The BOB Bhutan National Women’s League 2026 kicked off today in Thimphu. This year, the competition carries higher stakes than ever. For the first time, the league will follow a three-stage format, reshaping how teams compete for the championship title.
In the opening match of Tier III, the defending champions, RTC Women FC, thrashed last year’s runners-up Paro Women FC, 8-0, at Changlimithang stadium.
RTC Women FC drew the first blood within the first 10 minutes of play. They scored six goals before half and added two later.
In Tier III, all 10 teams will play against each other. The matches will be played at Changlimithang Stadium. The top six teams will qualify for the Women’s National League 2026 Tier I, while the bottom four teams will move to compete in the National Championship or Tier II.
According to the Bhutan Football Federation, the revised format aims to make the competition more balanced and competitive.
BFF’s media focal person Nidup Gyeltshen said, “This year, we have a change in the mode of competition because if you look at the results of last season, especially when a top team faced a bottom team, we saw a very large difference between the two teams. The bottom teams conceded more than 40 goals.”
The federation also noted that matches among the top six teams were much closer, often ending with narrow scorelines, while lower-ranked teams struggled to keep up over a long season.
Nidup Gyeltshen said, “If you look at the results among the top six teams, particularly the bigger clubs, the margins are not very large. Most matches end with scorelines such as 2–1, 3–1, or 3–0. It is similar for the bottom four teams as well, where the results are also fairly close, both in terms of goals scored and goals conceded.
The new three-tier system is expected to keep teams engaged throughout the season and improve the overall competition standards.
The federation also revised foreign player regulations. Clubs can now field up to eight foreign players, five international players and three SAFF players, an increase from six last season.
The changes are expected to strengthen squad depth and raise the level of competition across the league.
Including a new team, Tsirang WFC, teams from Thimphu, Phuentshogling, Punakha, and Gelephu are competing in the league this time.
Karma Wangdi
