ISL gets tentative fixtures but relegation remains a question mark

New Delhi: The 2025-26 Indian Super League (ISL) season is tentatively scheduled to get underway on February 14 with a double header featuring Mohun Bagan Super Giant vs Kerala Blasters at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata and FC Goa vs Inter Kashi at Fatorda in Goa. The fixtures, running until May 17, are provisional as the All India Football Federation (AIFF) is looking to find a broadcaster to showcase India's top-division football.

The AIFF is in the process of finding a suitable bidder to produce and broadcast the 91-match competition. If and when the bidder is found, the fixtures could be jiggled to meet the broadcasters' criteria.



Four entities - FanCode, Sony Sports Network, Zee Sports and UK-based Two Circles - had attended the pre-bid conference. There is a possibility that more could throw their hat in the ring before the February 1 final date for submission of bids.

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As the process continues to unravel behind the scenes at the Football House (AIFF's headquarters) in New Delhi, there are a couple of questions that remain unanswered. Chief among them is the relegation clause.

Promotion has been a part of the ISL since the 2022-23 season with Inter Kashi the latest team to come up the ladder from the I-League. Relegation, however, has never been a feature of the league that began in 2014.

After Football Sports Development Limited's (FSDL) contract to run the ISL expired in December 2025, it is the first time that the AIFF are in charge of operating the ISL. The position on relegation gets trickier because of the Supreme Court-ratified Constitution.

As per the Constitution adopted in October 2025, AIFF have the control over relegation rule. As per Article 63, "Without prejudice to the foregoing, the AIFF shall have the right and discretion to take all decisions of any nature pertaining to any aspect of any competition. While exercising such discretion, the AIFF shall have due regard to the interests of the sport of Football in India and shall not be bound by any request or demand of any third party in this regard. If any of its powers or functions are delegated to third parties, such delegation shall be done in good faith and also ensuring that the AIFF retains primacy on all Essential Aspects."

A closer look at the definition of "Essential Aspects" explains it as "preservation of the sanctity of promotion and relegation, and ensuring of compliance with FIFA/AFC statues with respect to the sport of football."

In essence, promotion and relegation are mandatory from the 2025/26 season onwards in the ISL.

An AIFF insider told TimesofIndia.com that the relegation rules will be followed as per what is written in the Constitution.

However, a majority of ISL clubs are not happy with the idea. With the season already starting five months late and to be played in a truncated format, the clubs are expecting minimal revenue. The financial strain has forced the clubs to reduce costs through operational cutbacks and salary corrections. A few clubs even paused first team operations before a headway arrived on January 6 courtesy Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya's intervention.


One ISL club official has even asked AIFF to take cognisance of the situation and invoke force majeure, which is possible as per the AIFF Constitution.

Article 78 reads: "The General Body shall have the final decision on any matters not provided for in this Constitution and Regulations, or in cases of force majeure. General Body shall be competent to decide whether a situation amounts to force majeure scenario or not."

As things stand, AIFF has not approached the Supreme Court seeking a one-time relaxation from relegation for the 2025-26 ISL season. With two weeks to go into the start of the season, it remains to be seen if they will go against not just the Constitution but also the AFC Statutes.


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