2025–26 Indian Super League
| Season | 2025–26 |
|---|---|
| Dates | League: 1 January 2026 - 31 May 2026 Playoffs: TBD |
| AFC Champions League Two | Goa (Super Cup winners) |
← 2024–25 2026–27 → | |
The 2025–26 Indian Super League will be the 12th season of the Indian Super League (ISL), the fourth season as the only top division and the 30th season of top-tier Indian football.
In June 2025, the FSDL formally informed the ISL clubs and the AIFF that the 2025–26 season was on hold due to unresolved contractual issues, ahead of the expiry of the Master Rights Agreement in December.[1][2] After the intervention of the Supreme Court of India, which requested both parties to resolve the issues between them and start the 2025–26 season as quickly as they could, both parties have now promised that the new season will start in December.[3][4]
The season is now expected to be delayed even further or not even take place this season after no bids came in for a tender for commercial partners floated by the AIFF.[5]
Changes from last season
- No franchisee fee payment shall be applicable from 2025 to 2026 season, either for founding or non-founding participating teams.
- Promotion and relegation will be introduced from this season onwards in accordance with the roadmap of the AFC. Relegated clubs will get support in terms of parachute payments by the AIFF as per time spent in the competition.[6]
- The AIFF also mandates the implementation of a football video support system for the next five years, which could be followed by VAR, with a nod from the federation, in 2031.[7]
Teams
Fourteen teams are competing in the 12th season of Indian Super League – thirteen from the previous season and one promoted from the I-League. Churchill Brothers were initially declared the provisional champions of the I-League by AIFF, but the decision was later overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport who declared Inter Kashi as champions.[8]
On 7 October 2025, Hyderabad FC announced its relocation to Delhi and rebranded to Sporting Club Delhi.[9]
- Promoted from I-League
- Rebranded clubs
- Hyderabad FC shifted its base to Delhi and rebranded as Sporting Club Delhi.[10][11]
Stadiums and locations
- Note: Table lists in alphabetical order.
Kolkata
Locations of Indian Super League teams
Location of the Kolkata football club tents and stadiums
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bengaluru | Bengaluru | Sree Kanteerava Stadium | 25,810 |
| Chennaiyin | Chennai | Marina Arena | 40,000 |
| Delhi | Delhi | Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium | 60,254 |
| East Bengal | Kolkata | Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan | 68,000 |
| Goa | Margao | Fatorda Stadium | 19,000 |
| Inter Kashi[a] | Varanasi | IG Athletic Stadium | 21,600 |
| Jamshedpur | Jamshedpur | JRD Tata Sports Complex | 24,424 |
| Kerala Blasters | Kochi | Kaloor Stadium | 41,000 |
| Mohammedan[b] | Kolkata | Kishore Bharati Krirangan | 12,000 |
| Mohun Bagan | Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan | 68,000 | |
| Mumbai City | Mumbai | Mumbai Football Arena | 7,000 |
| NorthEast United | Guwahati | IG Athletic Stadium | 21,600 |
| Odisha | Bhubaneswar | Kalinga Stadium | 15,000 |
| Punjab[c] | Mohali | Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium | 60,254 |
- ^ The club is based in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, but will play its home games in Guwahati due to a lack of football stadiums in Uttar Pradesh.[12]
- ^ The club will play its home derbies against East Bengal and Mohun Bagan at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan[13]
- ^ The club is based in Mohali, Punjab, but will continue to play its home games in New Delhi until the 2025–26 season.[14]
Personnel and kits
| Team | Head coach | Captain (s) | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bengaluru | Renedy Singh (interim) | Sunil Chhetri | Puma | JSW |
| Chennaiyin | Clifford Miranda | Elsinho | Six5Six | |
| Delhi | Tomasz Tchórz | Alex Saji | Six5Six | |
| East Bengal | Oscar Bruzon | Naorem Mahesh Singh | Trak Only | |
| Goa | Manolo Márquez | Sandesh Jhingan | Six5Six | |
| Inter Kashi | Antonio López Habas | Sumeet Passi | ||
| Jamshedpur | Steven Dias | Pronay Halder | Nivia | Tata Steel |
| Kerala Blasters | David Català | Adrián Luna Noah Sadaoui Danish Farooq Bikash Yumnam |
Six5Six | White Gold |
| Mohun Bagan | Sergio Lobera | Subhasish Bose | Skechers | |
| Mohammedan | Mehrajuddin Wadoo | Pukhrambam Dinesh Meitei | ||
| Mumbai City | Petr Kratky | Lallianzuala Chhangte | Puma | Etihad Airways |
