AIFF Assures Clubs Resumption Of ISL! Possible Jan-May 2026 Timeline On The Cards

Last Updated:November 13, 2025, 10:45 IST

AIFF chief Kalyan Chaubey told club CEOs during an online meeting on Wednesday that the Indian top-flight will resume in January despite being in the doldrums.

Indian Super League. (X)

The All Indian Football Federation assured the clubs and stakeholders of the Indian Super League sides that the top-flight league will be held despite the delay and the uncertainty thus far, with a possible start in January.

The ISL remained in the doldrums after the previous commercial agreement with the FSDL ran out and there were no takers for the new deal as the tender closed without any bidders for the Rs 37.5 crore per year deal.

AIFF chief Kalyan Chaubey told club CEOs during an online meeting on Wednesday that, “If we get legal direction by Nov 29 after knowing what the clubs, players and AIFF are thinking, we have more than a month to complete the procedures."

“Whether we have to re-tender, revise the tender or whatever is required, it will be done after directions from the Court," he revealed.

Chaubey stated that the tournament could take place in January and go on till May with around 180 games played across cities with multiple games in a day.

“We can have multi-city matches, maybe three or four in a day, if needed. So, finishing 180 matches in 150 days is logical, not impossible,"

The AIFF assured all the CEOs in attendance, from every side barring Mohun Bagan SG, that the league would indeed get underway despite the captains’ concerns over the delay. The AIFF stated that it was involved in legal proceedings that prohibited it from holding talks.

“As clubs, we did not come forward earlier since it was about the AIFF Constitution. But now that it impacts us as clubs, it’s important that we have that representation (in the Supreme Court)," a side’s CEO said at the meeting.

“We hope to continue this dialogue. As clubs, we have to work together with the federation and marketing partners. It cannot be me versus you or us versus them," he added.

While another CEO said, “We have to make it clear that we just cannot copy and paste any model for Indian football."

“We have to see what is feasible for India. Many of us here have seen Indian football from close, have run clubs for several years, so we know the ground realities. In the ecosystem, lot of mistakes have been made during the last 10 years," he added.

“But right now, it’s important that we have the chance to put forward our representation. Nobody can explain the situation better than us," the CEO said.

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