The 2025-26 season of the Indian Super League (ISL) will begin on February 14, as decided in the emergency meeting of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Tuesday.
The tournament will be a 91-game affair played in a single-leg home and away format, with half of them at home and the other half on the road.
The fixtures to be played at home and away will eventually be discussed and finalised between the federation and the respective ISL clubs.
“It’s a happy day for Indian football. East Bengal has been saying from the first day that the league will happen. This country has so many fans who love football, a government which supports sports and a federation. In such a scenario, the league not happening is something we could never digest,” Debarata Sarkar, senior club official of East Bengal, told Sportstar.
Ten teams, including East Bengal and Mohun Bagan Super Giant, have confirmed their participation in the tournament by mail so far, but the Sports Ministry and the Federation are optimistic that all 14 clubs will play in the league.
At the meeting on January 6, the remaining four clubs requested 24 hours to discuss and come to a decision but it is learnt that the urgency of the situation – there has been no top flight men’s football in India so far — prompted the Sports Ministry to press for a quicker resolution.
The decision comes as a relief for the men’s football ecosystem at a time when several premier division clubs have suspended first-team operations, while several foreigners have mutually parted ways to look for playing time elsewhere around the world.
“We want football to start, and as a club, we want to reaffirm that we will be playing in the league,” Mandar Tamhane, the CEO of NorthEast United, told this publication.
“We are thankful to the government, the federation and also the clubs for having looked at the larger picture, keeping Indian football in mind, and making this thing (the ISL) finally happen.”
The 2025-26 I-League will be a truncated event with 55 matches.
“There had been uncertainty around the ISL for the last few months, and some factors have to be kept in mind, such as direction from the Supreme Court on the AIFF constitution and the subsequent preparation of the RFQ in accordance with the same,” AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey said.
“The Master Rights Agreement (MRA) also looked to be expiring around the same time. In such a scenario, it all happened in mid season, therefore starting the league without a long- term commercial partner looked somewhat challenging, despite every stakeholder, including the fans, players and all of us, wanting the league to happen.
“But I’m glad we could collectively finalise the dates for the league, and I want to thank all stakeholders for coming to an agreement,” he added.
