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HOPS FC emerged champions of the Indian Women's League 2 (IWL 2) 2025-26 season after securing a perfect record of five wins from five matches in the Final Round and nine out of nine overall, while Juba Sangha FC finished second to seal promotion to the Indian Women's League (IWL) for the 2026-27 season.
The six-team Final Round, played in a single-leg round-robin format at the Padukone-Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence in Bengaluru, concluded with HOPS topping the standings on 15 points. The side from Delhi scored eight goals and did not concede a single goal throughout the final round, according to a press release. They had topped their group with four wins in as many games to make it to the final round. It marks HOPS' first IWL 2 title and a return to the top tier of Indian women's football after their relegation last season. Juba Sangha FC, also based in Delhi, finished runners-up with 12 points after registering four wins in five matches. They ended the competition as the highest-scoring team in the Final Round with 15 goals. It marks Juba Sangha's first-ever promotion to the Indian Women's League. HOPS began their campaign with a 3-0 win over Krida Prabodhini Pune before defeating Mumbai Knights FC 2-0 and edging Suruchi Sangha 1-0. They then secured another narrow 1-0 victory against Kemp FC before defeating Juba Sangha 1-0 in the final match of the competition to confirm the title. Juba Sangha opened their Final Round with a 3-1 victory against Kemp and followed it up with a 5-2 win over Krida Prabodhini Pune. Further victories against Mumbai Knights and Suruchi Sangha kept them in contention heading into the final day, but a defeat to HOPS saw them settle for second place. Kemp finished third with nine points after winning three of their five matches, while Krida Prabodhini Pune ended fourth with six points. Mumbai Knights finished fifth with three points, while Suruchi Sangha concluded the Final Round without a point. Krida Prabodhini's Simran Gurung finished as the top scorer of the tournament with nine goals. Her teammate Sumaiyya Shaikh finished joint-second with seven goals alongside Suruchi Sangha's Roshni Tigga and Juba Sangha's Vipanshi. Juba Sangha also saw Nidhi score six goals during the campaign, while Bhagyashree Dalvi of Mumbai Knights and Maidangshri Narzary of Karbi Anglong Sports Association Girls Football Club (KASA FC) scored five each. Khushbu Saroj of Kemp and Juba Sangha's Kiran finished with four goals apiece. The IWL 2, introduced in the 2023-24 season, serves as the second tier of women's club football in India. The top two teams from the competition earn promotion to the IWL, the premier division of women's football in the country. Sribhumi FC were the inaugural champions in 2023-24, while Garhwal United FC won the title last season. HOPS became the second team from Delhi to win the IWL 2. (ANI)
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