Indian Football Calendar 2026-27: ISL, IWL, And Federation Cup Dates

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has released its tentative football calendar for the 2026-27 season, outlining key dates for the Indian Super League (ISL), Federation Cup, and other major tournaments.

Photograph: ANI Photo

Key Points

The Indian Super League (ISL) is scheduled to run from September 1 to April 11, marking a return to a full seven-month season.
The Federation Cup is slated to take place from April 20 to May 10, providing another key competition window.
The Indian Women's League (IWL) is scheduled from September 3 to January 24, promoting women's football in India.
The Durand Cup is scheduled to be held from July 11 to August 20, kicking off the footballing season.

The top tier Indian Super League is set to run from September 1 to April 11 as per the All India Football Federation's (AIFF) tentative calendar for the 2026-27 season, with the Federation Cup slated from April 20 to May 10.

ISL Returns To Full Seven-Month Season

According to the tentative calendar, the ISL will return to a full seven-month season after a truncated one this year due to administrative issues.

The Indian Football League (IFL), the country's second tier in men's football, will be held from October 9 to March 14, while the Indian Women's League (IWL) is scheduled from September 3 to January 24 as per the proposed calendar that remains subject to approval from the executive committee.

Other Key Football Tournaments Scheduled

The I-League 2 competition is scheduled between February 1 to April 11 while the third division men's league will be staged from August 15 to November 7.

The Durand Cup is scheduled to be held from July 11 to August 20.

The Indian Women's League 2 (IWL) is proposed to take place from July 9 to August 22.

The National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy is scheduled to be held from November 19 to January 17 next year.

East Bengal FC Crowned ISL Champions

This season's ISL was held in a single-leg round-robin format where all 14 participating teams competed against each other once. A total of 91 matches were played across the season, with each team playing 13 games.

East Bengal FC were crowned the champions for the first time in the history of ISL ahead of arch-rivals Mohun Bagan Super Giant with the winners being decided on the concluding day of the league last month.

The tentative calendar also earmarked dates for age-group national championships, youth leagues, Futsal championships and beach soccer tournament.

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