Women-focused financial platform Lxme has become the title sponsor of the Indian Women's League (IWL) under a multi-year partnership with Capri Sports ahead of the 2026-27 season, the companies announced on Wednesday. The announcement did not specify the value of the sponsorship or the number of years it will run.
The deal follows a separate 15-year partnership between Capri Sports and the All India Football Federation (AIFF) covering the commercial development and marketing rights of the IWL and IWL 2. The companies described Lxme's involvement as the first major sponsorship milestone to follow Capri's long-term commitment to Indian women's football.
Jinisha Sharma, director and promoter of Capri Sports, said the company viewed investment in women's sport as a sound commercial opportunity. "We've always believed that women's sport is good business. It needs investment, attention, and the same commercial ambition that has helped build successful sporting properties around the world," she said. She added that Capri's commitment to the league aimed to create value for clubs, players, fans and brands, and that Lxme joining reflected a shared approach to investing in women.
"For us, this partnership is about much more than a logo on a jersey. It's about bringing together businesses that are willing to back their convictions and help build the future of women's football in India," Sharma said.
Priti Rathi Gupta, founder of Lxme, said the sponsorship extended the company's focus on women's financial independence into sport. "We see a similar need in sport, where women athletes continue to deserve greater visibility, investment and opportunity," she said. The companies said they intend to support the growth of women's football and create greater recognition and opportunities for players, though the announcement did not set out specific programmes under the partnership.
New Season Format and Defending Champions
The new IWL season begins on November 13, with eight clubs playing 56 matches across Kolkata, Jamshedpur and Bengaluru. The final fixtures are scheduled for January 23, 2027. Each club will face the other seven teams twice in a double round-robin format, a structure the league adopted in 2023-24 after moving away from its earlier centralised league-cum-knockout model; Odisha FC won the title that first season under the new format.
Defending champions East Bengal FC head into the new campaign after winning 13 matches and losing just once during their 2025-26 title-winning season. Fazila Ikwaput finished that season as the league's top scorer with 20 goals. East Bengal will be joined by Sethu FC, Kickstart FC, Nita Football Academy, Gokulam Kerala FC and Garhwal United FC, while HOPS FC and Juba Sangha FC complete the eight-team field after finishing first and second, respectively, in the 2025-26 IWL 2 competition to secure promotion.
AIFF Deputy Secretary General M Satyanarayan said the promotion pathway between the two divisions remains central to the league's structure. "Alongside the IWL, the IWL 2 provides a valuable pathway for clubs and players to progress through the domestic structure," he said.
