ISL 2025-26 starting date announced, I-League to run parallel

A welcome news for the entire Indian footballing fraternity and fans.

The long-awaited return of elite club football in India has been confirmed,following Union Sports Minister Mansukh L. Mandaviya’s announcement that the Indian Super League (ISL) will kick off its 2025–26 season on 14th February (Saturday), with all 14 participating clubs committing to compete.

The announcement ends in a major boost to the sport, its players and adoring fans after months of uncertainty and fears of stagnation.

Speaking to the press on regarding the start date, Union Sports Minister Mansukh L. Mandaviya said, “This is happy news for football lovers in the country, our players, and everyone associated with football. This league is being organized with the objective of promoting football in the country, improving the country’s performance in football, and discovering good players through the league.”

He also added, “The ISL was delayed owning to some court cases. However, we have been able to speak to all stakeholders, and the issue has been resolved, ISL will be held this year. It is the vision of the Honourable PM that sports in India should not suffer and I am glad that we could resolve this.”

A forced decision to restart the ISL?

The meeting which took place on Tuesday saw the AIFF draw up an internal budget to run the league itself highlighting a cost-cutting exercise driven by urgency rather than long-term thinking.

One AIFF official was quoted as saying, “It’s time for yes or no. If we have only five clubs, we go with five clubs. Nothing else to be discussed, either yes or no.”

Khel Now had earlier reported that the clubs were cornered and put under political pressure to agree with one of the two models presented by the AIFF.

ALSO READ: AIFF’s ₹24.26 crore ISL 2025–26 plan: Clubs pushed to say “yes or no” amid uncertainty

Kalyan Chaubey shared the format for the upcoming ISL and I-League season

The season format for ISL and I-League was shared by AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey, who was present at the briefing. While explaining the format, the AIFF president said, “There will be single home and away leg matches. A total of 91 matches will be played with 14 teams taking part in the ISL. For I-League, a total of 55 matches will be played with 11 teams taking part.”

An interesting detail was the merger of I-League Division 2 and 3, in which 40 teams across five zones of the country will compete. The Indian Women’s League (IWL) Division 1 and 2 will also take place. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) will commit a total of Rs. 10.3 crore for the conduct of ISL, Rs. 3.2 Crore for the conduct of I-League and 100% funding for the IWL.

For the conduct of ISL, a total of 40 percent will be invested by the AIFF. The remaining funds will be used from the Annual Calendar for Training and Competitions (ACTC) norms, which the Union Sports Ministry earmarks for sports federations annually.

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