Journalism of Courage
Diamond Harbour miss out on 2026-27 Indian Super League season
West Bengal-based club, with Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee as its chief patron, excluded after they failed to second instalment of participation fee
The AIFF said that the 2026/27 season of the ISL will be played in a double round-robin format. (ISL Photo)
The 2026/27 season of the Indian Super League (ISL) will have only 13 clubs as opposed to 14 last year, with West Bengal-based Diamond Harbour FC being the team excluded, a top official of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) told The Indian Express. Diamond Harbour FC had earned promotion to the ISL by winning the Indian Football League (IFL) last season.
The AIFF, in a statement late on Wednesday, stated that the league will follow a double round-robin format, thus potentially doing away with the knockout stage at the end of the season.
“The All India Football Federation, on behalf of the AIFF and the participating clubs, on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, confirmed that the Indian Super League 2026-27 season will proceed with 13 participating clubs, playing in a double round-robin format on a home-and-away basis,” the statement said.
The All India Football Federation, on behalf of the AIFF and the participating clubs, confirmed that the Indian Super League 2026-27 season will proceed with 13 participating clubs, playing in a double round-robin format on a home-and-away basis.
The kick-off date for the ISL… pic.twitter.com/tMZoI5KKqf
— Indian Football (@IndianFootball) August 19, 2026
“The kick-off date for the ISL 2026-27 season will be announced in due course.”
Diamond Harbour has been excluded after they missed the Wednesday deadline set by the AIFF to pay the second instalment of the participation fee for the ISL. The Indian Express had earlier reported that the club is in a non-functional state and faces an uncertain future following the 2026 West Bengal assembly elections, with the ‘chief patron’ of the club being Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
Diamond Harbour had reached the final of the Durand Cup last year, beating East Bengal, who went on to win their first top-flight national title in 22 years, in the semifinal. They then won the IFL, which brought with it a spot in the 2026-27 ISL season.
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