Indian Super League likely to kick off in December

Millions of football fans in the country may finally have reason to cheer—the Indian Super League (ISL) is likely to return this December.

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Reliance-backed Football Sports Development Ltd (FSDL) jointly informed the Supreme Court of a fresh proposal to break the deadlock over the 2025-26 season, including new auctions and a revamped schedule.

India’s premier football competition, valued at over ₹450 crore, is owned by FSDL and jointly administered by AIFF.

A special bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and Joymalya Bagchi was informed on Thursday that the domestic football season will begin in September with the Super Cup, a domestic knockout tournament under AIFF’s control, with FSDL extending financial and logistical support.

FSDL also agreed to pay upfront the pending ₹12.5 crore instalment, originally due in October, to help the federation organise the event.

Both parties further agreed that by 15 October, AIFF will conduct a transparent tender for ISL’s commercial and broadcasting rights, in line with the National Sports Code, the forthcoming Sports Governance Act, the AIFF constitution, and FIFA-AFC regulations.

Crucially, FSDL told the court that it has waived its contractual first right of refusal and matching rights, opening the way for fresh bidders and a fair auction. The ISL season will then kick off in December.

The bench, however, did not issue an order and adjourned the matter to Monday, 1 September, for consideration of the proposal. The court also sought clarity from AIFF on the football calendar. 

Lawyer and sports rights adviser Rahul Mehra pointed out that as the master rights agreement between AIFF and FSDL, the main point of contention in the case, covered not only ISL but nearly 25 other domestic tournaments, scheduling must align with the international football cycle and local conditions.

It was pointed out that the global football season typically ends in May, followed by major tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup in June next year. For India, September-March was cited as the most realistic window to restart domestic competitions given the country’s harsh summer from April to early June.

The proposal was submitted after the Supreme Court last week asked AIFF and FSDL to sit together and resolve the deadlock.

The 2025-26 season has been in limbo since April, when the Supreme Court barred AIFF from signing new commercial contracts pending a verdict on constitutional and election-related disputes. Fourteen ISL clubs had said they were unable to pay players’ salaries and risked breaching contracts if FIFA’s 1 September global transfer deadline was missed.

Since its inception, ISL has run from September-October to March-April under the 2010 master rights agreement, which granted FSDL exclusive commercial rights for 15 years while assuring AIFF an annual fee of $5.1 million. The pact, set to expire on 8 December, helped the league expand from eight clubs in 2013 to 14 today.

But litigation has stalled renewal, forcing clubs such as Bengaluru FC, Chennaiyin FC, and Odisha FC to suspend salaries, while broadcasters face uncertainty and player contracts remain frozen.

The dispute coincides with the government’s National Sports Governance Bill, 2025, which proposes stricter accountability, mandatory ethics codes, and a National Sports Tribunal.

AIFF itself has faced governance turmoil for years. Its 2016 election was struck down by the Delhi High Court for violating the Sports Code, leading to Supreme Court intervention and the appointment of a committee of administrators. In 2022, FIFA briefly suspended India before lifting the ban following a fresh election.

The constitutional challenge, however, remains unresolved. In April, the Supreme Court restrained AIFF from renewing the FSDL pact, throwing the 2025-26 ISL season into uncertainty.