Explained | What is happening to ISL 2025-26? Future of Indian football’s top-tier league continues to be in limbo

Nothing seems to be going right for Indian football at the moment.

 

Last night, the 136th-ranked Blue Tigers lost 0-1 to 183rd-ranked Bangladesh in a Group C match of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers in Dhaka – their first defeat to the neighbours in 22 years. Sheikh Morsalin scored the winner for Bangladesh in the 11th minute, and India, with all their might, could not even manage an equaliser.

 

India's AFC Asian Cup campaign ended on October 14, when they lost 1-2 to Singapore in Margao, Goa, after leading 1-0. They remained at the bottom of the four-team table with just two points (courtesy, two draws) from five matches.

 

The defeat left the Indian fans demoralised, with many taking to social media to vent their frustration. Especially since it came amid the uncertainty surrounding the upcoming season of the Indian Super League.

 

The upcoming ISL 2025-26 season is currently in limbo due to unresolved commercial and contractual issues between the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), the league's organisers.

 

Recently, Indian footballers had appealed to the AIFF to get the ISL season underway, days after the football body announced that it did not receive any bids for the commercial rights of the league after the Request for Proposal (RFP) on October 16, inviting bids for a 15-year contract to monetise the ISL’s commercial and media rights. Foreign footballers who are part of ISL teams, too, expressed their solidarity on social media.

 

What’s the core issue for delay of ISL 2025-26 season?

 

In December 2010, the AIFF and FSDL signed the Master Rights Agreement (MRA), a 15-year, Rs 700 crore contract. It gave FSDL exclusive commercial, marketing, and broadcasting rights to manage the ISL.

 

The MRA is set to expire in December 2025. The lack of clarity over its renewal and the failure of a tender for commercial partners have caused the suspension of the ISL 2025-26 season.

 

What is Supreme Court’s role in the ISL issue?

 

In April 2025, the Supreme Court of India reserved its verdict on the long-pending case regarding the AIFF's draft constitution. It also verbally directed the AIFF not to take any major decisions, including the renewal of the MRA, until the final judgment is given. The order legally paused the MRA negotiation process, preventing both AIFF and FSDL from finalising any renewal or new deal.

 

In July, the FSDL sent letters to all ISL clubs saying that the ISL 2025-26 season is being put "on hold" due to the uncertainty surrounding the MRA renewal and the lack of a confirmed contractual framework. It led to several ISL clubs suspending first-team operations and delaying player and staff payments due to the financial uncertainty.

 

Next month, acknowledging the risk of club shutdowns, the SC directed the AIFF and FSDL to negotiate and find a solution. In September, the apex court approved a joint roadmap from AIFF and FSDL, and appointed Justice L. Nageswara Rao to oversee the process of an open, transparent tender for a new commercial partner.

The tender, however, failed to attract any bids.

 

Why did the tender fail to attract any bids?

 

The key reason was the unrealistic demand by the AIFF – it’s RFP required the winning bidder to pay a minimum guaranteed amount of Rs 37.5 crore per year (or 5 per cent of gross revenue, whichever is higher) for a 15-year period. It amounts to over Rs 562 crore, which is commercially not viable, according to industry experts, since the ISL has been a loss-making entity for its commercial partners and most of its clubs. The revenue, particularly media viewership, too has been on the decline.

 

That the bidder would also have to cover all operational costs for the league, including broadcasting, production, marketing and grassroots investment, seems to have turned away any potential bidders.

Also, the new AIFF constitution restricts the power of the commercial partner in the ISL's governance – the league's decision-making body, Governing Council, has only one seat for the commercial partner out of a total of six members. The investors were, reportedly, unwilling to invest in a venture without having control over key commercial decisions and planning.

 

The AIFF Bid Evaluation Committee, headed by Rao will submit a report to the apex court, which is monitoring the entire process, before the end of November 2025. The apex court is then expected to either re-tender or seek an interim arrangement between AIFF and FSDL to get the season underway.

 

If the issues are resolved, the ISL 2025-26 season is expected to get underway in January 2026.

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