ALL 14 Indian Super League (ISL) clubs have formally written to the All India Football Federation (AIFF) confirming their participation in the delayed 2025–26 season, clearing the way for India’s top-tier football league to begin on 14 February.
On 6 January, Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya had announced that the ISL would start on 14 February with all 14 clubs taking part. However, several teams had only agreed to participate “in principle” at the time and had not submitted written confirmation. That hurdle has now been removed, with every club formally committing to the truncated season, an AIFF source told PTI on Monday.
A number of clubs have also shared the venues they intend to use for their home matches. The 2025–26 ISL will feature 91 fixtures, to be played on a home-and-away basis.
AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey had earlier stated that a Governing Council Board would be established to run the league and would be “empowered to take all commercial decisions”. It is understood that the AIFF and the clubs will hold an online meeting on Tuesday to discuss the formation of this body. According to the source, the meeting will also cover the Request for Proposal (RFP) process for appointing commercial and broadcast rights partners, along with other key operational matters.
All 14 ISL clubs declare venue choices
The clubs have written to the AIFF about the details of the home venues they intend to play in, The Telegraph reports.
Mohun Bagan Super Giant and East Bengal have Salt Lake Stadium as their home venue, while Mohammedan Sporting will have Kishore Bharati Stadium as their home.
Odisha FC, who had been biding their time, intend to play at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, the venue they have been using.
Inter Kashi have said they would prefer all their matches away.
In a letter to the clubs, the AIFF said it would circulate a draft governance framework for the ISL, along with draft RFPs for selecting broadcast and commercial rights partners for the 2025–26 season. The federation will also seek an exemption from the Asian Football Confederation regarding AFC Champions League 2 slots, begin work on the fixture list and initiate preparations for participation agreements with the clubs.
The future of the 2025–26 ISL had remained uncertain since last July, when the AIFF’s commercial partner, Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), owned by the Reliance Group, put the league on hold amid uncertainty over the Master Rights Agreement (MRA) between the two parties. The MRA expired on 8 December 2025 after negotiations failed to reach a settlement. A subsequent tender, issued under the supervision of a Supreme Court-appointed committee to identify a new commercial rights partner, drew no bidders, leaving the league in limbo until now.
