Indian football suffered fresh AFC humiliation due to the third tier downgrade

ByTech Word News

Indian football suffered another major continental embarrassment on Friday after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) reduced its slot allocation for the club competition for the 2027-28 season. India will now receive only one play-off slot in the AFC Challenge League, the third and lowest tier of Asian club football.

Speaking to PTI, the former football official termed the development as “shocking” and blamed the downfall on the steady decline of India’s football structure and administration.

“It’s shocking, we played in the top division of ACL and then in ACL2. Now we will play in the third tier with clubs from countries like Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, basically SAFF countries,” an official told PTI.

“It’s not even a direct group stage slot for the third division AFC Challenge League, it’s a play-off slot. It’s really hard to believe, but then our football system has been going downhill for a while,” he added.

The downgrade marks a massive fall for Indian football, given that clubs from the country featured in the group stage of the AFC Champions League just a few years ago, before later settling for appearances in ACL2, Asia’s second-tier club competition.

India will still have two ACL2 play-off spots in the 2026-27 season, with ISL champions East Bengal and Super Cup winner FC Goa competing. However, starting from the 2027-28 season, Indian clubs will have to fight for entry into the AFC Challenge League.

WHY DID INDIA DECREASE?

The AFC allocates club competition slots based on its Member Association Rankings system, which assesses factors such as:

  • Home league quality
  • Club license
  • Stadium infrastructure
  • Management and regulations
  • Competition structure
  • Continental performance of clubs

One of the biggest reasons for India’s downgrade was the structure of the recently concluded ISL season.

According to AFC regulations, countries hoping to appear in ACL Elite or ACL2 must have:

  • A domestic season lasting at least eight months
  • The right format for home and away
  • Clubs playing at least 24 games across league and cup competitions

However, the 2025-26 ISL season was significantly shortened due to administrative uncertainty and scheduling chaos. The clubs played only 13 matches and the tournament also did not have a complete home and away structure.

Ironically, the ISL season only met the minimum requirements needed to participate in the AFC Challenge League, to which third-tier India have now been relegated.

India’s declining performances in continental competitions also contributed significantly to the downgrade, with the country’s AFC West region ranking dropping from 10th to 15th.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR INDIAN FOOTBALL?

A downgrade could cause long-term problems for Indian clubs and the ISL itself.

Continental football has often acted as a major attraction for foreign players, coaches and investors. But with Indian clubs now potentially competing against lesser-known South Asian opposition instead of Asia’s elite clubs, that appeal could be greatly reduced.

The timing of the downgrade also worsens the situation for Indian football, which is already grappling with uncertainty over the future structure of the ISL, licensing disputes and governance concerns.

Only recently, seven clubs including Mohun Bagan, Kerala Blasters and Odisha FC were denied Premier 1 licenses by the AIFF Club Licensing Committee.

For many in Indian football, the AFC’s latest decision is now confirmation that the sport’s domestic instability has finally begun to damage its reputation in Asia as well.

– The end

Issued by:

Debodinna Chakraborty

Published on:

22 May 2026 17:54 IST

‘, e.appendChild