Indian Super League 2026-27 season to kick off on October 10

The next edition of the Indian Super League (ISL) is set to start on October 10, 2026, in a newly revamped format — a club-led era — and is set to end in May 2027, it was announced on Saturday (September 5, 2026).

The tournament will be played in the home-and-away format, and the team finishing at the top of the table will be crowned the Shield Winners, the official champions of the ISL. The team will also earn indirect qualifying slots for the AFC Champions League Two through zonal qualifiers.

This year’s revamped edition marks the return of the play-off format. The top six teams at the end of the league stages will compete among themselves to become the ISL Cup Champions. The tournament will span a total of 163 matches across eight months.

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the clubs have collaborated to come up with a new club-led model for this year. The revamped model aims to give clubs the reins of decision-making, “in an attempt to deliver a comprehensive calendar of competitive football, greater investment in Indian talent, and a stronger, more sustainable ecosystem for the sport to grow,” the statement said.

So far, thirteen teams are set to compete, with Churchill Brothers FC’s participation awaiting confirmation pending regulatory approvals. The other teams in the fray are Bengaluru FC, Chennaiyin FC, East Bengal FC, FC Goa, Inter Kashi FC, Kerala Blasters FC, Mohun Bagan Super Giant, Mumbai City FC, NorthEast United FC, Odisha FC, Punjab FC and Sporting Club Delhi.

The 2025-26 Indian Football League (IFL) champions Diamond Harbour FC, who earned promotion to the ISL this year, will not be taking up their slot in the competition after failing to fulfil the administrative fee requirement for the 2026-27 season. As per the rules of the competition, they will be placed at the bottom of the table and will have to play in the IFL for the 2027-28 season.