The Indian Women's League (IWL) 2025-26 season is set to commence on December 20, 2025, with the opening match between Sethu FC and Kickstart FC at 09:00 IST. The match will be held at the National Centre of Excellence (NCE) in Kolkata.
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has decided to conduct the league in two phases. Phase 1 will run from December 20, 2025, to January 9, 2026. After a break, Phase 2 will begin on April 20 and conclude on May 10, 2026. The decision to split the league into two phases was made after a meeting between the AIFF and the eight IWL clubs on October 30. This arrangement aims to accommodate the players' commitments to their respective clubs, international assignments, and national team duties. The gap between the phases also allows the national teams to arrange preparatory camps before participating in the AFC Women's Asian Cup.
During Phase 1, a total of 28 matches will be played. The venues for the matches in this phase are the NCE in Kolkata and the Kalyani Municipal Stadium in Kalyani. This season, the league will be held in a centralised manner.
Eight clubs will compete in the ninth edition of the IWL. East Bengal is the defending champion. AIFF initially promoted their developmental team, Indian Arrows Women, on July 11, 2025, but later rescinded the decision on November 23, 2025, and promoted Sesa instead.
The participating clubs are:
- East Bengal
- Garhwal United
- Gokulam Kerala
- Kickstart
- Nita
- Sesa
- Sethu FC
- Sribhumi
Two clubs, Garhwal United and Sesa, were promoted from the 2024–25 Indian Women's League 2. In contrast, Odisha and HOPS were relegated to the Indian Women's League 2.
AIFF permits a maximum of three foreign players per team.
The IWL is the top division women's professional football league in India. The matches will be held in Kolkata and Kalyani.
