HOPS FC Crowned IWL 2 Champions with Perfect Record, Juba Sangha Promoted

HOPS FC crowned IWL 2 champions, Juba Sangha FC secure promotion

New Delhi, May 17

The six-team Final Round was held as a single-leg round-robin at the Padukone-Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence in Bengaluru, where HOPS finished first with 15 points. The Delhi team scored eight goals and remained defensively solid, conceding none during the final round. They had previously topped their group with four straight wins to reach the final stage. This victory marks HOPS' first IWL 2 title and signifies their return to India's top tier of women's football after last season's relegation.

Juba Sangha FC, based in Delhi, finished second with 12 points after winning four of their five matches. They were the top-scoring team in the Final Round, netting 15 goals. This marks Juba Sangha's first promotion to the Indian Women's League.

HOPS started their campaign with a 3-0 victory over Krida Prabodhini Pune, then beat Mumbai Knights FC 2-0, and narrowly defeated Suruchi Sangha 1-0. They continued with another close 1-0 win against Kemp FC and concluded their campaign with a 1-0 win over Juba Sangha in the final match, securing the title.

Juba Sangha started their Final Round with a 3-1 win over Kemp and then secured a 5-2 victory against Krida Prabodhini Pune. Their additional wins against Mumbai Knights and Suruchi Sangha maintained their position in the race to the finish, but losing to HOPS resulted in them finishing in second place.

Kemp finished third with nine points, having won three of their five matches. Krida Prabodhini Pune took fourth place with six points. Mumbai Knights ended fifth with three points, and Suruchi Sangha finished the Final Round without earning any points.

Krida Prabodhini's Simran Gurung was the top scorer of the tournament with nine goals. Her teammate Sumaiyya Shaikh finished tied for second place with seven goals, sharing the position with Roshni Tigga from Suruchi Sangha and Vipanshi from Juba Sangha.

Juba Sangha also recorded Nidhi scoring six goals throughout the campaign, while Bhagyashree Dalvi from Mumbai Knights and Maidangshri Narzary from Karbi Anglong Sports Association Girls Football Club (KASA FC) each scored five. Khushbu Saroj of Kemp and Juba Sangha's Kiran both scored four goals.

The IWL 2, launched in the 2023-24 season, acts as the second level of women's club football in India. The two leading teams in this competition are promoted to the IWL, the top division of women's football in the country.

Sribhumi FC were the first champions in 2023-24, with Garhwal United FC securing the title last season. HOPS became the second Delhi-based team to win the IWL 2.

— IANS