The Island Wide League (IWL) 2026 is set to get underway on Saturday, 16 May 2026, with five opening fixtures scheduled across three venues as teams begin their pursuit of domestic glory.

This year’s competition will feature a total of 21 participating teams, divided into three groups of seven. The group stage will be played in a single round-robin format, with each team facing one another once.

At the conclusion of the group stage, the top two teams from each group, alongside the two best-ranked third-placed teams, will progress to the quarter-finals. From there, the competition will transition into a single-legged knockout format all the way through to the final, where the Island Wide League 2026 champions will be crowned.

Among the sides expected to mount a strong challenge this season are Sembawang City FC and Bukit Timah FC, both of whom reached the semi-finals in last year’s edition.

Sembawang City will once again boast an experienced core featuring former Singapore internationals Shaiful Esah, Gabriel Quak and Yasir Hanapi, with the trio bringing over 100 international caps worth of experience into the campaign.

Bukit Timah, meanwhile, will look to defender Sufianto Salleh for leadership and experience. The former Young Lions, Home United and Balestier Khalsa player has amassed over 80 appearances in Singapore’s top flight and will be central to his side’s ambitions this season.

Elsewhere, newcomers GFA Petir and Jurong City will be eager to test themselves against some of the league’s more established sides as they embark on ...