East Bengal lift Indian Women’s League trophy for the second time
East Bengal ended their Indian Women's League campaign with a 2-0 win over Sribhumi and lifted the trophy. The final-day results also relegated Sribhumi and Sesa, while Garhwal United secured survival.
- May 19, 2026,
- Updated May 19, 2026, 10:36 AM IST
Newly-crowned champions East Bengal FC wrapped up their Indian Women’s League 2025-26 campaign with a comfortable 2-0 win over Sribhumi Football Club, while Garhwal United FC secured survival with a crucial 3-1 victory against Sesa Football Academy.
East Bengal had already sealed the league title with a match to spare, but ended the season in dominant fashion at the East Bengal Ground. Ugandan striker Fazila Ikwaput opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 41st minute before Sulanjana Raul added the second after the break. The result confirmed Sribhumi’s relegation to IWL 2 alongside Sesa FA.
Ikwaput finished the season with 20 league goals and further strengthened her place as the highest scorer in Indian Women’s League history after taking her overall tally to 61 goals.
The title-winning side later received the trophy in the presence of Kalyan Chaubey, FIFA South Asia regional lead Prince Rufus, East Bengal director Debabrata Sarkar and Indian Football Association president Ajit Banerjee.
Garhwal United produced one of the most significant results of the final day, defeating Sesa Football Academy 3-1 to climb out of the relegation zone in their debut IWL season. Goals from Lhingdeikim, Elizabeth Danso and Shruti Kumari secured the win after Sesa had briefly levelled through Sulekha Kanhar.
Elsewhere, Gokulam Kerala FC were held to a 1-1 draw by Nita Football Academy despite taking an early lead through Priyadharshini. Nita captain Pyari Xaxa equalised in first-half stoppage time to ensure both sides shared the points.
At the National Centre of Excellence, Kickstart FC Karnataka and Sethu FC played out a 1-1 draw. Emem Peace Essien gave Kickstart the lead before T Hoshika struck late to rescue a point for Sethu.
The season’s individual honours also reflected East Bengal’s dominance. Ikwaput was named Best Striker, while goalkeeper Panthoi Chanu Elangbam won the Best Goalkeeper award. Nirmala Devi Phanjoubam of Sethu FC was named Best Defender and Sanfida Nongrum of Garhwal United received the Best Midfielder award.