Indian Football Calendar for March 2026: AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026, ISL in spotlight

The Indian Football Team will play their first match of the year in March.

Indian Football is coming back to the path of normalcy following the months of uncertainty. The players are back on the pitch, and the fans have started flowing to the stands once again to witness the buzzing rivalries and intense head-to-head showdowns.

From the Reliance Foundation Development League to the Indian National Football Team matches, from the Indian Super League to the Indian Football League, the football calendar for March is jam-packed.

Here is a detailed look at the Indian Football Calendar for the month of March 2026.

AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers

The Indian Football team will play their first match of the year 2026 on the 31st of March. The Blue Tigers will face the Hong Kong National Football team for the Group C clash of the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers.

Currently in the last position of the group table, India has been knocked out of the qualification contention. Even though the final venue for the match is yet to be announced, the AFC has provided the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi, a conditional approval for hosting the match.

Date	Home Team	Away Team	Venue	Time
31st March	India	Hong Kong	TBD	17:30

AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026

Indian Football rises again, as the Blue Tigresses, who are in blazing form right now, will be now taking India to the highest stage of Asian Football, the AFC Women’s Asian Cup. The matches will take place at Australia and the women in blue will face Vietnam, Japan and the Chinese Taipei football teams from the 4th to 10th of March.

The competition is made up of three groups, with teams looking to finish in the top two places of their group to qualify for the knockout stages. The two best third-placed teams will also go through. The four quarter-final winners will qualify directly for the 2027 Women’s World Cup

Date	Team	Team	Venue	Time (IST)
4th March	Vietnam	India	Perth Rectangular Stadium	4:30 PM
7th March	India	Japan	Perth Rectangular Stadium	4:30 PM
10th March	India	Chineese Taipei	Western Sydney Stadium	2:30 PM

Reliance Foundation Development League

The Reliance Foundation Development League, which started on the 24th of February, will span till the 25th of March. The league, which features 12 youth sides, will have an intense head-to-head encounter where they will give it all to be crowned the champions of Indian Football and potentially represent the nation in the Next Gen Cup.

The 12 participating teams for the national-level battle are East Bengal FC, NorthEast United FC, Mohun Bagan SG, FC Goa, Sreenidhi Deccan FC, Bengaluru FC, Sudeva Delhi FC, Diamond Harbour FC, Dempo SC, Kerala Blasters FC, Punjab FC and SESA FC, who’re gonna share their character for Indian Football.

