New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: All the 14 Indian Super League (ISL) clubs, including Odisha FC, have written to the All India Football Federation (AIFF), formally confirming participation in the delayed 2025-26 season, clearing the decks for the start of the top-tier domestic competition February 14.
On January 6, Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya had announced that the ISL, which was on hold due to the absence of a commercial partner, would start on February 14, with all the 14 clubs taking part in it.
Despite the minister’s announcement, a few clubs were yet to confirm participation in writing as they had agreed to take part in the ISL “in principle” only.
But now, all the clubs have formally confirmed participation in the truncated league, a source in the AIFF told PTI Monday.
Many of the clubs have also shared details of the venues where they plan to play their home matches.
“Yes, all the 14 clubs have confirmed participation in writing,” the source said.
The top-tier ISL will feature 91 matches on a home-and-away basis.
AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey had earlier said that a Governing Council Board would be formed to manage the league and it would be “empowered to take all commercial decisions.”
It is learnt that the AIFF and the clubs are expected to have an online meeting on Tuesday and jointly discuss the formation of the Governing Council Board.
“The online meeting will also discuss the Request for Proposal (for selection of a commercial rights partner) and some other things,” the source added.
On Saturday, the AIFF has asked the clubs to send the details of the venues where they plan to play their home matches by Monday noon to start working on the fixture and finalise broadcast and commercial rights partners.
“AIFF (will) share the draft of the framework for the governance of ISL, the draft RFPs to appoint broadcast and commercial rights partners for the 2025-26 season, seek exemption from the AFC (regarding ACL 2 slots), start work on fixtures and other allied matters, and start preparation of participation agreements to be entered with the clubs,” the AIFF had said in a letter to the clubs.
“AIFF will also take best efforts to co-ordinate with competent authorities at venue (s), to enable seamless organisation of the upcoming season of the ISL. AIFF is also committed to liaise with the Asian Football Confederation and seek the necessary exemptions for the upcoming season,” said the letter from AIFF Deputy General Secretary M Satyanarayan.
Regarding the financial part of the league, the AIFF said, “The 2025-26 season of the ISL is proposed to be held on a total budget of INR 24 Crores Twenty Six Lakhs Seventy Four Thousand (INR 24,26,74,000/-) with an initial contribution of INR Nine Crores Seventy Seven Lakh Forty Thousand (INR 9,77,40,000/-) from the AIFF and a contribution of INR One Crore (INR 1,00,00,000/-) each from the participating clubs.”
The AIFF had earlier said that it’s willing to accept the participation fee of Rs 1 crore per club in instalments up to June 2026, if the clubs are not able to pay immediately.
The ISL 2025-26 has been in a limbo since the AIFF’s commercial partner FSDL, owned by the Reliance Group, put it on hold last July due to uncertainty over the Master Rights Agreement (MRA) between the two parties.
The MRA ended on December 8, 2025 as negotiations fell through.
Later, a tender was floated for the selection of a commercial rights partner under the supervision of a Supreme Court-appointed committee, but to the AIFF’s embarrassment, there were no takers for it.
