SC Delhi played their first home match of the season against Jamshedpur FC in the Indian Super League on March 19, 2026. (Image: Tanuj Lakhina/TimesofIndia.com)
New Delhi: Rain was in the air in New Delhi on Thursday evening. After a day of heavy rain, drizzle brought the mercury down. Only a few seats were occupied at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium ahead of a major event: a Delhi-based club playing a home match in India’s top football division. It had been 2,587 days since Delhi – then Delhi Dynamos – had entertained the locals of the city. Now SC Delhi’s red color adorned the stadium with signs, banners and visuals at the main gates. They wanted to make the most of this home comeback for their first win of the season against runners-up Jamshedpur FC in this shortened Indian Super League season.An hour before kick-off, the most noise came from a group of teenagers on the athletics track practicing their dance synchronization to the beat of the dhol. Next to that, several young people occupied the athletics track despite the crack in the air. Next, a group of young men and women posed for selfies while handing out club jerseys to each other.
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Football is coming back to Delhi! SC Delhi is gearing up for the first ISL home match Large banners of Nora Fernandes, Rafael Ribeiro, Mohammed Aimen, Ayush Adhikari, Lamgoulen Hangshing and Karanjit Singh hung from the ceiling. Nearby, children lined up to kick the ball into a small goal. Every successful attempt was cheered and the players of the future were slowly being created.Gate 1 welcomed club owners, their invitees and VIPs. Away from the glitterati, on the opposite side of the huge multi-purpose facility at Gate 10, real fans were queuing to get in as the clock ticked down.The small queue at 7pm – half an hour before the start – began to lengthen in 15 minutes. One by one, the QR codes were scanned and the sound of beeps filled the air. As is customary in stadiums across the country, arguments broke out over what was allowed and what was not. Fans jostled to safety as the size of their bags determined what went in and what stayed out.
Banners with SC Delhi players at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. (Image: Tanuj Lakhina/TimesofIndia.com)
Inside, after another quick digital ticket check, a large number of fans took their seats in one section, while another section housed a smaller group, possibly away supporters. Chants – Delhi in red and black and Jamshedpur FC in white – echoed through the stadium as the players took to the pitch. The young man urged the fans to follow his ‘purab, paschim, uttar, dakshin’ with ‘Dilli hai bhai sabki dhadkan’ and the crowd chimed in with the same level of excitement.One section of the stadium gave way to another as more people came in even as the match began. The experience included teenagers, groups of friends and families with young children.The stadium started to bounce in the 21st minute when Joseph Sunny sent the visitors ahead, capitalizing on a mistake by Albin Gomes. A small mistake by Matija Babović presented the ball to Sunny, whose left-footed strike found its way into the top left corner.
Fans at the ISL match between SC Delhi and Jamshedpur FC in Delhi. (Image: Tanuj Lakhina/TimesofIndia.com)
As the close game continued, the crowd persevered and stayed in their seats – for the most part. Some seemingly bored individuals resorted to making paper airplanes and the action moved from the playground to the aerial tarmac.Still, the decibel level rose when SC Delhi attacked or made crucial hits in defence. The boos were equally loud as Jamshedpur FC made numerous runs in the second half. Groups of children chanted “Free kick! Free kick!” towards the umpire whenever an SC Delhi player was brought down.As the rain intensified and affected seats in the lower levels, fans made their way to seats higher up, but never left in droves. However, their – and SC Delhi’s – hopes of a first win of the season, first 3 points, first home win in 7 years were dashed by Nikola Stojanovic’s 89th minute equaliser.
Jamshedpur FC players celebrate after scoring against SC Delhi in the ISL. (Image: AIFF)
With 90 seconds left on the clock, the Serb’s effort from the outside took the tiniest of deflections and found its way into the back of the net.The 6,732 fans who made their way to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Thursday would still consider it an evening well spent and manager Tomasz Tchorz later acknowledged their presence.
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What should SC Delhi focus on in the next game?
“There are places in India where you can tell that people want football and Delhi is one of them, so I’m very happy. We’re very happy that a lot of fans came today. We all have experience of playing in front of the crowd because we’ve either played away to full stadiums or we’ve worked for other clubs with a huge fan base. So I think the presence of the fans only helped us today, nothing else called the Polish home support like the 1st player in front of him repair.”
