The team finishing at the top of the table will be crowned the Shield Winners, the official champions of the ISL
Published: September 6, 2026, 7:40 AM IST
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East Bengal players, officials, members and supporters celebrate the club’s maiden Indian Super League (ISL) title with the trophy at the East Bengal Club tent, in Kolkata on Friday, May 22, 2026(Photo: IANS/Kuntal Chakrabarty)
The Indian Super League will return to its traditional home-and-away format when the 2026-27 season begins on October 10 with the competition set to run until May 2027.
The new season will bring back the longer league schedule after last year’s competition was played in a truncated single-leg formatThe previous edition was delayed by administrative and commercial uncertainty, leaving clubs with a much shorter window to complete the season
Read more:
AIFF hands ISL commercial rights to clubs; Full-fledged 2026-27 season set to kick-off on September
The disruption also led to concerns over the league’s future and the uncertainty surrounding its organisation.
The 2026-27 season will mark the start of a new club-led era for the ISLA total of 163 matches are scheduled to be played over eight months with teams returning to the familiar round-robin formatEach club will face the others at home and away during the league stage.
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The team finishing at the top of the table will be crowned the Shield Winners, the official champions of the ISLThe league winners will also earn a place in Asian competition.
Last-gasp winnersTable tiltsDrama delivered🤯
Five teams went to battle for one coveted trophy in an ISL finale that had it allAnd now, we go again🔥
Indian Super League 2026-27 kicks off on October 10Are you ready? 🎬#ISL13 pic.twitter.com/J1UpDlk7Qa
— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) September 5, 2026
The play-offs will return as well as the top six teams qualifying for the race for the ISL CupThe format will give clubs a chance to compete for the league title as well as the knockout trophy.
Thirteen teams are set to take part in the upcoming seasonThey are Bengaluru FC, Chennaiyin FC, Churchill Brothers 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.
Churchill Brothers are set to replace Jamshedpur FC, although their participation remains subject to the club meeting the necessary regulatory requirements and securing the required approvals.
The league will also see a change involving Diamond Harbour FCThe club earned promotion after winning the 2025-26 Indian Football League title but failed to fulfil the administrative fee requirement for the new ISL seasonAs a result, it did not take up its promoted slot.
Under the promotion-and-relegation principle, Diamond Harbour FC will not be eligible to earn points in the 2026-27 seasonThey will be placed at the bottom of the table by default and will lose their ISL status for the 2027-28 seasonThe club will compete in the IFL that year.
The new season will start from October 10 but the fixtures are yet to be announced.