| NorthEast United | Juan Pedro Benali | Michel Zabaco | Reebok | Meghalaya Tourism |
| Odisha | Amrinder Singh | |||
| Punjab | Panagiotis Dilberis | Nikhil Prabhu | Shiv Naresh | Roundglass Living |
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Ref. | Position in the table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kerala Blasters | T. G. Purushothaman | End of interim period | 25 March 2025 | [15] | Pre-season | David Català | 25 March 2025 | [16] |
| Hyderabad / Delhi | Shameel Chembakath | 31 May 2025 | [17] | Tomasz Tchórz | 19 October 2025 | [18] | ||
| Chennaiyin | Owen Coyle | Mutual consent | 17 July 2025 | [19] | Clifford Miranda | 12 September 2025 | [20] | |
| Jamshedpur | Khalid Jamil | Signed by India | 13 August 2025 | [21] | Steven Dias (interim) | 13 August 2025 | [22] | |
| Mohun Bagan | José Francisco Molina | Sacked | 26 November 2025 | [23] | Sergio Lobera | 26 November 2025 | [24] | |
| Bengaluru | Gerard Zaragoza | Mutual consent | 14 November 2025 | [25] | Renedy Singh (interim) | 14 November 2025 | ||
| Odisha | Sergio Lobera | 26 November 2025 | [26] |
Foreign players
The AIFF allows teams to register a maximum of six foreign players. A maximum of four can be fielded in a match at a time.[27]
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bengaluru | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification for the Champions League Two group stage and semi-finals |
| 2 | Chennaiyin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification for the semi-finals |
| 3 | Delhi | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification for the knockouts |
| 4 | East Bengal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | Goa (S) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification for the Champions League Two preliminary stage and Qualification for the knockouts[a] |
| 6 | Inter Kashi | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification for the knockouts |
| 7 | Jamshedpur | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 8 | Kerala Blasters | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 9 | Mohammedan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 10 | Mohun Bagan[b] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 11 | Mumbai City | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 12 | NorthEast United | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 13 | Odisha | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 14 | Punjab | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Relegation to I-League |
First match(es) will be played: December 2025. Source: Indian Super League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored; 4) head-to-head points; 5) head-to-head goal difference; 6) head-to-head goals scored; 7) fair play ranking; 8) drawing of lots
(Note: Head-to-head record is used only after all the matches between the teams in question have been played).
(S) Super Cup winners
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored; 4) head-to-head points; 5) head-to-head goal difference; 6) head-to-head goals scored; 7) fair play ranking; 8) drawing of lots
(Note: Head-to-head record is used only after all the matches between the teams in question have been played).
(S) Super Cup winners
Notes:
- ^ FC Goa qualified for the AFC Champions League Two preliminary stage by winning the 2025–26 Super Cup.[28]
- ^ If Mohun Bagan, who are banned from AFC competitions until 2028-29 season, become ISL champions, the ISL league runners-up will qualify for AFC Champions League Two group stage.[29]
Results
Form
First match(es) will be played on 2025. Source: Indian Super League
Position by round
First match(es) will be played on 2025. Source: Indian Super League
= Qualification to the Semifinals and AFC Champions League Two group stages; = Qualification to the Semifinals; = Qualification to the Knockout
= Qualification to the Semifinals and AFC Champions League Two group stages; = Qualification to the Semifinals; = Qualification to the Knockout
Attendances
Overall
Home match played
ISL Cup playoffs
The ISL Cup Play-offs is a knockout tournament held after the regular league season.
- Format:
- Top six teams from the league qualify for the playoffs.
- The top two teams advance directly to the two-legged semi-finals.
- Teams ranked 3rd to 6th play a single-legged knockout round, hosted by the higher-ranked team.
- Progression:
- Winners of the knockout stage join the top two teams in the semi-finals.
- Semi-finals are played over two legs to determine the finalists.
- The tournament culminates in a single-leg final hosted by the higher-ranked league side to crown the ISL Cup winner.
