Kolkata : The second phase of Indian Women’s League (IWL) 2026 is set to start from April 27 in Kolkata.
The proceedings will start from a rescheduled fixture from phase 1 between defending champion East Bengal and Sribhumi at East Bengal Ground.
Phase 1, which was held from December 20, 2025, to January 9, 2026, saw 27 matches. The league took a hiatus of more than three months to allow player availability for the senior and U20 women’s national teams camps and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women’s Asian Cup in March and the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup in April, as per a press release.
In phase 2, further 29 matches will be played from April 27 to May 18, with the eight teams playing each other in the second leg of the double round-robin format of the league. The matches will be played in two venues — AIFF National Centre of Excellence and the East Bengal Ground. All matches will kick off at 15:00 and 19:00 IST.
Defending champions East Bengal FC are currently at the top of the table with 18 points from six games, while Sesa FA and Kickstart FC occupy the relegation spots with one and six points, respectively. The team with the most points at the end of the season will be crowned champions. On the other hand, the seventh and eighth-placed sides will be relegated to IWL 2 next season.
The introduction of a structured promotion and relegation system adds competitive integrity to the league. While the bottom two teams face demotion, the top two teams from the IWL 2 final round will earn promotion to the top tier for the 2026-27 season. This system ensures continuity and incentivises performance across both divisions, creating a broader competitive ecosystem for women’s football in India.
East Bengal eye ending the tournament by finishing at table summit. Whereas, for other teams, it’s about chase and survival. By May 18 , IWL 2026 will see it’s champion, relegated teams.
IWL 2025-26 Fixtures :
