The Indian Super League (ISL) 2026-27 season will feature 13 clubs after the All India Football Federation (AIFF) confirmed the competition’s format on Wednesday.
The participating teams will face each other twice during the league campaign, with the season following a double round-robin format on a home-and-away basis.
While the number of clubs has now been finalised, the beginning of the new campaign is expected to be delayed. The season was originally scheduled to kick off on September 4 but is now likely to start only after October 6, pushing the opening back by more than a month.
The revised timeline is expected to come after the FIFA international match window, which runs from September 21 until October 6.
The AIFF has not yet announced a confirmed opening date or the complete schedule for the competition.
“Further information regarding the season, including the fixtures, will follow in a separate communication,” the AIFF said in a statement.
Confirmation of the 13-team competition gives clubs greater clarity as preparations continue for the upcoming campaign.
A club representative welcomed the development, saying: “We’re pleased to get the number of teams locked in for the season. This now allows us to move forward with essential commercial discussions and fixture planning for the league”.
The final number of participating teams comes amid uncertainty surrounding Diamond Harbour FC, who had earned promotion to the ISL after winning the Indian Football League 2025-26.
Their inclusion would have increased the league to 14 clubs for the 2026-27 season.
However, Diamond Harbour failed to pay the second instalment of their participation fee by Wednesday’s deadline. The outstanding payment amounted to Rs. 55 lakh.
The club had secured the opportunity to step up to the ISL by winning the second tier of Indian football, but the missed payment means the upcoming season is now set to proceed with 13 teams instead.
With the number of participants settled, attention will now turn to the AIFF’s next announcement, which is expected to provide further details about the fixtures and the revised schedule for the delayed 2026-27 campaign.
