East Bengal face Gokulam Kerala in the IWL opener as eight clubs begin a new season of women’s football.
The Indian Women’s League (IWL) is set to return for its 2026–27 season on November 13, marking the beginning of its 10th edition. With eight clubs competing across 56 matches, the tournament will once again bring together some of the country’s leading women’s football sides, offering players an opportunity to showcase their talent at the highest domestic level. The opening fixture will see defending champions East Bengal face Gokulam Kerala at Kalyani Stadium.
This season also arrives at an important stage in the development of women’s football in India. The league has secured a major boost through Capri Sports’ 15-year partnership with the AIFF, while Lxme has joined as its first-ever title sponsor. The association is expected to improve the league’s visibility, attract commercial interest and create more opportunities for women’s football. With every match set to be streamed live on YouTube, the competition will also have a wider reach, allowing fans across the country to follow the season.
One platform, opportunity for many
As the IWL season 2026-27 is set to begin from Friday, with the match between East Bengal FC and Gokulam Kerala FC at Kalyani Stadium, Kolkata, coaches from various clubs joined a press conference and shared their key views on Women’s football. The need for foreign players took centre stage.
While expressing thoughts on having foreign players in the team, Priyanka Kangralkar, the Assistant Coach of Gokulam Kerala FC said, “There should not be foreign players in the future, as Indian women’s footballers should get more opportunities to showcase their talent. There is no proper scouting process across India at the moment.” She also took a dig at the scouting system of India, “We need a better system to identify talented players from every region so that more technically gifted footballers get an opportunity to play.”
Anthony Andrews, the Head Coach of East Bengal FC also shared his view on the need for foreign players. He said, “The Indian players’ pool is very, very small in Indian football. That is one of the reasons. Obviously, foreign players make a difference, and if we don’t have them, the quality of football could drop further.”
Notably, signing overseas players is optional rather than mandatory. Any team can sign a maximum of three foreigners.
Priyanka Kangralkar also stressed the importance of coaches supporting one another to improve the technical and tactical standards of women’s football. While Kickstart FC’s head coach spoke about the importance of building strong relationships between coaches and players, East Bengal head coach Anthony Andrews underlined his side’s determination to retain the IWL title. He credited the team’s strong core and the winning mentality developed within the squad, insisting that East Bengal would approach the new campaign with a ruthless mindset as they look to defend their crown in style.
How does IWL 2026-27 differ from the previous seasons?
The 2026–27 IWL has stronger commercial backing, with Capri Sports entering through a 15-year partnership with AIFF and Lxme becoming the league’s first-ever title sponsor. The season will feature eight clubs across 56 matches, with a continuous two-month schedule and live YouTube coverage, aiming to bring greater visibility and stability to women’s football.
Participating teams of IWL 2026-27
East Bengal FC, Gokulam Kerala FC, BBFS Garhwal United FC, HOPS FC, Juba Sangha FC, Kickstart FC Karnataka, Nita Football Academy and Sethu FC.
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