AIFF calls crucial meeting with eight ISL clubs over future of 2025–26 season

ISL 2025-26 has been officially put on hold by FSDL over MRA uncertainty.

Indian football is facing a major crossroads, and a high-stakes meeting on August 7 in New Delhi could determine what happens next. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is set to meet with representatives from eight Indian Super League (ISL) clubs at 11:30 AM is a hotel in Aerocity, New Delhi, to address growing uncertainty over the 2025–26 season.

The AIFF issued a letter on August 4, 2025, inviting officials of eight ISL clubs for a meeting in New Delhi on August 7. This step has been taken in response to the joint letter sent by the clubs on July 28 requesting for immediate action.

Hyderabad FC CEO Dhruv Sood, Kerala Blasters FC CEO Abhik Chatterjee, NorthEast United FC CEO Mandar Tamhane, Jamshedpur FC CEO Mukul Choudhari, Bengaluru FC Director of Football Darren Caldeira, JSW Sports CEO Divyanshu Singh, Odisha FC CEO Raj Athwal, Punjab FC General Manager Nitin Pant and FC Goa CEO Ravi Puskur have been invited to this meeting.

Also Read: 8 ISL clubs raise alarm as 2025–26 season in limbo amid Supreme Court impasse

What is the AIFF’s meeting on 7th August about?

At the heart of the crisis is the Supreme Court’s directive asking the AIFF to delay finalising its new constitution. With no clarity on when the court will give its verdict, talks between the federation and its commercial partner, Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), have been completely stalled.

This legal deadlock comes at a crucial time, as the current Master Rights Agreement (MRA) between AIFF and FSDL is set to expire on December 8, 2025. As a result, FSDL recently informed clubs that it is not in a position to proceed with the upcoming ISL season.

The impact has been immediate and far-reaching—clubs have halted pre-season activities, put recruitment on hold, and pressed pause on financial planning. Seven ISL clubs earlier pulled out of the Durand Cup, and fears of deeper disruption loom large.

In a collective response, eight ISL clubs—Bengaluru FC, Jamshedpur FC, FC Goa, Hyderabad FC, Kerala Blasters, NorthEast United, Odisha FC, and Punjab FC—sent a joint letter to AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey on July 29, urging urgent intervention.

Odisha FC shut down operations temporarily

The club also warned that in the absence of clarity over the season’s structure, central revenue share, and scheduling, several clubs might be forced to downsize operations or even consider shutting down.

The situation escalated further when Odisha FC became the first to take drastic action, suspending all existing contracts and putting a temporary halt to operations. The club, which won the Super Cup in 2024, said it could not continue without a clear picture of the league’s future. This might also pave the way for other clubs like to take a similar course.

Also Read: Odisha FC suspend contracts amid ISL 2025–26 uncertainty

Effect of impasse beyond ISL

The ripple effects of this impasse are not limited to the ISL. With youth development programmes frozen, transfer activity stalled, and grassroots projects shelved, the entire football ecosystem is at risk. Perhaps most worryingly, players from the Indian national football team are also affected.

With no active domestic calendar in place, they could go into September’s CAFA Nations Cup 2025 and most importantly, October’s must-win AFC Asian Cup qualifiers against Singapore without any domestic football.

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