The All India Football Federation and the Managing committee of the Indian Super League (ISL) have announced that it has been decided that the league’s clubs will hold the commercial rights for ISL going forward, while the AIFF will retain administrative control and oversight of key operational aspects, in a move toward a more globally common, club-led commercial model.
This was announed in a media conference addressed by M Satyanarayan, Deputy Secretary General, AIFF, Akshay Rohatgi, Head of Competitions, AIFF, while club representatives included Ravi Puskur, CEO, FC Goa, Mandar Tamhane, CEO, NorthEast United FC, and Dhruv Sood, CEO, Sporting Club Delhi.
“From our side, we are very committed to making this league one of the best in Asia,” said Satyanarayan. “We are also keeping in mind the recent Supreme Court’s order and the new National Sports Governance Act.”
Sood concurred, “In SC Delhi’s first season, the Ministry did come forward and offered their full support to the league, with regard to the availability of stadiums. The AIFF also did their best to reduce the cost of the league”.
Expanding on the new season, Tamhane said, “It will be a broadcast-driven model. We are moving towards a club-led model because both the clubs and the AIFF believe it is the right approach from the perspective of long-term commercial and financial sustainability.”
Next, the Clubs/Managing Committee will issue an RFP (Request for Proposal) to secure a broadcast partner and work on sponsorships. The AIFF will send a letter to all 14 clubs asking them to confirm their participation. The 2026-27 season will be held in a home-and-away format.
“We will have a full-fledged season where every team will play their respective home and away games in a full quota rather than having to play a truncated format. We look forward to working collectively with the AIFF to try and ensure that the league is as successful as it can be,” said Puskur.
The league calendar will be planned around the FIFA Men’s International Match Windows (scheduled for September, October, November and March) and the AFC club competition schedules to ensure the best possible preparations for the national team as well as the participating clubs (FC Goa and East Bengal FC) in continental competitions.
Touching upon the topic of release of players for the national team by the clubs, Satyanarayan said, “We have already had several rounds of discussions with the clubs and requested them to release players for a longer period for the ‘National Interest.’ The earlier we move forward with the process, the better we can plan the scheduling. We are hopeful this will happen with the cooperation from the clubs, particularly as the league is now being run jointly by the clubs and the AIFF.”
