I-League to kick off on February 21 with new format

NEW DELHI: The owners and representatives from I-League clubs met with AIFF officials in New Delhi on Wednesday to propose the structure and operational framework for the upcoming I-League 2025-26 season.

It was proposed to form a Governing Council and a Managing Committee. This proposal will be placed before the AIFF’s Executive Committee (EC). The charter for the Governing Council, along with the Management Committee’s roles and responsibilities, will be presented to the EC for approval, as per the AIFF website.

Per the clubs’ proposal, the I-League 2025-26 season will feature a two-stage format. Stage 1 will feature the participating clubs competing in a single-leg, home-and-away round-robin format.

In Stage 2, the teams are divided into two groups. Those that finished in the top half in Stage 1 will advance to a home-and-away championship round, while the bottom half will compete in a centralised relegation round. All points from the initial stage will carry over to preserve the league’s competitive context.

Take a look at the visual representation of the new format, a new club-led governance model, and more key changes as the I-League gets rebranded as the Indian Football League! The tournament will kick off on 21st February, 2026!#IndianFootball #ILeague pic.twitter.com/tsVK34UI5W

— Khel Now (@KhelNow) January 28, 2026

The season is scheduled to commence on February 21, 2026. To ensure complete fairness, match scheduling is to be handled by an AI-based system to eliminate human interference. Furthermore, match production will be maintained in accordance with the standards established last season.

AIFF Deputy Secretary General M Satyanarayan said, “Several key decisions had been taken, foremost among them that the league kickoff is scheduled for 21 February. We have also received a new charter for the I-League, which proposes the formation of the Governing Council and the Managing Committee, which has been forwarded to the Executive Committee for ratification.”

Representing the clubs, Rajasthan United FC owner KK Tak said, “It’s encouraging to see that everyone has come together with a shared purpose. The formation of this new governance structure reflects the collective intent of clubs to improve the football ecosystem and ensure higher standards across competition and administration.” (ANI)