Date	Team	Team	Venue	Time
1st March	East Bengal FC	NorthEast United FC	Artificial Ground, RCP Ghansoli	8:00 AM
2nd March	Mohun Bagan SG	FC Goa	SSA Stadium, Shillong	8:00 AM
2nd March	Sreenidhi Deccan FC	Bengaluru FC	SSA Stadium, Shillong	11:30 AM
2nd March	Sudeva Delhi FC	Diamond Harbour FC	SSA Stadium, Shillong	3:00 PM
3rd March	East Bengal FC	Dempo SC	Artificial Ground, RCP Ghansoli	8:00 AM
3rd March	SESA FC	Kerala Blasters FC	Artificial Ground, RCP Ghansoli	11:30 AM
4th March	Punjab FC	NorthEast United FC	Artificial Ground, RCP Ghansoli	8:00 AM
5th March	Bengaluru FC	Diamond Harbour FC	SSA Stadium, Shillong	8:00 AM
5th March	FC Goa	Sudeva Delhi FC	SSA Stadium, Shillong	11:30 AM
5th March	Mohun Bagan SG	Sreenidhi Deccan	SSA Stadium, Shillong	3:00 PM
6th March	SESA FC	NorthEast United FC	Artificial Ground, RCP Ghansoli	8:00 AM
6th March	East Bengal FC	Punjab FC	Natural Ground, RCP Ghansoli	6:00 PM
7th March	Dempo SC	Kerala Blasters FC	Artificial Ground, RCP Ghansoli	8:00 AM
8th March	Sudeva Delhi FC	Mohun Bagan SG	MFA Ground, Shillong	8:00 AM
8th March	Sreenidhi Deccan FC	Diamond Harbour FC	MFA Ground, Shillong	11:30 AM
8th March	Bengaluru FC	FC Goa	MFA Ground, Shillong	3:00 PM
9th March	SESA FC	NorthEast United FC	Artificial Ground, RCP Ghansoli	8:00 AM
9th March	East Bengal FC	Punjab FC	Natural Ground, RCP Ghansoli	6:00 PM
10th March	Dempo SC	Kerala Blasters FC	Artificial Ground, RCP Ghansoli	8:00 AM
11th March	Sreenidhi Deccan FC	Bengaluru FC	SSA Stadium, Shillong	8:00 AM
11th March	Sudeva Delhi FC	Diamond Harbour FC	SSA Stadium, Shillong	11:30 AM
11th March	Mohun Bagan SG	FC Goa	SSA Stadium	3:00 PM
12th March	East Bengal FC	Dempo SC	Artificial Ground, RCP Ghansoli	8:00 AM
12th March	SESA FA	Kerala Blasters FC	Natural Ground, RCP Ghansoli	6:00 PM
13th March	Punjab FC	Northeast United Fc	Artificial Ground, RCP Ghansoli	8:00 AM
14th March	Sreenidi Deccan FC	FC Goa	MFA Ground, Shillong	8:00AM
14th March	Sudeva Delhi FC	Bengaluru FC	MFA Ground, Shillong	11:30 AM
14th March	Mohun Bagan SG	Diamnond Harbour FC	MFA Ground, Shillong	3:00 PM
15th March	SESA FA	Punjab FC	Artificial Ground, RCP Ghansoli	8:00 AM
15th March	Dempo SC	North East United FC	Natural Ground, RCP Ghansoli	6:00 PM
16th March	East Bengal FC	Kerala Blasters FC	Artificial Ground, RCP Ghansol	8:00 AM
17th March	Diamond Harbour FC	FC Goa	SSA Stadium	8:00 AM
17th March	Bengaluru FC	Mohun Bagan SG	SSA Stadium	11:30 AM
17th March	Sreenidi Deccan FC	Sudeva Delhi FC	SSA Stadium	3:00 PM
18th March	Dempo SC	Northeast United FC	Artificial Ground, RCP Ghansol	8:00 AM
18th March	SESA FA	Punjab FC	Natural Ground, RCP Ghansoli	6:00 PM
19th March	East Bengal FC	Kerala Blasters FC	Artificial Ground, RCP Ghansol	8:00 AM
20th March	Bengaluru FC	Diamond Harbour FC	SSA Stadium	8:00 AM
20th March	Mohun Bagan SG	Sreenidi Deccan FC	SSA Stadium	11:30 AM
20th March	FC Goa	Sudeva FC	SSA Stadium	3:00 PM
21th March	Punjab FC	Dempo FC	Artificial Ground, RCP Ghansol
21st March	Kerala Blasters FC	Northeast UnitedFC	Natural Ground, RCP Ghansoli	6:00 PM
22nd March	SESA FA	East Bengal FC	Artificial Ground, RCP Ghansol	8:00 AM
23rd March	Sudeva Delhi FC	Mohun Bagan SC	SSA Stadium	8:00 AM
23rd March	Bengaluru FC	FC Goa	SSA Stadium	11:30 AM
23rd March	Sreenidi Deccan FC	Diamond Harbour FC	SSA Stadium	3:00 PM
24th March	Dempo SC	SESA FA	Artificial Ground, RCP Ghansol	8:00 AM
24th March	East Bengal FC	Northeast United FC	Natural Ground, RCP Ghansoli	6:00 PM
25th March	Punjab FC	Kersks Blasters	Artificial Ground, RCP Ghansol	8:00 AM

Indian Super League

The Indian Super League will be played in a phased manner in the month of March, as Indian Football comes again after so long.

On March 1st, the final two games of Gameweek 3 will be played. Following that, the Gameweek 4 will be played from the 5th to the 9th. The footballing action will then be restarted on the 13th and will be played till the 22nd.

A total of 22 matches will be played in March, after which the league will be restarted on the 9th of April due to the FIFA Window.

Date	Team 1	Team 2	Venue	Time
1st March	Odisha FC	Chennaiyin FC	Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar	5:00 PM
1st March	Mumbai City FC	NorthEast United FC	Mumbai Football Arena	7:30 PM
5th March	East Bengal FC	FC Goa	Kishore Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata	5:00 PM
6th March	Odisha FC	Mohun Bagan SG	Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar	5:00 PM
6th March	Jamshedpur FC	Inter Kashi	JRD Tata Sports Complex	7:30 PM
7th March	Mohammedan SC	Bengaluru FC	Kishore Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata	5:00 PM
7th March	Kerala Blasters FC	Chennaiyin FC	JLN Stadium, Kochi	7:30 PM
8th March	Mumbai City FC	Sporting Club Delhi	Mumbai Football Arena	7:30 PM
9th March	Punjab FC	NorthEast United FC	JLN Stadium, Delhi	7:30 PM
13th March	Sporting Club Delhi	Odisha FC	JLN Stadium, Delhi	7:30 PM
14th March	East Bengal FC	Kerala Blasters FC	Kishore Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata	5:00 PM
14th March	Bengaluru FC	Mohun Bagan SG	Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bengaluru	7:30 PM
15th March	NorthEast United FC	Jamshedpur FC	IG Athletic Stadium, Guwahati	5:00 PM
15th March	Inter Kashi	Mumbai City FC	Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar	7:30 PM
16th March	Punjab FC	FC Goa	JLN Stadium, Delhi	7:30 PM
19th March	Sporting Club Delhi	Jamshedpur FC	JLN Stadium, Delhi	7:30 PM
20th March	NorthEast United FC	Odisha FC	IG Athletic Stadium, Guwahati	5:00 PM
20th March	Mohun Bagan SG	Mumbai City FC	Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan	7:30 PM
21st March	East Bengal FC	Mohammedan SC	Kishore Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata	5:00 PM
21st March	Kerala Blasters FC	Punjab FC	JLN Stadium, Kochi	7:30 PM
22nd March	Chennaiyin FC	FC Goa	Marina Arena, Chennai	5:00 PM
22nd March	Inter Kashi	Bengaluru FC	Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar	7:30 PM

SAFF U-20 Championship

From the 26th to the 28th of March, the Blue Colts will feature in the SAFF U-20 Championship, where they will face Pakistan U20 on the 26th of March and the defending champions Bangladesh U20 on the 28th of March.

