Indonesia women's football league returns after seven years

Indonesia's women's football league will return on Sunday with its first matches since 2019, restarting a competition that was halted by the Covid-19 pandemic and later financial problems.

The Football Association of Indonesia has allocated 24 billion rupiah, or $1.3 million, to restart the Indonesia Women's League and pay salaries to players. The league will begin with six clubs in a five-year trial period, association chairman Erick Thohir said.

Indonesia, a country of 290 million people, has not had a permanent women's league. The Indonesia Women's League began in 2019 but played only one season.

Zahra Naqiyyah, who helped her team win the 2019 season as a 15-year-old, will return with Garudayaksa Women. She said many players quit because there was no league.

The returning league will include about 200 players from clubs in Greater Jakarta. IWL boss Teddy Tjahjono said the long-term goal was to build a sustainable women's football industry.

Indonesia's women's national team has never played at the World Cup. It reached the Asian Cup in 2022 but failed to qualify last year. It won the ASEAN Football Federation Women's Cup in 2024 and again this year, and is ranked 105th in the world.