Bengaluru FC Kicks Off ISL 2026-27 Season Against Sporting Club Delhi
Bengaluru FC's Season Opener at Home
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], October 8: Bengaluru FC is set to launch their 2026–27 Indian Super League (ISL) season at home, facing off against Sporting Club Delhi at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium this Saturday.
This marks the first time Bengaluru will host the opening match of an ISL season, and the team is eager to impress their home crowd at the Fortress, as indicated in a recent announcement.
Last season, Bengaluru secured a fourth-place finish in the league, amassing 23 points over 13 matches, which included six victories, five draws, and only two losses. They concluded the previous campaign on a high note, defeating Chennaiyin FC 2–1, and aim to carry that momentum into their season opener against Sporting Club Delhi.
With the return of the full home-and-away format, Bengaluru FC is focused on starting the season positively in front of their fans.
The squad features a mix of new talent and familiar faces. Notable additions include Spanish forward Borja Martínez, Portuguese defender Sandro Embaló, Argentine midfielder Manuel de Iriondo, Dutch centre-back Menno Koch, and Montenegrin forward Mihailo Perović, all bringing valuable experience to the team. Additionally, the club has extended contracts for young Indian players Soham Varshneya, Vinith Venkatesh, and Harsh Palande, ensuring continuity in their development.
Captain Sunil Chhetri will also return for the 2026–27 season, further solidifying the team's stability.
This season will be Pep Muñoz's first full campaign as Head Coach of Bengaluru FC. After leading the team to a fourth-place finish last season, Muñoz is eager to begin his first competitive match against Sporting Club Delhi.
In a statement before the season opener, Bengaluru FC Head Coach Pep Muñoz expressed enthusiasm, stating, “It’s been a long pre-season, and we are very excited that the league is finally starting. Delhi is a really strong opponent, and it will be a tough game. They have the rhythm of competition after playing two competitions recently, and they have some really good foreign and local players. We know it will be a difficult game, so we need to be patient and manage it well. But we play at home, we have confidence in our preparation, and I feel we are ready to compete. We have prepared well and, especially at home with our supporters, we want to start the season in the right way.”
Bengaluru FC midfielder Suresh Wangjam added, “After a long and good pre-season, we’re excited to finally get the league underway. We got to know each other and understand what the coach wants from us during this time. We are really excited for the first game against Delhi and want to start the season strongly. It’s important for us to give everything and get a positive result in our first game.”