New Delhi: The All India Football Federation and its commercial partners (FSDL) have agreed in principle to begin the stalled 2025-26 Indian Super League in the last week of October on resumption of discussions following a Supreme Court directive.
The tentative date for kick-off of the top-tier league that usually runs from September to April is October 24, with clubs asked to explore the availability of match venues from the end of that month, News9 Sports can reveal.
At a meeting in Bengaluru on Monday, top officials of the AIFF and FSDL also deliberated on the master rights agreement (MRA), after the Court asked them to re-open negotiations till it hears the matter again on Thursday (August 28).
The Court had put a stop to a fresh 15-year renewal negotiations on April 30, but since it led to ISL’s 2025-26 edition getting indefinitely postponed, which led to clubs suspending player contracts and stopping first-team operations, talks were allowed to resume on Aug 22.
The specially constituted SC bench of Justice Sri Narasimha & Justice Joymalya Bagchi had earlier verbally directed MRA negotiations to be held only once a new committee assumes power at the AIFF after elections.
Keeping that in mind and as the federation and FSDL had rejected their initial offers and counter offers, both parties have now decided to engage over it once elections are held as per the Court’s instructions, multiple people aware of the matter informed, on condition of anonymity.
The elections would be held according to a new constitution that is pending for approval, with the Court saying that it would be unveiled after incorporation of the National Sports Governance Act that came into effect earlier this month.
A lot at stake
FSDL had been keen for establishment of a clear structure or long-term vision of the league, but since the indefinite postponement had put the livelihood of around 5000 people in jeopardy, not to mention the concerned monitoring of FIFA, the AFC and world players union FIFPRO, it has agreed to organise the league under the aegis of the AIFF, as per the usual agreement.
As the MRA agreement ends in December and the ISL stretches till April, the AIFF and FSDL would continue to honour the agreement for the first quarter of 2026, though some new terms and conditions might be agreed on for the new set of instalment (Rs 12.5 crore).
The cost of organising the league is an area of deliberation, particularly after the Court had asked FSDL to furnish the annual cost of conducting a season.
Another crucial element is the money the clubs receive (Rs 18-20 crore per year) from FSDL’s central pool of sponsorship, without which losses would increase considerably for them, having expressed reluctance to AIFF’s proposal of playing in the Super Cup in September without knowing ISL’s fate.
“We expect a reduction in broadcast fee and a fall in sponsorship revenue,” a club CEO said.
By winning the I-League, Inter Kashi have gained promotion to the ISL and have asked the AIFF to formally introduce them to FSDL, which is yet to happen.
These details are to be ascertained in due course of time before a proposal is formally presented to the apex court.
During discussions, it was also pointed out how important it is to conduct the league for India to avoid a potential FIFA sanction.
Both the AIFF and FSDL officials remained tight-lipped about discussions as the matter is to be presented to the Court for approval.
🚨 AIFF Statement 🚨#IndianFootball ⚽ pic.twitter.com/xnv1eLsU3A
— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) August 25, 2025
“Things are moving in a positive direction,” is all an FSDL spokesperson was willing to say for the time being.
“As directed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court, representatives of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) met on Monday, August 25, 2025, to deliberate on the way forward for the 2025-26 football season,” the AIFF said in a statement.
“Both parties approached the discussions in a constructive and positive spirit and expressed confidence in arriving at a mutually agreed proposal that will ensure the continued development and progress of football in India.
“The joint proposal will be submitted before the Hon’ble Supreme Court on August 28. The parties will make no further comments while the matter is sub-judice.”