Following this, the top two placed teams will play the semi-finals on the 1st of April, following which the final will be played on the 3rd of April. India, the champions of 2019, 2022, and 2023, will be looking forward to bringing the title back home after a wait of three long years.

Date	Team 1	Team 2	Venue	Time
26th March	India U-20	Pakistan U-20	Malé, Maldives	TBD
28th March	India U-20	Bangladesh U-20	Malé, Maldives	TBD

India U17 men’s football team Myanmar tour

The India U17 men’s team are set to gear up for two international friendlies against Myanmar national under-17 football team in Yangon.

Date	Team 1	Team 2	Venue	Time
3rd March	India U-17	Myanmar U-17	Yangon	TBD
5th March	India U-17	Myanmar U-17	Yangon	TBD

Indian Football League

The Indian Football League (formerly I-League) will feature a total of 23 matches in the month of March. With a new league structure, the top half of the teams will move forward to fight for the championship, while the bottom half will battle for relegation. With a good chunk of the total matches to be played this month, each game will be a must-win for all the teams to ensure that they will survive in the later phase of the tournament.

With the promotion to the Indian Super League at stake, teams would have to give their blood and sweat on the pitch to bring out the best possible result and get an opportunity to play in the country’s top-tier footballing league.

Date	Team 1	Team 2	Venue	Time
1st March	Dempo Sports Club	Real Kashmir FC	PJN Stadium, Fatorda	4:00 PM
1st March	Shillong Lajong FC	Rajasthan United FC	SSA Stadium, Shillong	6:30 PM
6th March	Aizawl FC	Rajasthan United FC	Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, Aizawl	6:30 PM
7th March	Gokulam Kerala FC	Namdhari FC	Payyanad Stadium, Manjeri	4:00 PM
7th March	Chanmari FC	Sreenidi Deccan FC	Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, Aizawl	6:30 PM
8th March	Diamond Harbour FC	Dempo Sports Club	Naihati Bankimanjali Stadium	4:00 PM
8th March	Shillong Lajong FC	Real Kashmir FC	SSA Stadium, Shillong	6:30 PM
12th March	Chanmari FC	Dempo Sports Club	Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, Aizawl	6:30 PM
13th March	Rajasthan United FC	Namdhari FC	Vidhyadhar Nagar Stadium, Jaipur	4:00 PM
13th March	Aizawl FC	Real Kashmir FC	Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, Aizawl	6:30 PM
14th March	Gokulam Kerala FC	Sreenidi Deccan FC	Payyanad Stadium, Manjeri	4:00 PM
14th March	Shillong Lajong FC	Diamond Harbour FC	SSA Stadium, Shillong	6:30 PM
17th March	Rajasthan United FC	Real Kashmir FC	Vidhyadhar Nagar Stadium, Jaipur	4:00 PM
19th March	Chanmari FC	Shillong Lajong FC	Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, Aizawl	4:00 PM
19th March	Sreenidi Deccan FC	Namdhari FC	Deccan Arena, Hyderabad	6:30 PM
20th March	Aizawl FC	Diamond Harbour FC	Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, Aizawl	4:00 PM
20th March	Gokulam Kerala FC	Dempo Sports Club	Payyanad Stadium, Manjeri	6:30 PM
24th March	Aizawl FC	Chanmari FC	Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, Aizawl	6:30 PM
25th March	Real Kashmir FC	Namdhari FC	TRC Stadium, Srinagar	4:00 PM
25th March	Sreenidi Deccan FC	Dempo Sports Club	Deccan Arena, Hyderabad	6:30 PM
26th March	Rajasthan United FC	Diamond Harbour FC	Vidhyadhar Nagar Stadium, Jaipur	4:00 PM
26th March	Gokulam Kerala FC	Shillong Lajong FC	Payyanad Stadium, Manjeri	6:30 PM
31st March	Gokulam Kerala FC	Aizawl FC	Payyanad Stadium, Manjeri	6:30 PM

Tri-Nation Cup

In the final week of March, the India U23 side will go on to face the Bhutan U23 side and the Tajikistan U23 side for the Tri-Nations Cup, which is scheduled to be played at the Golden Jubilee Stadium, Yupia. The first challenge for the men in blue will be against Bhutan on the 28th of March, after which they will face the Tajik side on the 31st. The best two teams will face each other in the final.

Date	Team 1	Team 2	Venue	Time
28th March	India U-23	Bhutan U23	Yupia, India	TBD
31st March	India U-23	Tajikistan U23	Yupia, India	TBD
TBD	Tri-Nation Final*	TBD	Yupia, India	TBD

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