Bengal FC vs Juba Sangha FCDecember 15: Gokulam Kerala FC vs HOPS FCDecember 17: Kickstart FC vs Garhwal United FCDecember 18: Nita FA vs Sethu FCDecember 18: Gokulam Kerala FC vs East Bengal FCDecember 19: HOPS FC vs Juba Sangha FCDecember 21: Garhwal United FC vs Nita FADecember 22: Sethu FC vs Kickstart FCDecember 24: Garhwal United FC vs Juba Sangha FCDecember 25: East Bengal FC vs Nita FADecember 25: HOPS FC vs Kickstart FCDecember 26: Gokulam Kerala FC vs Sethu FCDecember 28: East Bengal FC vs Kickstart FCDecember 29: Garhwal United FC vs Gokulam Kerala FCBengaluru: To be confirmed (TBC)January 4, 2027: Juba Sangha FC vs Nita FAJanuary 5: Sethu FC vs HOPS FCJanuary 7: East Bengal FC vs Garhwal United FCJanuary 8: Sethu FC vs Juba Sangha FCJanuary 8: Gokulam Kerala FC vs Kickstart FCJanuary 9: Nita FA vs HOPS FCJanuary 11: Sethu FC vs East Bengal FCJanuary 12: HOPS FC vs Garhwal United FCJanuary 14: Kickstart FC vs Juba Sangha FCJanuary 15: Nita FA vs Gokulam Kerala FCJanuary 15: HOPS FC vs East Bengal FCJanuary 16: Garhwal United FC vs Sethu FCJanuary 18: Juba Sangha FC vs Gokulam Kerala FCJanuary 19: Nita FA vs Kickstart FCJanuary 21: Juba Sangha FC vs East Bengal FCJanuary 22: Garhwal United FC vs Kickstart FCJanuary 22: HOPS FC vs Gokulam Kerala FCJanuary 23: Sethu FC vs Nita FA- Ends