Indian sports wrap, October 22: Nineteen clubs to compete in I-League 3 2026-27

A total of 19 clubs will feature in the 2026-27 season, divided into four groups. | Photo Credit: AIFF Media

FOOTBALL

The 2026-27 season of I-League 3, the fourth tier of the Indian men’s football league system, will commence on October 22, 2026, with group-stage matches being held across four venues.

The participating clubs will compete in a single round-robin format within their respective groups.

The group stage will begin on October 22, with Groups B and C kicking off their respective campaigns. Group A action will commence on October 26, while Group D matches will begin on November 1. The group-stage fixtures will conclude on November 9.

A total of 19 clubs will feature in the 2026-27 season, divided into four groups.

Four group winners and two best second-placed teams across all groups will qualify for the six-team play-offs. The top two teams in the play-offs will be promoted to the 2027-28 season of the I-League 2.

In 2025-26, champions Baghpat FC and runner-up FC Raengdai were promoted from I-League 3 to the 2026-27 I-League 2.

GROUPS

Group A: TRAU FC, NEROCA FC, Southern Sporting Union, KLASA FC - all matches at Khuman Lampak Stadium in Imphal, Manipur

Group B: Corbett FC, Techtro Swades United FC, Ghaziabad City FC, Sher-e-Punjab SC, Garhwal Heroes FC - all matches at Amenity Football Academy in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand

Group C: Lakecity FC, Godavari FC, Nongkseh SS&CC, Kuppuraj FC, Chhaygaon FC - all matches at SSA Stadium in Shillong, Meghalaya

Group D: Clube de Salgaocar, Zinc Football Academy, RT Boys FC, GOG FCC, Kickstart FC - all matches at Duler Stadium in Mapusa, Goa

Golf

Women’s Indian Open updates: Pranavi Urs and Avani Prasanth impress on day one

Pranavi Urs and Avani Prasanth were tied for fifth as Switzerland’s Chiara Tamburlini, with a 5-under 67, made a late surge to the top on day one of the Women’s Indian Open on Thursday.

Shooting a flawless 4-under 68, Singapore’s Shannon Tan was tied second with Argentina’s Magdalena Simmermacher at the DLF Golf and Country Club.

Sweden’s Andrea Lignell was on the 18th fairway when darkness stopped play at 5:57 pm.

Tamburlini said, “I hit quite a few fairways and felt quite comfortable with my irons as well. I converted a lot of putts, and the putter was definitely what made it possible to go low.”

Playing in the morning group with Shannon, Pranavi could have fared better than the two-under 70 had she not been bothered by a stomach bug.

“The (ailment) is not good for this golf course, considering how challenging it is. I just had to keep it all together and play, which I did very well,” said Pranavi.

It was also a day of contrasting fortunes for Tvesa Malik and Diksha Dagar, with the former tied at 9th with an under-par card of 71, and the latter tied at 62nd with a five-over 77.