New ISL season to start on February 14

The Indian Super League (ISL) will finally begin its new season on February 14,

The Indian Super League (ISL) will finally begin its new season on February 14, Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya announced this evening.

“Due to a court dispute, there was a lot of uncertainty about the Indian Super League but today the government and AIFF along with club representatives of all 14 clubs have decided to start the league again,” said Mandaviya.

This ends months of uncertainty surrounding Indian Football, with the ISL commencing again after nine months, following the expiration of the Master Rights Agreement between the AIFF and Reliance’s Football Sports Development Limited in December.

With no breakthrough in sight in negotiations between FSDL and AIFF, the former put the ISL on hold in July until a solution was found. Soon, the AIFF opened a tender for the commercial rights to be sold once again, but failed to receive a single bid, despite a couple of parties being initially interested. It was understood at the time that the costs quoted by the AIFF in its tender were too high for any party to formalize their interest with a bid.

Multiple ISL clubs had placed first team operations on hold during these last nine months, and have seen operations hit on a large scale, with the uncertainty affecting their ability to plan, rope in sponsors and continue operations, with there being no end in sight to the ISL crisis.

As it stands, Mandaviya has announced that all the 14 clubs have agreed to play the ISL this season, but there is still a wait for details to emerge regarding the tournament format, the broadcasters, the venues, while the clubs will also have to get their players back together to commen.

Indian football finally has a kick-off date

and a sense of direction. After months of uncertainty triggered by court cases and administrative deadlock, the Indian Super League will commence its 2026 season on February 14, following direct intervention by the government. The breakthrough came after a high-level meeting involving the Sports Ministry, the All India Football Federation and representatives of all 14 participating clubs. Traditional powerhouses Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting sat beside ISL regulars including Mumbai City, Bengaluru FC, FC Goa, Kerala Blasters, Chennai, Delhi, Punjab, Northeast United, Jamshedpur, Odisha and Inter Kashi, as Indian football’s key stakeholders agreed on a roadmap to restart the sport.

Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya confirmed that legal uncertainty had been the primary cause behind the delay.

“The ISL was in limbo owed to some court cases. However, we have been able to speak to all stakeholders and the issue has been resolved and ISL will be held this year,” the minister said. “It is the vision of the Honorable Prime Minister that sports in India should not suffer and I am glad that we could resolve this.”

On the field, the ISL will feature all 14 clubs and be played in a single-legged home-and-away format under a Swiss module system. The structure will produce 91 matches, restoring competitive continuity after fears of a heavily curtailed or canceled season.

Off the field, governance reform emerged as a central topic of the meeting. Clubs will form a Governing Council Board with autonomy to make commercial decisions – a move designed to reduce friction with the federation and give clubs greater control over revenues, sponsorships and operational planning.

The financial framework was also clarified. A Rs 25 crore central pool will be created, with AIFF contributing 40 percent. The league itself will receive Rs 10 crore, while the I-League will be allocated Rs 3.2 crore. The Indian Women’s League (IWL) will receive 100 percent funding, a rare commitment that underscores the government’s stated intent to strengthen the women’s game.

Structural changes extend beyond the ISL.

The I-League season will be truncated to 55 matches, ISL whereas I-League 2 and 3 will be merged to streamline the domestic pyramid. Officials also committed that all six national leagues will start and end on schedule – a promise aimed at restoring credibility to Indian football’s calendar.

For a sport battered by governance wars and uncertainty, the February 14 restart is more than a fixture announcement. It is a government-backed attempt to steady the ecosystem, protect clubs and ensure that, as Mandaviya put it, Indian sport does not suffer.

Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday announced that the Indian Super League, which was on pause due to lack of a commercial partner, will begin on February 14.

“There was a lot of speculation regarding ISL but today government, football federation and 14 clubs, Mohun Bagan and East Bengal included, had a meeting and we have decided that ISL will start February 14. All clubs will participate,” Mandaviya announced.

The ISL will feature 91 games on home and away basis, the logistics of which are still being worked out.

In a significant move for Indian football, Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday, January 6 announced that the postponed Indian Super League (ISL) 2025-26 season will start on February 14, 2026.

The announcement follows months of uncertainty regarding the ISL’s future after the Master Rights Agreement (MRA) with FSDL finished in December 2025.

The upcoming ISL season will feature all 14 clubs – Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, Mohammeden FC, Inter Kashi FC, Mumbai City FC, Chennaiyin FC, SC Delhi, Bengaluru FC, NorthEast United FC, Jamshedpur FC, Odisha FC, Kerala Blasters, and FC Goa and set to be played in single leg home and away format.

A total of 91 games will be played and the logistics of which are still being worked out.

On the other hand, the I-League, which was also on break, will be held “around the same time” with all 11 clubs in participation.

“There was a lot of speculation regarding ISL but today the government, football federation and 14 clubs, Mohun Bagan and East Bengal included had a meeting and we have decided that ISL will start February 14. All clubs will participate,” Mandaviya told reporters on Tuesday.

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