The future of the Indian Super League (ISL) for the 2025-26 season currently hangs in the balance, creating significant uncertainty across the Indian football ecosystem. While the ISL has become the country’s top-tier men’s football league since 2019-20, its inclusion in the upcoming All India Football Federation (AIFF) competition calendar for 2025-26 is conspicuously absent. Social media are filled with the question, will there be an ISL 2025?
This major development stems from unresolved contractual issues surrounding the Master Rights Agreement (MRA) between the AIFF and Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), the private entity that organizes the ISL. This 15-year agreement, signed in 2010, is set to expire in December 2025.
Reports indicate that FSDL has formally informed ISL clubs and the AIFF that the 2025-26 season is currently “on hold” until clarity emerges on the MRA’s future. This uncertainty has already jeopardized transfer plans for multiple clubs, leaving them in the dark regarding team building, schedules, and commitments.
Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri recently voiced the widespread concern, stating that “everybody in the Indian football ecosystem is worried, hurt, scared about the uncertainty we are faced with.” He acknowledged efforts by administrators but urged calm and perseverance, emphasizing that “Football has to resume soon. It will.”
The AIFF’s proposed 2025-26 calendar for other competitions has been released, with the Durand Cup starting on July 15, and the Super Cup kicking off on September 1. The I-League is scheduled from October 19, 2025, to April 30, 2026. However, the absence of the ISL from this official calendar highlights the gravity of the ongoing negotiations.
The previous ISL 2024-25 season concluded with Mohun Bagan Super Giant winning both the Shield and the Cup. Fans and stakeholders alike are now eagerly awaiting a resolution to the MRA dispute, hoping for a swift and positive outcome that will ensure the continuity of the Indian Super League as a cornerstone of Indian football.
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