Mumbai, September 22, 2026: Capri Sports, India’s leading sports organization with a growing presence across women’s cricket and football, has entered into a landmark 15-year partnership with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to secure the commercial development and marketing rights of the Indian Women’s League (IWL) and Indian Women’s League 2 (IWL 2). The partnership marks a significant step in Capri Sports’ long-term commitment to building a sustainable and commercially successful ecosystem for women’s sport in India.
Under the partnership, Capri Sports will lead the commercial development and marketing of both leagues, with a focus on building audiences, increasing visibility for clubs and players, attracting brands and investment, driving the broadcast and digital engagement, and creating greater commercial value across the ecosystem. The 15-year commitment reflects Capri Sports’ long-term approach to women’s football, with the ambition to build the IWL and IWL 2 into stronger, more engaging and commercially sustainable platforms for women’s club football in India.
The development comes shortly after Capri Sports launched Nova Sports, a grassroots-to-elite football initiative focused on creating greater access and opportunities for girls across India. With an ambition to reach 1.5 million girls over the next decade, Nova Sports strengthens Capri Sports’ long-term commitment to increasing participation in women’s football and creating more opportunities for girls to engage with the sport. With Nova Sports at the grassroots and the IWL and IWL 2 at the elite club level, Capri Sports is building an end-to-end pathway for women’s football in India, spanning participation and development through to professional competition. This further builds on Capri Sports’ experience in women’s sport through the UP Warriorz in the Women’s Premier League (WPL), giving the organization experience across both the commercial and sporting sides of the women’s sports ecosystem. Established in 2016, the IWL will kick off its latest edition on October 15, 2026, featuring eight clubs across 56 matches and multiple host cities.
Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Jinisha Sharma, Director & Promoter, Capri Sports, said, “Women’s football is entering a defining era globally, with leagues attracting new audiences, investment and cultural relevance. India has the talent and scale to be part of this momentum, but our players need strong competition, professional environments and clear pathways to grow. Our ambition is to build the IWL and IWL 2 into aspirational and commercially sustainable platforms strengthening clubs, developing talent, and investing in storytelling, fan engagement and on-ground experiences that bring more people, brands and investment into the game. We believe sporting success, social impact and commercial value can and must grow together. This is a long-term commitment to building the ecosystem women’s football in India deserves”
On the partnership, Mr. Apurv Gupta, Head of Contact Sports, Capri Sports, stated, “We are delighted to partner with the AIFF on the Indian Women’s League and Indian Women’s League 2. With the two leagues representing the top two tiers of women’s club football in India, we see a significant opportunity to build a stronger commercial ecosystem around the sport. Our focus over the next 15 years will be on building audiences, increasing visibility for clubs and players, shaping broadcast and digital engagement, and creating meaningful opportunities for brands and partners to participate in the growth of women’s football. We look forward to working closely with the AIFF, clubs, players and all stakeholders to build leagues that are commercially sustainable and can create lasting value for the wider ecosystem.”
AIFF President Mr Kalyan Chaubey said, “The timing of this partnership is very important for women’s football in India. In recent years, we have seen greater participation through initiatives such as the ASMITA leagues, growth in player registrations, and the introduction of dedicated U17 and U15 women’s youth competitions. At the same time, our senior, U20 and U17 national teams have all made significant progress at the Asian level in 2026.The next step is to ensure that our club competitions also grow in strength and professionalism. A long-term commercial partner with the right intent can help us build on this momentum, create greater value for our clubs and players, and develop a stronger women’s football ecosystem over the next 15 years.”
AIFF Deputy Secretary General Mr M Satyanarayan said, “The Indian Women’s League has an important role to play in the growth of women’s football in the country, and having a long-term commercial partner will help us take the league forward. With Capri Sports coming on board for both the IWL and IWL 2, we have an opportunity to build greater visibility for the leagues, create more interest among fans and partners, and provide a stronger platform for our clubs and players. We look forward to working together to develop women’s club football in India.”
Through its growing presence across the women’s sporting ecosystem, Capri Sports’ vision is to create sustainable platforms where participation, sporting excellence and commercial opportunity can grow together. The partnership with AIFF represents an extension of this vision, with a long-term focus on building the audience and commercial ecosystem around women’s club football in India.
