The All India Football Federation (AIFF) released a statement on a Request for Proposal (RFP) summoning bids to commercialise the first and second divisions of the Indian Women’s League (IWL) for five years.
The IWL is the elite level women’s game in India. The 2025-26 season for the IWL is set to kick off from 20th December 2025 to 6th January 2026. On the other hand, the IWL 2 is the second division, scheduled to begin in the second half of January.
IWL is the top tier of the women’s game in India, while IWL 2 is the second division. East Bengal is the defending IWL champion, and Garhwal United won the IWL 2 title last season.
According to the RFP, the bidding individual should have a net worth ceiling of INR 30 cr, and the Consortia must hold ₹100 crore at the close of the 2024-25 financial year. Another clause reveals that the investors will have to fund a security deposit of INR 3 Lakh to place a bid.
The AIFF is moving forward to form a tri-member Bid Evaluation Committee to choose the partner. Partnering company entity must pay a guaranteed sum or five per cent of its annual gross revenue, whichever is greater. As for the expenditure part of this percentage, the prize money, and the remaining will be sorted for the operational costs through the 2030-31 season.
The deadline for the bids is set on 29th November, while the bidders will have a clarification period of 21st of November. Technical bids are scheduled to open on 30th November, while the date for commercial bids will be announced at a later time.
The RFP has been issued at a time when the federation’s similar tender for the men’s game failed to generate interest, leaving the Indian Super League in a state of uncertainty.
