ISL 2025-26 Season Set to Kick Off: All Clubs Confirm Participation

The Indian Super League is gearing up for its 2025-26 season, with all 14 clubs, including Odisha FC, officially confirming their participation. Set to kick off on February 14, the league will feature 91 matches played on a home-and-away basis. An online meeting is scheduled to discuss the formation of a Governing Council Board and other crucial matters. The AIFF has proposed a budget of INR 24 Crores for the season, with financial arrangements in place for clubs. This season comes after a period of uncertainty, and fans are eager for the action to begin.

By Narendra Chaudhary Jan 13, 2026, 12:30 IST

Exciting News for Indian Super League Fans

In a significant development for Indian football, all 14 clubs participating in the Indian Super League (ISL), including Odisha FC, have officially communicated their commitment to the upcoming 2025-26 season. This announcement paves the way for the league's commencement on February 14.

Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya had previously declared that the ISL would resume on February 14 after being stalled due to the lack of a commercial partner.

Initially, some clubs had only tentatively agreed to participate, but now they have all confirmed their involvement in writing, according to a source from the All India Football Federation (AIFF).

Clubs have also begun to disclose the venues for their home matches. The source confirmed, "Yes, all the 14 clubs have confirmed participation in writing."

The league will consist of 91 matches played on a home-and-away basis.

AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey mentioned that a Governing Council Board would be established to oversee the league and make all commercial decisions.

An online meeting between the AIFF and the clubs is scheduled for Tuesday to discuss the formation of this Governing Council Board.

The meeting will also cover the Request for Proposal (RFP) for selecting a commercial rights partner and other related matters.

On Saturday, the AIFF requested clubs to submit details of their home match venues by Monday noon to facilitate fixture planning and finalize broadcast and commercial rights partners.

The AIFF aims to share a draft framework for ISL governance, draft RFPs for broadcast and commercial rights partners for the 2025-26 season, and coordinate with relevant authorities to ensure a smooth organization of the upcoming season.

Regarding the financial aspects, the AIFF has proposed a total budget of INR 24 Crores Twenty Six Lakhs Seventy Four Thousand (INR 24,26,74,000/-) for the season, with an initial contribution of INR Nine Crores Seventy Seven Lakh Forty Thousand (INR 9,77,40,000/-) from the AIFF and INR One Crore (INR 1,00,00,000/-) from each participating club.

The AIFF has also indicated its willingness to accept the participation fee in installments until June 2026 if clubs are unable to pay immediately.

The ISL 2025-26 season has faced uncertainty since last July when the AIFF's commercial partner, FSDL, paused operations due to issues surrounding the Master Rights Agreement (MRA), which expired on December 8, 2025, after negotiations failed.

Subsequently, a tender was issued for selecting a new commercial rights partner, but unfortunately, there were no bidders.