The Indian Super League will return to its original format, consisting of home and away matches and the knockout phase, in the 2026-2027 season, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) announced at a press conference on Wednesday.
The press conference was held by AIFF officials and stakeholders from ISL clubs FC Goa, Northeast United FC and Sporting Club Delhi.
Last season, the ISL was shortened to a round-robin format after the start of the competition was postponed due to administrative challenges and financial constraints within the AIFF.
«We will have a full-fledged season where each team will play their respective home and away matches in a full quota rather than having to play a truncated format. We look forward to working with the AIFF to try and ensure that the competition is as successful as possible,» FC Goa CEO Ravi Puskur said.
In addition to the return to a full season, it was also announced that clubs will retain commercial rights for the Indian Super League going forward, while the AIFF will retain administrative control and oversight of key operational aspects.
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“On our part, we are deeply committed to making this competition one of the best in Asia,” said M Satyanarayan, Deputy Secretary General of AIFF.
«It will be a broadcast-led model. We are moving towards a club-led model as both the clubs and the AIFF believe this is the right approach from the perspective of long-term commercial and financial sustainability,» Northest United FC CEO Mandar Tamhane said.
The clubs will issue an RFP (Request for Proposal) to find a broadcast partner and work on sponsorship, and the calendar will be planned around the FIFA and AFC competitions, the officials added.
The new season of the ISL starts on September 4 and East Bengal are the defending champions.
With inputs from AIFF media
Published on July 8, 2026
