The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has put forward two distinct short-term proposals for organising the upcoming Indian Super League (ISL) season. The federation has asked participating clubs to review the plans and provide their feedback within a strict 48-hour window.
Two Formats on the Table for Top-Tier League
This development followed a virtual meeting held on Wednesday between the AIFF's three-member committee and representatives from five ISL clubs, including Mohun Bagan SG and NorthEast United FC. The federation presented two primary competition structures for the 2025-26 season.
The first model involves dividing the 14 ISL teams into two conferences: East and West, with seven clubs in each. Teams would play double-leg matches against every other team in their conference. These matches are proposed to be held at two centralised venues. Following this league stage, the top four teams from each conference would advance to a knockout stage featuring single-leg matches to crown the champion. The bottom three teams in each group would then compete in a separate bracket to avoid relegation.
The second, simpler proposal suggests all 14 teams play each other once in a single-leg format. In this model, each club, selected randomly, would host either six or seven home matches. The team finishing with the highest points total at the end of this round-robin would be declared the champion.
Clubs Prioritise Financial Details Over Format
While the format is crucial, club officials who attended the meeting indicated that financial and operational clarity is their immediate and primary concern. They have requested detailed information on the budget, broadcast arrangements, and commercial terms before they can properly evaluate the sporting proposals.
"The format is secondary, what matters more is to tell us about the budget and broadcast details," stated one club official. Key questions raised include whether clubs will need to pay a participation fee, the amount of any such fee, and which entity—the federation or the clubs—will bear the production costs for television broadcasts. Officials stressed that without clear answers on these commercial operations, providing meaningful feedback on the format is difficult.
Another official expressed conditional support for the conference model but opposed the idea of centralised venues due to the added financial burden. "It would make sense to play home and away in a Conference model since the travel distances won't be much. In a centralised venue, why pay a high cost for accommodation when you play once in four days?" the official questioned.
Roadmap to a Final Decision
The AIFF has committed to addressing the clubs' financial queries at the next meeting, scheduled for December 26. This will be the second discussion between the three-member panel and club representatives.
A pivotal meeting with all stakeholders is then slated for December 29 in New Delhi. It is at this gathering that the AIFF is expected to share its long-term proposal for the league's structure, which is currently being fine-tuned.
According to sources, the long-term vision involves a significant shift: the top division league would be owned and operated by the AIFF under a hybrid model that includes the clubs. This move is designed to align with the federation's new constitution, which mandates that the "seniormost top division league shall mean the league competition owned, operated and recognised by the AIFF."
Under this proposed model, clubs would sign participation agreements directly with the AIFF instead of Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL). They would also gain greater autonomy, having a major say in selecting commercial partners, framing commercial regulations, securing sponsorships, and choosing a broadcaster. The AIFF would retain control over regulatory matters, match operations, referee appointments, and integrity and disciplinary issues.
The coming days are critical as the clubs' feedback on the short-term formats and their reception of the long-term ownership plan will shape the future of India's premier football competition.
