IWL 2025–26 phase 1 wrap: East Bengal flawless as title race takes shape

Phase 1 of the 2025–26 Indian Women’s League didn’t just end with a table; it ended with a statement.

As the league pauses for the national team camp ahead of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, East Bengal FC walk into the break flawless and unbothered.

Six matches, six wins, 18 points, 25 goals scored, and just one conceded. It’s not dominance by narrow margins; it’s control, authority, and distance from the rest of the field.

Behind them, Sethu FC have quietly pieced together the most consistent chase, riding a five-match unbeaten run to sit second on 16 points from seven games.

Nita Football Academy (13 points) remain dangerous and unpredictable, while Sreebhumi FC (9 points from six) hovers in that uncomfortable space between contention and collapse.

At the other end, the contrast is stark. SESA FA and Kickstart FC Karnataka head into Phase 2 in the relegation zone, separated from safety by fine margins but undone so far by defensive fragility and missed moments.

Phase 1 gave us 93 goals, late winners, hat-tricks, and scorelines that swung momentum in a single half. Phase 2 now promises consequence.

Attack wins attention, defence wins Phase 1

If goals tell you who’s exciting, clean sheets tell you who’s serious.

East Bengal tops both charts, 25 goals scored, five clean sheets, and a goals-against column that barely exists. Their +24 goal difference isn’t just league-leading; it’s league-defining.

No team has come close to matching their balance between pace, structure, and ruthlessness.

Sethu FC follow with 18 goals and seven conceded, efficient. Nita FA (17 goals) have been explosive going forward, but leaks at the back (11 conceded) have cost them rhythm at key moments.

At the bottom, the numbers grow heavier. SESA FA have conceded 27 goals, the most in Phase 1, while Kickstart FC Karnataka (16 conceded) have struggled to control transitions. In a league where margins swing fast, defensive organisation has already separated contenders from survivors.

Fifteen clean sheets across the league underline the tactical maturity growing within the competition, but only one side has turned it into sustained dominance.

Pyari Xaxa leads the race, but the goals are shared

If Phase 1 had a headline act, it was Pyari Xaxa.

Ten goals in seven matches. Two hat-tricks. One last-minute winner.

The Nita FA forward didn’t just score, she dictated outcomes, sitting atop the Golden Boot standings with authority.

Close behind is East Bengal’s Fazila Ikwaput on nine goals, her finishing central to the champions’ relentless march. Lynda Kom Serto (7 goals) continues to be Sethu FC’s difference-maker, especially in second halves where games tilt.

East Bengal’s depth shows in the spread, Soumya Guguloth and Sulanjana Raul with five each, Resty Nanziri chipping in from midfield. Across the league, goals have come from everywhere: Karishma Shirvoikar, Kaviya Pakkirisamy, Anju Tamang, and Emem Peace Essien all making decisive contributions.

Phase 1 may belong to East Bengal, but the Golden Boot race is very much alive, and Phase 2 will decide whether consistency or chaos wins it.