IWL kicks off with East Bengal seeking a third straight title

East Bengal FC will face Gokulam Kerala FC at the Kalyani Stadium on Friday as the 10th edition of the Indian Women’s League gets under way, with East Bengal aiming to become the first club to win three consecutive titles. The opening fixture starts a competition that runs until the third week of January.

The tournament features eight clubs playing 56 matches in a double round-robin format across venues in Kolkata, Jamshedpur and Bengaluru. The champion will secure a place in the AFC Women’s Champions League, while the bottom two teams will be relegated to IWL 2. The season also represents a commercial shift for the league under a new long-term agreement.

East Bengal begin the defence of their title under coach Anthony Andrews with Shilky Devi Hemam as captain, and start as favourites after their historic qualification to the knockout stages of the Champions League. The club is bidding to become the first team to complete a hat-trick of IWL titles.

The opening match pairs East Bengal with three-time former champion Gokulam Kerala FC at the Kalyani Stadium on Friday. That fixture will inaugurate the double round-robin schedule that will see each club play the others twice.

The other participants are Sethu FC, Kickstart FC, Nita Football Academy and BBFS Garhwal United, while HOPS FC returns to the elite stage and Juba Sangha FC make their debut in the competition. Each of those clubs will play home fixtures across the three host cities as the league progresses.

Off the field, the All India Football Federation has signed a 15-year commercial agreement with Capri Sports covering the IWL and IWL 2, and LXME has joined as title sponsor. All 56 matches of the season will be streamed live on YouTube.

East Bengal’s opener against Gokulam Kerala at Kalyani Stadium on Friday starts the schedule that will continue through the third week of January, with the season’s winner earning the IWL’s sole qualification spot for the AFC Women’s Champions League.