After a long drawn battle, Indian domestic football returns with the ISL scheduled to resume from February 14

Season 12 of India's domestic football league, the Indian Super League (ISL) will kick off on February 14, 2026. The fate of the league had been hanging in the balance due to financial constraints and Indian footballers tirelessly campaigned to save Indian football.

Finally, on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, the union sports minister, Mansukh Mandaviya confirmed the commencement of the league during an announcement in New Delhi.

ISL to finally commence after tedious legal war

Due to the lack of a commercial partner after the contract with the previous sponsor expired, ISL was locked in a legal battle which delayed the league indefinitely. Finally, the league will return on February 14, 2026.

The union minister said during his announcement, "(The) government, the football federation and all 14 clubs, Mohun Bagan and East Bengal included, had a meeting and we have decided that the ISL will start on February 14. All clubs will participate".

The 14 teams scheduled to take part in the ISL season 12 will play a total of 91 matches, in single-leg, round-robin format. While the All India Football Federation (AIFF) will help run the league with ₹10 crore this time, the remaining cost will be managed by the clubs themselves. AIFF has decided on a budget of ₹25 crore.

This means, every club will have to spend ₹2 crore each including a participation fee of ₹1 crore to participate in the tournament, the most prestigious in Men's football in India. With cost being the biggest issue, clubs like Odisha FC have asked for some time to sort things related to promotion and relegation out.

AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey has thanked "all the stakeholders" for helping Indian football come out of the crisis, according to media reports. He added that the AIFF was always committed to keep the league running, despite the adverse situation.

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