Day 1 of the 9th Indian Women’s League (IWL) ended with six teams showcasing a strong contest and the talent of women’s football in India. Round 1 was held on Saturday, December 20, 2025, at the AIFF National Centre of Excellence and the Kalyani Stadium in Kalyani in Kolkata, West Bengal. The fixture of the day included three matches, including Sethu FC vs. Kickstart FC, NITA FA vs. Gokulam Kerala FC, and Garhwal United vs. SESA FA.
Sethu FC vs. Kickstart FC (2–1)
Sethu FC, the former champions, have begun their campaign with a great start by claiming a 2-1 victory over Kickstart FC. Kaviya Pakkirisamy and Malavika P were the two goal scorers of Sethu FC, while the solo goal for Kickstart FC was scored by Babysana Devi.
Both teams showcased great attacks at the front-foot. Kickstart FC got their first goal in the 12th minute of the game. The panic started in the penalty area, but Sethu’s goalkeeper Anjila Subba somehow managed to control but a loose ball from Yangoijam Kiranbala Chanu inside the box gave Babysana Devi a chance to score the goal and gave Kickstart the lead in the match.
Later in the 20th minute, Sethu tied the score at 1-1 through Kaviya. In the second quarter of the game, Sethu kept in control and tried their best to keep Kickstart under pressure. Soon, in the 50th minute, Sethu gets the opportunity, and Malavika scores the second. Sethu’s strong defence managed to keep Kickstart slow in their attempt.
Nita FA 1–1 Gokulam Kerala FC
In their opening match, three-time champions Gokulam Kerala ended up in a tie with Nita FA at 1-1. Kerala had a chance to make a head start but failed after Cidalia Daniel Cuta failed to attack against Nita FA goalkeeper Adrija Sarkhel. With such strong defence, Nita FA gets the advantage in the 40th minute of the game with Laishram Rejiya Devi sailing over Sowmiya N, Gokulam goalkeeper, and gets the ball into the net to give Nita the lead in the match by 1-0.
Entering just a minute into the second half, the advantage comes for Kerala after Remi Thokchom takes the ball inside the box and passes to Cidalia, who then perfectly scores the ball into the net to level the match. The winning goal, however, did not result for either of the teams.
Garhwal FC 3–1 SESA FA
Two-time IWL champions, Garhwal United FC, once again proved their worth when they faced the Sesa Football Academy and defeated them by a score of 3-1. In the 11th minute of the game, 17-year-old Lhingdeikim scored the first goal for Garhwal. Soon after, in four minutes, their captain, Sanfida Nongrum, added another one with a beautiful right-footed strike from outside the box.
The third goal of the team was next added by Deepika Pal after going one-on-one against the Sesa goalkeeper, Akila. But it was then in the 89th minute of the game, Sesa got their lone goal from Sarjida Khatun, who made a throw of 30 yards from the right side.
