I-League winners to be promoted to ISL next year

The winners of the 2022-23 I-League season will be promoted to the Indian Super League (ISL) in the next season. The newly announced AIFF President, Kalyan Chaubey, announced the same via a tweet.

"According to the roadmap between AIFF and AFC, starting with the 2022-23 season, the winners of the Hero I-League will stand a chance to be promoted to the Hero ISL season 2023-24 basis fulfilling sporting merit and clearing the Premier 1 Licensing criteria," Chaubey tweeted.

"We can confirm that the I-League winner of this season will be promoted to the ISL (2023-24 season) subject to fulfilling the Premier one licensing criteria and sporting merit," AIFF secretary general Shaji Prabhakaran told PTI.

"They (I-League winners) will not give any (participation) fee. Since all the clubs playing in the ISL will have to fulfil Premier one licensing criteria, they (I-League winners) also will have to fulfil the criteria."

According to the roadmap approved in 2019 with the involvement of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and agreed upon by the stakeholders, the I-League champion team of this season (2022-23), as well as that of next year (2023-24), will get direct slot in the next season of the top-tier ISL.

The promotion-and-relegation system was to kick in the ISL from 2024-25 season onwards.

"The decision is as per the roadmap which was agreed earlier. We have just continued with the roadmap. This will end all the speculation and will take Indian football forward. The I-League clubs will welcome this decision."

The Bridge understands that FSDL - the commercial partners of the AIFF, put their weight behind incorporating the promotion system in the League for the overall development of the sport in the country.

(With PTI inputs)