The AIFF has in principle approved a two-year club-led model for the ISL, with formalisation pending, while confirming the 2026–27 season will begin on September 4.
IMAGE: East Bengal FC players celebrate after winning the 2025-26 edition of the Indian Super League. Photograph: ISL/X
Key Points
- The AIFF has agreed in principle to a two-year club-led model for running the ISL, with a formal agreement expected to be announced on June 15.
- The 2026–27 ISL season is set to begin on September 4, while the AIFF continues to oversee regulatory functions and long-term planning.
- Clubs will manage commercial rights under AIFF supervision, as discussions continue with Genius Sports and other stakeholders on the league’s financial structure.
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has agreed “in principle” to the club-led model of running the Indian Super League (ISL) for two years and has conveyed it to the sports minister, a top official said on Tuesday.
The development appeared to have cleared the decks for the start of the 2026-27 season of the ISL in September as scheduled.
Season Set for September Kick-Off
AIFF Deputy Secretary General M Satyanarayan said that a final agreement will be signed and formally announced on June 15 after “ironing out some details”. He also said that 2026-27 ISL will begin on September 4.
“We have agreed in principle to the proposal made by the ISL clubs and we have told this to the Sports Minister. The sports ministry also said it’s okay. So, we will make a formal announcement on June 15.
“We also have to see how it will work legally. So, there is no final agreement as of now. We have to work on some details and iron them out. That will happen in the next three-four days.
“The kick-off for ISL is finalised, it will begin on September 4. Durand Cup will be between June 25 and July 25.”
The 2026-27 ISL is expected to be a full seven-month season, with home and away matches for the 14 participating teams.
On Monday, Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya had asked the AIFF and ISL clubs to create a task force that would thrash out a “structured plan” for at least the next two seasons of the crisis-ridden league, in a meeting in New Delhi.
The clubs had proposed a two-year club-led pilot model for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons as an interim solution before any long-term commercial arrangements.
Another official, however, said that the AIFF will still own and operate the ISL.
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Commercial Control, Regulatory Oversight
“The clubs will be in charge of the commercial part, but that will be under AIFF’s supervision. The AIFF will still own and operate the league.
“We are doing this in the interest of the clubs, because they have also gone under losses. But we are still looking at a long-term model. At the end of two years, we are going to review the situation (club-led model).
“The clubs said at least for two years you (AIFF) allow us to do this model and then you can review it. They can later say, we’ll do it for five years or for 15 years. We will take a call at that point in time. As of now, we (AIFF) have agreed in principle the two-year model part.”
He said the AIFF will also include Genius Sports in the discussions.
“We will also speak to Genius Sports. They (Genius Sport) will also be part of the whole thing. All three together will work on this.
“Moreover, the broadcast rights will have to be tendered.”
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What is Club-led Model of ISL?
London-headquartered Genius Sports had emerged as the highest bidder for the commercial rights of the ISL after the AIFF floated the tender earlier this year. It had promised Rs 2,129 crore annually for ISL and a cup competition for the next 15+5 years, including 5 percent increase per year. That amounted to around Rs 64 crore per year.
Under the revenue sharing model as per the Genius Sports bid, the AIFF was to get Rs 12.4 crore in the first year. The AIFF also wanted to charge the clubs an entry fee, a proposal that has not found favour with the ISL clubs.
The clubs had opposed to Genius Sports becoming the commercial rights holders.
They instead proposed to acquire the commercial rights of the ISL for the two-year period and pay the AIFF Rs 15 crore per year to cover the costs associated with the regulatory functions that the national federation is required to discharge in its capacity as the governing body, including refereeing, legal, integrity and anti-doping support.
In their proposal, the ISL clubs had made “unequivocal” commitment that the AIFF’s role as the regulatory body of Indian football will be fully preserved and respected.
All core regulatory functions shall continue to remain exclusively with the AIFF, including referee appointment and management, legal and integrity oversight, anti-doping support and compliance, sporting regulations, player registration and transfer systems, compliance with FIFA and AFC regulations.
They said the proposed structure ensures a clean and appropriate separation between the commercial and regulatory functions of the league.
East Bengal FC were crowned the champions for the first time in the history of ISL ahead of arch-rivals Mohun Bagan Super Giant with the winners being decided on the concluding day of the league last month.
This season’s ISL was held in a single-leg round-robin format where all 14 participating teams competed against each other once. A total of 91 matches were played across the season, with each team playing 13 games.
