AIFF confirms Indian Women’s League 2026-27 to start on November 13 with eight clubs and YouTube streaming
The All India Football Federation announced the Indian Women’s League 2026-27 will begin on November 13, 2026, with eight clubs competing across Kolkata, Jamshedpur and Bengaluru, and matches due to be streamed live on YouTube free of cost.
The competition will be staged in a three-phase format: the opening match week will run until 5th December 2026 at Kalyani Stadium, the second phase will take place in Jamshedpur from 10th December to 29th December, and Bengaluru will host the concluding phase.
Eight clubs will contest the title: six teams from the 2025-26 season — East Bengal FC, Sethu FC, Gokulam Kerala FC, Nita Football Academy, Kickstart FC and BBFS Garhwal United FC — plus two promoted clubs from IWL 2, HOPS (House of Power Soccer Football Club) and Juba Sangha FC from Delhi.
East Bengal FC enter the season as defending champions. The Moshal Girls, having bowed out of the AWCL 2026-27 season’s group stage, will look forward to accomplishing the hat-trick of titles. Head coach Anthony Andrews will surely maintain his focus on this matter.
The All India Football Federation and Capri Sports have signed a 15-year deal to manage the commercial development, marketing, broadcast engagement and growth of the Indian Women’s League and IWL 2. Under the partnership, Capri Sports will lead commercial development and marketing of the country’s top two tiers of women’s club football. Capri Sports will work closely with the AIFF and participating clubs to build audiences, increase visibility of clubs and players, attract brands and investment, and strengthen broadcast and digital engagement.
Khel Now reported the IWL 2026-27 season will be broadcast live on YouTube free of cost. The report notes that the top two divisions of men’s football in India are also streamed on YouTube free of cost and that this has resulted in an exponential spike in viewership, pulling in millions of views. The official channel and broadcast arrangements should be confirmed by the AIFF.
The league opens on November 13, 2026, with East Bengal FC scheduled to play Gokulam Kerala FC at Kalyani Stadium in Kolkata, with kick-off set for 19:00 IST; further fixture confirmations and broadcast channel details await announcement from the AIFF.