Indian football’s second tier is on the verge of its most significant structural overhaul in nearly two decades. From February 21, 2026, the I-League the competition that once served as the country’s top division is proposed to return in a new avatar as the Indian Football League (IFL), with a radically different format, governance structure, and financial philosophy.
What is unfolding is not just a rebrand. It is a survival-driven reset designed to keep professional football alive below the Indian Super League after the collapse of the old commercial model.
Why the I-League had to change
The trigger for this transformation was the expiry of the Master Rights Agreement between the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) in December 2025. For more than a decade, that agreement controlled broadcast rights, sponsorships and league operations.
When it ended, Indian football was left without a commercial engine. Broadcast tenders failed. Clubs were left in limbo. Several suspended training. Players went unpaid. The entire pyramid from ISL to I-League entered what insiders called an “economic freefall”.
For the I-League clubs, waiting for another centralised marketing partner was no longer an option. Instead, they pushed for a club-led model that would allow them to directly control how their league is run, sold and managed.
That is how the Indian Football League was born. From I-League to Indian Football League
The proposed new name Indian Football League reflects a philosophical shift. Clubs no longer want to be a subordinate tier defined only by what they are not (i.e., not ISL). They want an identity that signals a national, professional competition built on sporting merit.
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The rebrand is now before the AIFF Executive Committee for approval, but its intent is clear: Indian football’s second tier wants to stop being an afterthought.
How the new season will work
The 2025–26 IFL will be played in two stages.
Stage 1: League Phase – All teams will play a single-leg round-robin, meaning each club faces every other club once. This is a practical solution to a season starting late, but it also ensures that every match carries weight.
Crucially, all points earned in this phase will carry forward.
Stage 2: Split Phase – After the league phase, the table splits in two:
• Top six teams enter a Championship Round, playing home-and-away matches to decide the title and promotion.
• Bottom teams move into a centralised relegation round, fighting to avoid dropping down.
This format eliminates dead rubbers. Every club either fights for the title or fights for survival no one is stuck in meaningless mid-table limbo. It mirrors structures used successfully in leagues like Belgium, Scotland and Austria, where competitive tension is preserved deep into the season.
AI will run the schedule
One of the quiet revolutions in this new IFL is AI-based fixture scheduling.
For the first time, match dates, rest days, travel sequences and venue allocations will be handled by software rather than administrators. This removes any bias, favouritism, arbitrary changes & Human interference
It also ensures fair recovery times, travel efficiency and broadcast-friendly timing something Indian football has historically struggled with. In a league where clubs are now paying a majority of the operating costs, fixture fairness is no longer optional.
The biggest change: Clubs now run the league. At the heart of the new IFL is a complete governance reset.
Two bodies will replace the old top-down structure:
Governing Council: This is the league’s parliament.
Each club gets one vote. AIFF nominates three members. Commercial partners will get representation once they come in. Two independent experts will also sit on the council. This body controls the league structure, revenue models, commercial strategy & Long-term planning. It means clubs not federations or marketing agencies decide the future.
Management Committee: This handles daily operations: scheduling, logistics, regulations and execution.
Five clubs will run it alongside AIFF officials acting in an oversight role. The message is simple: clubs run the league, AIFF regulates it.
The financial reality behind the reset The IFL is being born in austerity. The total operating budget for 2025–26 is roughly ₹3.25 crore. Of this, clubs will contribute 60%, roughly ₹18–20 lakh per club. AIFF covers the rest. That is a fraction of what previous I-League seasons cost but it is also honest.
For years, Indian football lived beyond its means. Now comes a market correction. Player salaries are being re calibrated. Foreign signings are fewer. Budgets are leaner. But the league survives.
That, in 2026, is the priority. Broadcast and commercial uncertainty The biggest unresolved piece is media rights.
The IFL will likely be broadcast with minimal production fewer cameras, basic coverage, limited frills unless a partner comes in. But in the age of OTT platforms, clubs now see digital streaming and direct-to-fan content as viable alternatives to expensive TV deals. This is no longer about chasing unrealistic rights fees. It is about being visible, stable and sustainable.
February 21, 2026 is not just a season opener. It is the beginning of Indian football’s most important experiment in self-governance.
