ISL 2026-27 to begin October 10, returns to round-robin format and top-six playoffs

The Indian Super League will kick off on October 10 and run through May 2027, returning to its traditional home-and-away format for a marathon eight-month league.

Last season, the ISL was played in a truncated single-leg format in a short window after being delayed by administrative and commercial uncertainty.

The 2026-27 edition will be staged in a new club-led era, with 163 matches scheduled across eight months of competition.

Churchill Brothers’ participation in the upcoming season will remain subject to the club fulfilling the necessary regulatory requirements and securing the required approvals. They are set to replace Jamshedpur FC.

The ISL will return to the traditional round-robin, home-and-away format, with the team finishing on top of the table at the end of the league stage being crowned the Shield Winners, the official champions of the ISL, besides earning a slot in Asian competition.

The play-off format will also make a comeback, with the top-six teams competing for the ISL Cup.

Thirteen teams are set to compete in the league, namely 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.

Diamond Harbour FC, who earned promotion to the ISL after winning the 2025-26 Indian Football League title, failed to fulfil the administrative fee requirement for the 2026-27 season and did not take up their promoted slot.

In keeping with the promotion-and-relegation principle, they will not be eligible to earn points this season and will be placed at the bottom of the table by default. They will also lose their ISL status for 2027-28 and compete in the IFL that season.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Bridge Desk. It is published from a syndicated feed.)