AIFF gives green light to ISL 2025–26 season, confirms February 14 start
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "AIFF gives green light to ISL 2025–26 season, confirms February 14 start")
AIFF gives green light to ISL 2025–26 season, confirms February 14 start Photograph: (ISL)
The Indian Super League 2025–26 will start on February 14 after AIFF’s emergency meeting. All 14 clubs are expected to participate as top-flight football returns to India following weeks of uncertainty.
The Indian Super League 2025-26 season will begin on February 14, bringing relief to Indian football after weeks of uncertainty. The decision was taken during an emergency meeting of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Tuesday (Jan 6), with the Sports Minister Mansukh Mandviya confirming that all 14 clubs are expected to participate in the league. The upcoming ISL season will feature 91 matches and will be played in a single-leg home-and-away format.
Each team will play half its matches at home and the rest away. The final home and away fixtures will be discussed and confirmed between the federation and the respective clubs in the coming days.
“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,” East Bengal senior club official Debarata Sarkar was quoted as saying to Sportstar.
10 clubs confirm their participation
So far, 10 clubs, including East Bengal and Mohun Bagan Super Giant, have officially confirmed their participation via email. The remaining four clubs asked for 24 hours to take a final call. However, with no top-flight men’s football played in the country so far this season, the Sports Ministry pushed for a faster resolution.
Trending Stories
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
The announcement comes at a crucial time for Indian football, with several top-division clubs having suspended first-team operations and foreign players leaving in search of playing opportunities elsewhere.
“We want football to start, and as a club, we want to reaffirm that we will be playing in the league. 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.” NorthEast United CEO Mandar Tamhane was quoted as saying.
INR 25 crore central pool for ISL
The AIFF also confirmed that the 2025–26 I-League will be held around the same time, though in a shortened format with 55 matches. AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey revealed that an INR 25 crore central pool has been created to conduct the ISL.
