Welcome back, Indian football fans. How have you been? Did you enjoy that sojourn last week? That whole Panama, Brazil, Uruguay exhibition parade? Can we get down to the brass tacks now?
And by brass tacks, I mean the MG Indian Super League 2026-27.
The what Indian Super League?
MG, Morris Garage, have been signed up as title sponsors, three years after inaugural and perennial sponsors Hero stepped away. This comes with the clubs collectively taking over the commercial rights to the league. You can read all about that, and more, right here:
New-look ISL 2026/27 set to mark another fresh start for Indian football
P.S. Parth Jindal is chairman of both Bengaluru FC and MG India.
Ah. Alright, never mind all that, when does the league start?
The 2026/27 ISL is set to kick off with Bengaluru FC taking on SC Delhi at the Kanteerava on Saturday, October 10.
When does it end?
Wow, greedy much? Let's take the start date with gratitude and wait for further announcements on when the league's ending, when the playoffs will take place, please.
Oh, so the playoffs are back?
Indeed. ESPN have been reliably informed that all clubs are operating on the basis that the playoffs are back on.
Where can we watch the ISL this season?
The ISL 2026/27 will be free-to-watch on YouTube this season. You can also watch it on Sony Sports on TV and SonyLIV on OTT (if you don't mind the ads).
Interesting. Who're the favourites coming into this season?
It has to be East Bengal. They're doing well in Asia and are better prepared for the start of the season than anyone else. The defending champions have kept most of their title-winning unit together and look good to go back-to-back.
Their biggest obstacle, as has been the case for over a hundred years, will be Mohun Bagan. They have as impressive a squad as ever and strengthened it over the summer - poaching Miguel Figueira from across town and then getting Lallianzuala Chhangte and Dejan Drazic (Mumbai's and Goa's best players). As you were.
Who else?
Ryan Williams and Bengaluru FC look decent and come with an intriguing question -- just how hungry is Sunil Chhetri for his 108654th season of Indian football?
Meanwhile, Mumbai City may have lost Chhangte, but they have gained Manolo Marquez, and you can never really rule out the wily Catalan. Marquez's old club FC Goa have Gouramangi Singh as head coach and Muhammed Nemil as headline talent, but the pressure will be on both to deliver.
Oh, and NorthEast have the unstoppable magic of Alaeddine Ajaraie again. Can he carry them into the playoffs again?
What about the Kerala Blasters? Ee saala?
How the Blasters fans will hate that you've borrowed a catchphrase from a team based in the city of their biggest rivals. What they won't hate, though, is a change in ownership, the hugely unpopular Magnum Sports Ltd have sold their stake to Al Farsan Sports Investment (a UAE based consortium). That lends an air of early positivity to the club where this kind of thing reflects more readily than most others.
They've also done pretty well to strengthen their squad-- signing up Mohamed Sanan and Mohammad Yasir, bringing back Adrián Luna, retaining Ashley Westwood, should mean they ought to be competitive. Whether that'd be enough to break their drought is anyone's guess, though.
The rest?
You can check out every single team's SWOT right here.
You mean to say everything is... normal?
Well, Inter Kashi -- "the first ever national level football club from Uttar Pradesh" as they describe themselves -- will be playing this season from the Balewadi stadium. In Pune.
Obviously.
Oh, and an ISL club got sold for 100 Rs.
Wait, what?
Former shield winners Jamshedpur FC won't be in the ISL anymore, with the Tata group selling the club (and all its rights and contracts etc.) to Churchill Brothers.
That means Churchill Alemao's dream of getting into the ISL is done and no one even had to go to CAS this time. On the pitch, and off it, FC Goa vs Churchill will be fun but bring on that Inter Kashi-Churchill-CAS rivalry!
Hang on, who got promoted from the second division this time?
Technically, Diamond Harbour FC.
But they won't be in the ISL because they couldn't pay the participation fee -- and this means there will be no relegation this season as Diamond Harbour have been relegated to the 2027-28 second division.
Brilliant. What about the second and third and fourth tiers?
The I-League Indian Football League (IFL) is set to start on October 30 (by the by, only three foreigners per team on the pitch at any time in the IFL). The teams competing are Chanmari, Dempo, Gokulam Kerala, Rajasthan United, Real Kashmir, Shillong Lajong, Sreenidi Deccan with four newcomers: Mohammedan (relegated from ISL), Bengaluru United (promoted from IFL 2), Samaleswari (ownership transferred from Delhi FC) and Nagaland United (after they acquired the IFL license from former I-league champs Aizawl FC)
As for IFL 2 and IFL 3... we wait and watch.
Any news on the Indian Women's League?
The IWL is set to start on October 16, with eight clubs (East Bengal FC, Sethu FC, Kickstart FC, Nita FA, Gokulam Kerala FC, Garhwal United FC and two promoted sides HOPS FC and Juba Sangha FC).
The IWL 2 meanwhile will happen in two phases: the league phase commences on October 23 and the final round on November 25.