IWL groupings announced; Gokulam Kerala, East Bengal in Group A

AIFF secretary general, Shaji Prabhakaran, said the IWL will serve as a qualification competition of a more competitive league that will come into effect in the next campaign.

FILE PHOTO: Gokulam Kerala women’s team celebrates after winning the Women’s I-League 2021-22 season.  | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

New Delhi

The groupings for the upcoming Indian Women’s League were announced on Thursday after the draw was held at the Football House here.

Among those present in the draw was All India Football Federation secretary general, Shaji Prabhakaran.

Speaking on the occasion, Prabhakaran said: “This season of the Hero IWL is like a qualification competition of a more competitive league that will come into effect in the next campaign.

“My best wishes to all the 16 teams, who will be part of the Hero IWL. We had a meeting with several clubs and all efforts have been made to create a holistic situation for the development and rapid growth of Indian women’s football,” he said.

The IWL will start on April 25.

The 2022-23 season of the top women’s meet will have 16 teams split into two groups.

The top four teams from each group will qualify for the knockout stage, consisting of quarterfinals, semi-finals and final. The top eight teams will also get direct slots in next season’s IWL, which will be played on a home-and-away basis.

Groupings:

Group A: Gokulam Kerala FC, Mata Rukmani FC, HOPS FC, Misaka United FC, Kahaani FC, East Bengal FC, Sports Odisha and Mumbai Knights FC.

Group B: Sethu FC, Kickstart FC, Celtic Queens FC, Eastern Sporting Union, CRPF FC, Churchill Brothers FCG, Lords FA Kochi and Odisha FC.