I-League gets new name, new format, new governing council

Later, the I-League was demoted to the second division of Indian football and the parallel venture called Indian Super League became the top tier in the country.

There is no clarity about the platform (television or online) where Indian Football League matches would be aired during the reduced 2025-26 season and the AIFF and clubs are yet to bring on board a commercial partner since the exit of the Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL).

I-League 2025-26 season update 🚨

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The AIFF on Wednesday said that the expectation was that at least 10 teams would be part of the league. The format devised is a two-stage competition. The first would be a round-robin single-leg system for all the clubs. The second stage would have two sections – the first being the top six clubs playing home and away with promotion to the top league the prize. The second would be for the bottom teams in a centralised location playing with relegation in play.

“All the clubs own 60 percent (stake). The AIFF owns 10 percent and the commercial partner would own 30 percent of the league,” said AIFF acting general secretary M Satyanarayan. “Together, we will work on how to run this league. All matters with regards to rules and regulations are going to be with AIFF. On all commercial aspects, the clubs will have a lot of say.”

Club representatives optimistic

Representatives from clubs such as Real Kashmir, Shillong Lajong and Gokulam Kerala were in attendance

It’s important to remember that these are clubs that have poured money into an Indian football ecosystem that has been in economic freefall for a long time. But on Wednesday, the ability to be a part of the commercial process was seen as a welcome development as clubs felt that they could be in charge of their financial destiny.

Part of this optimism came from the idea that these clubs, home-grown and with unique stories to them, would be able to find sponsors and a broadcaster to relay matches.

Real Kashmir FC owner Arshad Shawl said that the previous season, when three teams were vying for the title on the final day, got eyeballs on TV and has reaffirmed the belief of clubs, who now have the power to seek out sponsors and bring them into the fold.

“We’ll be part of the branding, we’ll be part of the marketing, we’ll obviously look at the brands of individual quality, reach out to people, reach out to commercial partners, broadcast partners, co-develop it, co-create it,” said Shawl, who pointed to the success of the Real Kashmir Football Club web series as one of the ways leverage for sponsorship could be created.

A new market reality

Despite both the Indian Football League and the Indian Super League getting start dates for a truncated season, there is a constant reminder that the financial situation of Indian domestic football is not sound.

The exit of FSDL and the new governance model put in place for the top league means player salaries will see a ‘correction’ over the next 2-3 years. Most top Indian players earn in crores — money that they wouldn’t command in any other Asian league.

One AIFF official bluntly asked, “Are the players capable of getting jobs anywhere else? They (players) will have to be ready for some market corrections that take place. The CEOs will get jobs elsewhere. The physios will go back to hospitals. The players will have to be ready for some corrections.”