Regardless of how their personal Valentine's plans are lined up, fans of Indian football finally have a fixed date to circle, the long-awaited start of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2025-26 on February 14, 2026, with two opening-day fixtures set to take centre stage.
Defending champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant kick off their title defence against Kerala Blasters FC at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (Salt Lake Stadium) in Kolkata in the early evening kick-off, followed by FC Goa hosting Inter Kashi FC at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda later tonight.
The road to kickoff, however, was anything but straightforward.
In July last year, Indian football was plunged into uncertainty amid confusion over the renewal of the Master Rights Agreement between the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), the league's commercial partner for the past decade. With the agreement expiring and negotiations stalling, the ISL calendar was left in limbo.
With Indian Football still shrouded in uncertainty around the start of the new year and a fresh tender for ISL's commercial rights failing to attract bidders, it took a collection of senior Indian and foreign players, including Sunil Chhetri, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Sandesh Jhingan, releasing an emotional joint appeal urging FIFA to intervene in what they described as an existential crisis for the sport in the country, to get the ball rolling.
In stepped the Union Sports Ministry, and after months of negotiation involving the federation, clubs, government representatives and legal advisers, agreement was reached on a path to start the season in February 2026 in a single-leg format featuring all 14 clubs.
With the League finally kicking off today, here's a list of all you need to know before the whistle goes.
Relegation Introduced
For the first time since the league's inception, the team that finishes bottom of the ISL table will be relegated to the Indian Football League, formerly known as the I-League.
Until now, the ISL operated without the risk of relegation, insulating clubs from the sporting consequences that define football leagues across the globe. That changes in 2025-26. Every point now carries weight, not just in the title race, but in the battle to avoid the doomed fate that finishing last brings with it.
Relegation alters squad planning, risk appetite and mid-season decision-making. Clubs hovering near the bottom cannot afford prolonged slumps, and managerial changes may come quicker under survival pressure.
The Format: Single-Leg Round-Robin League
Given the delayed start, the season will be played in a single round-robin format. With 14 teams participating that means 13 matches per club. There won't be any home-and-away double fixtures.
The team finishing top of the table will be crowned champion and the team finishing bottom will be relegated to the Indian Football League next season.
The Largest ISL Season Yet
The 2025-26 campaign marks a numerical milestone for the ISL, with the inclusion of Inter Kashi, promoted after being crowned champions of the I-League last season, the competition expands to 14 teams, the highest in its history.
That marks a considerable shift from an eight-team inaugural season in 2014 to a 14-club league in 2025-26.
Hyderabad FC Becomes Sporting Club Delhi
One of the other major off-field changes in the league is football making a return to the capital city. In October 2025, Hyderabad FC was taken over by Jindal Football Pvt Ltd, part of the BC Jindal Group, who decided to shift the franchise from Hyderabad to Delhi.
The club has since been relaunched as Sporting Club Delhi, marking the return of top-flight football to Delhi for the first time since the Delhi Dynamos franchise moved and became Odisha FC in 2019.
What's At Stake?
Aside from domestic honours and the first-ever relegation battle, ISL clubs will also be competing for the right to represent India on the continental stage. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has recognised the shortened Indian Super League (ISL) season by allotting two qualifying berths in next term's AFC Champions League 2.
One of those berths was sealed by FC Goa by their victory in the 2025-26 AIFF Super Cup. The other slot will be allotted to the champions of the ISL. Due to the shortened nature of the league this season, India has lost its direct group stage spot, meaning both Super Cup and ISL winners will have to go through qualifiers.
Where To Watch ISL 2025-26
The Indian Super League 2025-26 will be available to fans across both digital and traditional television platforms in India.
FanCode holds the primary media rights for the season and will stream every match live online, with full coverage, highlights and on-demand replays available on its platform.
In addition, Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) has secured exclusive linear television broadcast rights for the ISL through a sublicensing deal with FanCode. Matches will be telecast primarily on Sony Sports Ten 2, extending coverage to traditional TV audiences and expanding visibility beyond digital streaming.
This combined digital and television distribution model aims to ensure the broadest possible reach for the season, catering both to younger, app-centric viewers and to traditional broadcast audiences across the country.
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