I-League 2025-26 to kick off from February 21 in two seperate stages

I-League has been proposed to be renamed as the Indian Football League

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) met with the representatives of the I-League clubs on the 28th of January 2026 to propose the structure and the operational framework of the upcoming I-League (Indian Football League) season.

As per the proposal from the clubs, the I-League 2025-26 is all set to kick off on the 21st of February, 2026. The tournament will be played in a single-leg round-robin format, which will be followed by two separate phases.

The meeting also proposed to form a Governing Council and a Managing Committee. The Governing Council will consist of representatives from the participating clubs and the AIFF members who will be nominated separately. The Management Committee will consist of representatives from selected clubs and AIFF members as ex officio members. This Governance structure will ensure that the operations are led primarily by the club, and the role of AIFF will be to oversee the regulations.

The charter for the Governing Council, along with the rules and responsibilities of the Managing Committee, will be placed before the AIFF Executive Committee (EC) for approval. It was also decided that the I-League will follow the same financial structure as the Indian Super League (ISL). Clubs are given until the 2nd of February 2026, to pay the participation fees for playing the tournament.

“Several key decisions had been taken, foremost among them that the league kickoff is scheduled for 21 February. We have also received a new charter for the I-League, which proposes the formation of the Governing Council and the Managing Committee, which has been forwarded to the Executive Committee for ratification,” -said AIFF Deputy Secretary General Mr M Satyanarayan

“It’s encouraging to see that everyone has come together with a shared purpose. The formation of this new governance structure reflects the collective intent of clubs to improve the football ecosystem and ensure higher standards across competition and administration,” Mr KK Tak, owner of Rajasthan United FC spoke after the meeting, representing the clubs.

Newly Proposed I-League 2025-26 Format

The newly proposed format of the I-League 2025-26 will consist of two separate stages. In Stage 1, the teams will face each other in a single-leg home-and-away round-robin format. In this stage, the match scheduling will be handled by an AI-based system to ensure complete fairness and eliminate the need for human intervention.

Following this, the league will move towards Stage 2, where the matches will be played across two phases. The teams placed in the top half of the table at the end of Stage 1 will battle for the championship round in a home-away championship model. The bottom-placed teams will enter the relegation round, which will be played in a centralised structure.

The top three teams of Stage 1 will be getting more home matches in Stage 2, and the draw for deciding the venues will take place after the end of Stage 1. The championship winner will be decided by adding the cumulative points earned in both Stage 1 and Stage 2 of the tournament.

The newly proposed format will help in keeping the title and relegation battle alive, reducing dead rubbers. By dividing the second stage into two distinct phases, more meaningful matches can be ensured late in the season, providing a clearer sporting narrative for the I-League.

What Next?

The proposals have been submitted to the AIFF Executive Committee, and approval has been requested by the 31st of January 2026. Following the clearance of the Executive Committee, the proposals will be implemented.

Further announcements regarding league structure, season calendar, club participation criteria, broadcast pertnerships and youth development mandates will be issued in due course of time, once the approvals have been received through the statutory requirements of the AIFF.

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