The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Wednesday asked Indian Super League (ISL) clubs to confirm their participation in the postponed 2025-26 season and agree on a proposed format for the competition within a day, as it looks set to urgently inform the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) about the number of matches that can be staged.
As the ISL has not yet started, it is clear that clubs will not be able to complete the mandatory 24 matches in a season, including the top league matches and domestic cups, which are required to qualify for AFC Champions League 2 (ACL 2). as an answer ISL clubs applied for AIFF seek a one-time relaxation from the AFC on the minimum compliance requirement to protect India’s continental anchorages.
Club representatives and a committee appointed by the AIFF have held five meetings since December 24 to plan the way forward for the 2025-26 season. Referring to those discussions, the federation said the clubs had formally asked it to discuss the matter with the AFC. In a letter sent to the ISL clubs, the AIFF said it wanted immediate confirmation of the participation and preferred format of the competition so that the AFC, the Sports Ministry and the Supreme Court could be informed.
“Due to the urgency of the matter, we would greatly appreciate it if the above confirmation is received by tomorrow i.e. January 1, 2026. We trust you will appreciate the seriousness and time commitment of the situation,” AIFF said.
The federation added that it must submit the result of its consultations with the ISL clubs to the sports ministry by January 2. She also pointed out that the Supreme Court is due to resume proceedings after the winter break on January 5 and interested parties may be asked to submit documents in accordance with legal advice.
The AIFF has proposed two formats for the delayed season, which it hopes to launch in the first week of February. The first option is a conference league with 14 teams divided evenly into East and West groups. Teams would only face conference opponents, with the top four from each group advancing to the championship round for one leg. All matches will be held at two centralized venues.
The second option includes all teams competing in a single league format without conferences or playoffs, with the final standings determining the winner.
India has two spots in ACL 2: a direct group stage spot for the ISL Shield winners and a playoff spot for the Super Cup winners. Failure to meet the minimum number of matches requirement could put the clubs at risk as FC Goa, the reigning Super Cup champions, could miss out on the ACL 2 play-offs if the season is severely curtailed.
However, it is understood that the AIFF wants to continue in the top flight this season, albeit in a shortened form, regardless of whether the AFC grants the requested release. This could lead to India losing its ACL 2 slots for not meeting the eligibility criteria.
Last Friday, the AIFF also proposed a new ISL structure that would see the league owned and operated by national federations for the next 20 seasons, in line with its revised constitution. The proposal includes the introduction of promotion and relegation from the upcoming season. Earlier on December 20, a counter-proposal by 10 ISL clubs seeking permanent operational and commercial control of the league was rejected by the AIFF general body, which instead set up a committee to look into the issue.
The 2025-26 ISL season was suspended in July due to uncertainty over the renewal of the master rights agreement between the AIFF and Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), the former organizers of the league. The agreement expired on December 8, prompting a contractual stalemate that ultimately required Supreme Court intervention. A tender process overseen by the league’s court-appointed commercial rights committee failed to attract any bidders, further complicating the road to the new season.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
December 31, 2025
