Indian Women's League 2026-27 To Kick Off On October 16

The new season of the Indian Women’s League (IWL), the country's top-tier women's football competition, will kick off next month, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) said on Saturday.

The season will begin on October 16, with six clubs from last season -- East Bengal FC, Sethu FC, Kickstart FC, Nita FA, Gokulam Kerala FC and Garhwal United FC -- joined by promoted sides HOPS FC and Juba Sangha FC.

The IWL-2 group stage will get underway on October 23, with 20 clubs divided into four groups of five.

The four group winners and two best second-placed teams will advance to the six-team final round, scheduled to begin on November 25.

The AIFF League Committee also approved higher minimum coaching licence requirements for both the IWL and IWL 2, effective from the 2027-28 season.

In the IWL, head coaches will be required to hold an AFC A Licence, while assistant coaches must have an AFC B Licence. For IWL 2, the minimum requirement will be an AFC B Licence for head coaches and an AFC C Licence for assistants.

The AIFF said the move is aimed at raising technical standards and furthering the “professionalisation of women’s football competitions in India”.

"To provide greater opportunities for players and ensure a broader competitive pool, the Committee has also decided that a player registered or signed for an IWL club will not be eligible to participate in IWL 2 during the same season," the AIFF said.

AIFF also revised the IWL disciplinary regulations relating to yellow-card accumulation. Under the revised regulations, the first suspension will be triggered after three yellow cards, followed by a suspension after every two additional yellow cards.

The League Committee also discussed a long-term expansion strategy for the Indian Women’s League. The committee is targeting an expansion to 10 teams by the 2028-29 season and ultimately to 12 teams by 2032.

"The committee also aims to increase the number of IWL matches to approximately 90 by the 2028-29 season.

"The expansion is intended to provide players with greater competitive exposure and playing time, strengthen the professional women's football ecosystem, create a larger pool of players for the national team and contribute towards improving India's position in international women's football," said AIFF.