AIFF announces rebranding of I-League to Indian Football League

NEW DELHI: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has announced the rebranding of the I-League, the country’s second-tier football competition, to the Indian Football League.

Taking to their official Instagram handle, AIFF wrote, “The All India Football Federation’s Executive Committee, in an online meeting on Thursday, approved the rebranding of the I-League to the Indian Football League from the 2025-26 season”.

“The Committee further ratified the charter for the Governing Council of the Indian Super League and the Indian Football League”, added the statement.

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Earlier this January, the owners and representatives of I-League clubs met with AIFF officials in New Delhi 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.

As 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.

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. (ANI)