Exclusive: Four bidders attend AIFF’s ISL tender pre-bid conference

Foreign consortium among participants as AIFF looks for a new 15-year partner

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) held its online pre-bid conference earlier today for the commercial rights of the Indian Super League (ISL), marking a crucial step toward finalising a new long-term commercial partner for Indian football.

This comes after the Request for Proposal (RFP) was issued on October 16, 2025, under the supervision of Justice L. Nageswara Rao, who was appointed by the Supreme Court to oversee the tender process.

The new agreement, expected to run for 15 years, will replace the existing Master Rights Agreement (MRA) between AIFF and Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), which got over mutually last month. The MRA had been the cornerstone of Indian football’s commercial structure since 2010.

The tender covers all commercial assets of Indian Super League, including sponsorships, broadcasting, digital rights, advertising, merchandising, and data exploitation linked to the ISL.

According to the bid document, the successful bidder will pay the AIFF a minimum annual guaranteed amount of ₹37.5 crore or 5% of gross revenue, whichever is higher.

Low turnout raises questions

Khel Now can confirm that four parties attended the pre-bid online conference:

1. Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL)
2. FanCode (Owned by Dream Sports)
3. Conscient Heritage Group (Real estate company and owners of Conscient Football Academy)
4. A foreign consortium, details of which remain undisclosed.

“One party was not allowed to attend the conference due to a conflict of interest in Indian football,” said a source tracking the development.

The global consultancy KPMG, appointed to manage the process, expects more bidders to participate despite the low turnout.

“Four bidders took part, and a few may still submit bids directly. Two represented consortiums, while two were known entities,” confirmed a senior AIFF official.

FSDL, the current commercial rights holder, has submitted over 100 queries seeking clarification from AIFF and KPMG regarding various aspects of the new agreement and tender document.

AIFF is scheduled to issue written responses to all bidder queries by October 27, 2025, while the bid submission deadline is November 5, 2025, at 5:00 PM, followed by the opening of technical bids on the same day.

Crucial phase for Indian football

The tender process comes at a time when Indian football is staring at one of its most uncertain phases in recent years. The senior national team’s exit from the AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers means there will be no official international matches until late 2027, a long gap that has added to the growing concerns within the ecosystem.

Even though the AIFF has kicked off the 2025–26 season with the Super Cup, questions continue to linger about the structure and funding of domestic football. The I-League, Indian Women’s League, and several youth competitions are still awaiting clear plans and financial backing for the rest of the season.

For the federation, this tender is not just about bringing in a new commercial partner; it is about survival. The ₹50 crore annual contribution that came from FSDL under the previous agreement kept much of Indian football afloat. If a strong bidder does not emerge this time, the AIFF will be forced to operate with a limited budget, which could directly impact its ability to run leagues, camps, and grassroots programs.

Simply put, the next few weeks will decide not only who manages Indian football’s commercial rights but also how the sport sustains itself in the coming years.

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