Bracket
| Knockout | Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||||||||
| 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 6 | ||||||||||||||||
ISL Cup Final
See also
- Men
- 2025–26 I-League (Tier II)
- 2025–26 I-League 2 (Tier III)
- 2025–26 I-League 3 (Tier IV)
- 2025–26 Indian State Leagues (Tier V)
- 2025–26 AIFF Super Cup
- 2024 Durand Cup
- 2025 Durand Cup
- 2026 RFD League
- Women
References
- ^ "BREAKING: ISL 2025-26 season formally on hold; FSDL informs clubs & AIFF". Khel Now. 11 July 2025. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
- ^ "With ISL on hold, AIFF enters new depths of incompetence". ESPN. 12 July 2025. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
- ^ "ISL likely to begin in October; MRA negotiations hinge on AIFF elections". newsn9ne. 26 August 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
- ^ "Supreme Court paves way for ISL 2025/26 to start in December, no mention of fresh AIFF election". The Indian Express. 2 September 2025. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
- ^ "ISL fails to attract single bid; AIFF to 'deliberate on future course of action'". Sportstar. 7 November 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "AIFF misses Oct 15 date, issues new tender terms". New Indian Express.
- ^ "AIFF releases tender for ISL in 15-year roadmap, suggests wage cap, promotion-relegation". Sportstar. 17 October 2025. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
- ^
- "Churchill get I-League title & ISL promotion after AIFF panel verdict, Inter Kashi to approach CAS". The Indian Express. 19 April 2025. Archived from the original on 20 April 2025. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
- Godinho, Norma (19 April 2025). "Churchill Brothers declared I-League champs, earn ISL promotion". Rediff. Archived from the original on 20 April 2025. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
- "'This Isn't Just Our Heartbreak': Inside the I-League Title Controversy That Shook Indian Football". The Wire. 21 April 2025.
- "Inter Kashi crowned I-League 2024-25 champion after CAS ruling". Sportstar. 18 July 2025.
- "AIFF confirms Inter Kashi's promotion to top tier ISL". The Times of India. 8 October 2025.
- ^ "ISL 2025-26: Hyderabad FC Rebrands As Sporting Club Delhi Ahead Of Next Season". Outlook India. 7 October 2025. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
- ^ "Hyderabad FC now Sporting Club Delhi: Everything to know about ISL's capital return". India Today. 7 October 2025. Archived from the original on 11 October 2025. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
- ^ "Sporting Club Delhi launched, to make debut in Super Cup after being rebranded from Hyderabad FC". The Indian Express. 18 December 2025. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
- ^ "Stadium". Inter Kashi. 20 August 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ "ISL 2024-25: Mohammedan SC to play home matches at Kishore Bharati Krirangan". Khel Now. 2 August 2024. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
- ^ "Punjab FC to remain in Delhi for ISL home games". news9live. 20 August 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ "David Català joins Kerala Blasters". The Economic Times. 25 March 2025. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
- ^ "Kerala Blasters FC name David Catala as new head coach". Indian Super League. 25 March 2025. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
- ^ "We have made plenty of progress as a team: Shameel Chembakath". Hyderabad FC. 11 March 2025. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
- ^ https://x.com/OfficialSCDelhi/status/1979872909113074155?t=EJ36wySN-trMB-x6UthlmA&s=19
- ^ "Chennaiyin FC and head coach Owen Coyle mutually part ways". Sportstar. 17 July 2025. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
- ^
- "Clifford agrees terms with Chennaiyin FC, set to become chief coach". The Times of India. 12 September 2025. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
- https://x.com/ChennaiyinFC/status/1979436400216019198?s=19
- ^ "Khalid Jamil signs full-time contract as Indian senior men's team head coach". All India Football Federation. 13 August 2025. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ "Jamshedpur FC appoints Steven Dias as head coach on interim basis". Sportstar. 13 August 2025. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ "Jose Molina set to part ways with Mohun Bagan after Super Cup exit". Sportstar. 1 November 2025. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
- ^ Desk, India Today Sports (27 November 2025). "Mohun Bagan appoint ISL winner Sergio Lobera as new head coach". India Today. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^
- "Bengaluru FC bids adieu to head coach Zaragoza". The New Indian Express. 15 November 2025. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
- "Former Bengaluru FC coach Gerard Zaragoza joins Super League Greece club Panserraikos FC as head coach". Khel Now. 16 November 2025. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
- ^ Desk, India Today Sports (27 November 2025). "Mohun Bagan appoint ISL winner Sergio Lobera as new head coach". India Today. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "ISL 2025-26 SUMMER TRANSFERS: LIST OF CLUB-WISE DEPARTURES, EXTENSIONS AND NEW SIGNINGS". Indian Super League. 24 July 2025. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
- ^ "AIFF Super Cup 2025/26: FC Goa three-time champions". AIFF. 7 December 2025.
- ^ "AFC axes Mohun Bagan from ACL2, Asia ban likely". The Times of India. 1 October 2025. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 1 October 2025.