AIFF Media Team

NEW DELHI: The inaugural edition of the AIFF U17 Women's Youth League will kick off on July 18, 2026, at the RKM Football Academy in Narainpur, Chhattisgarh, marking a historic milestone for women's youth club football in India.

The tournament, the first national youth league for U17 women's clubs in the country, will feature 16 teams from across India. The final is scheduled for July 29. The participating teams have been divided into four groups of four, with the top two sides from each group advancing to the quarter-finals before the competition progresses through the knockout stage.

Among the 16 participating clubs, there are five teams from the Indian Women's League (Garhwal United FC, Nita Football Academy, Kickstart FC, HOPS FC & Sethu FC) and seven from the IWL 2 (DFA Raisen, Roots FC, Kemp FC, DKR Football Academy, Mumbai Knights FC, MGM Ambush Club & Krida Prabodhini Pune). The four remaining teams are KMP Aspire FC, Zinc Football Academy, PFC Kerala, and hosts RKM Football Academy. The inaugural league marks the first opportunity for clubs across the country to field their U17 women's teams in a structured national tournament.

The launch of the AIFF U17 Women's Youth League represents another significant step in the AIFF's commitment to strengthening the women's football development pathway.

The RKM Football Academy in Narainpur has emerged as one of India's leading football venues in recent years, regularly hosting AIFF national competitions across men's and women's football in both youth and senior categories. The venue also successfully hosted the Rajmata Jijabai Trophy last season and will now welcome another landmark competition to its growing portfolio.

AIFF U17 Women's Youth League 2026-27 Group Stage Draw

Group A: KMP Aspire FC, Zinc Football Academy, DFA Raisen, Roots FC
Group B: PFC Kerala, RKM Football Academy, Garhwal United FC, Kemp FC
Group C: DKR Football Academy, Mumbai Knights FC, Nita Football Academy, Kickstart FC
Group D: MGM Ambush Club, HOPS FC, Krida Prabodhini Pune, Sethu FC

The fixtures for the inaugural AIFF U17 Women's Youth League will be announced on June 18.