ISL 2026 Schedule: Complete Guide to Indian Super League Fixtures, Teams, Venues & Live Streaming

The ISL 2026 Schedule is finally here, bringing another exciting season of top-tier Indian football packed with thrilling matches, intense rivalries, and unforgettable moments. Fans can look forward to action featuring clubs like Mohun Bagan Super Giant, Mumbai City FC, Bengaluru FC, Kerala Blasters FC, FC Goa, East Bengal FC, and many more as they battle for the Indian Super League title. 

The 2026 season from February 14 to May 21, 2026 features a packed calendar with league-stage fixtures, key derby clashes, and crucial playoff races. In this article, you’ll find the complete ISL 2026 schedule, match dates, kick-off times, venue details, team fixtures, and the latest updates, making it your one-stop guide to following every match throughout the season. 

ISL 2026 Schedule

Date	Match	Venue	Kick-off (IST)
14 February 2026	Mohun Bagan Super Giant vs Kerala Blasters FC	Kolkata	5:00 PM
14 February 2026	FC Goa vs Inter Kashi FC	Fatorda, Goa	7:30 PM
15 February 2026	Jamshedpur FC vs Mohammedan SC	Jamshedpur	5:00 PM
15 February 2026	Bengaluru FC vs Sporting Club Delhi	Bengaluru	7:30 PM
16 February 2026	Odisha FC vs Punjab FC	Bhubaneswar	5:00 PM
16 February 2026	East Bengal FC vs NorthEast United FC	Kolkata	7:30 PM
19 February 2026	Mumbai City FC vs Chennaiyin FC	Mumbai	7:30 PM
20 February 2026	FC Goa vs Mohammedan SC	Goa	7:30 PM
21 February 2026	East Bengal FC vs Sporting Club Delhi	Kolkata	5:00 PM
21 February 2026	Jamshedpur FC vs Punjab FC	Jamshedpur	7:30 PM
22 February 2026	Bengaluru FC vs NorthEast United FC	Bengaluru	5:00 PM
22 February 2026	Kerala Blasters FC vs Mumbai City FC	Kochi	7:30 PM
23 February 2026	Mohun Bagan Super Giant vs Chennaiyin FC	Kolkata	7:30 PM
24 February 2026	Odisha FC vs Inter Kashi FC	Bhubaneswar	7:30 PM
Season Duration	League Stage: 14 February – 21 May 2026	Multiple Venues	91 Matches

ISL 2026: A Season That Almost Never Was

That brings us to the ISL 2026 schedule itself, but first a little dramatic backstory, The season was initially completely omitted in the Indian football calendar. As FSDL’s Master Rights Agreement with AIFF was to expire in December 2025 and no resolution had been reached, FSDL sent a formal notice in June 2025 informing ISL clubs as well as the AIFF that the competition for the 2025–26 season was on hold.

It remained uncertain on how far the spiralled when a call arriving Market provider free tender floated in October 2025. This, therefore, eventually brought the Supreme Court of India into play calling both the parties to solve their issues and start off with the season as early as possible. The tournament was re-introduced upon a meeting between the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the Indian sports ministry. The AIFF had implemented a club-led model where all the 14 clubs paid close to ₹1.1 crore per season for running league operations.

This gave rise to a shortened but exhilarating ISL 12th edition calendar — one with added emotional resonance precisely because it almost didn’t happen at all.

ISL 2026 Start Date and Season Timeline

The 2026 season of the Indian Super League opened on February 14 — Valentine’s Day, mind you — with a double-header that is bound to stay in memory:

• Mohun Bagan Super Giant vs Kerala Blasters FC — 5:00 PM IST at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata
• FC Goa vs Inter Kashi FC — 7:30 PM IST (Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Fatorda)

End Date for the ISL 2026 season: May 21, 2026 The final matchday on which all remaining games are set to kick off together at 2:00 PM IST across countless venues a design aimed at maintaining utmost excitement and preventing one side from learning of results elsewhere prior to their own game being completed.

For the ISL 2026 season, match timings were standardised across all teams with evening fixtures starting at 5:00 PM IST and night matches getting underway at 7:30 PM IST making it easier for fans to plan their weekend viewing schedule through the course of the league campaign.

ISL 2026 Format: The Sprint Edition

The ISL 2025–26 format shifted from the two-legged round-robin format to a single-leg round-robin structure. In a departure from its previous double round-robin league play followed by playoffs, the final edition in 2026 adopted a more simple format:

• 91 totaled matches played by 14 teams
• The competition format was a round-robin in which each team played the others once
• No playoffs — winner of regular season top of the table was crowned champion
• The points from the league table then ran to goal difference and then goals scored

The winner-takes-all nature of the ISL meant that with no knockout stage, every single match had immense pressure to perform. It is a point not gained in February that could make all the difference five months later. Each matchday had double-headers on most occasions, and this meant fans could watch live ISL football one after another in the same evening.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) also gave India a one-season waiver from the 24-match league requirement. Consequently, the ISL champions would now qualify for the AFC Champions League Two qualifying round as opposed to the direct Group Stages. FC Goa was another Indian team to qualify for the AFC by winning the 2025–26 AIFF Super Cup.

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ISL 2026 Teams: All 14 Clubs

The Indian Super League 2026 season teams featured 13 returning clubs and one newly promoted side:

1. Mohun Bagan Super Giant (defending champions)
2. East Bengal FC
3. Mumbai City FC
4. Bengaluru FC
5. Jamshedpur FC
6. Punjab FC
7. FC Goa
8. Kerala Blasters FC
9. NorthEast United FC
10. Inter Kashi FC (promoted from I-League — debut ISL season)
11. Odisha FC
12. Sporting Club Delhi (formerly Hyderabad FC, relocated and rebranded)
13. Chennaiyin FC
14. Mohammedan SC

The arrival of Inter Kashi FC as a debutant added freshness to the competition. Meanwhile, the rebranding of Hyderabad FC into Sporting Club Delhi was one of the more eye-catching administrative changes of the off-season.

For the first time in ISL history, relegation was implemented. The team finishing bottom at the end of the league stage would be relegated to the Indian Football League (formerly I-League) for the 2026–27 season. This added a survival battle dimension to the lower half of the ISL 2026 standings that had been absent in previous years.

ISL 2026 Venues: Where Were the Matches Played

The ISL 2026 match venues spanned 11 stadiums across 10 states, underlining the national character of the competition. Key venues included:

• Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata — Home of Mohun Bagan Super Giant and East Bengal FC (during selected home fixtures)
• Kishore Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata — Home of East Bengal FC and Mohammedan SC
• Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi — Shared home for Sporting Club Delhi and Punjab FC
• JRD Tata Sports Complex, Jamshedpur — Home of Jamshedpur FC
• Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Fatorda — Home of FC Goa
• Tilak Maidan Stadium, Vasco da Gama — Additional Goa venue
• Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi — Home of Kerala Blasters FC

The geographic spread of ISL venues ensured that fans across India — from Kolkata to Goa, from Delhi to Kochi — could watch live football in their home cities. The return of matches to several venues after extended gaps helped re-energise local fan bases and restored the atmosphere of home-ground football.

Key Fixtures and Highlights of ISL 2026

The ISL 2026 season delivered plenty of memorable moments, with several high-profile fixtures shaping the title race. The campaign began on 14 February 2026 with Mohun Bagan Super Giant taking on Kerala Blasters FC, followed by FC Goa’s clash against ISL debutants Inter Kashi FC, setting the tone for an action-packed season.

One of the biggest attractions of the season was the Kolkata Derby between Mohun Bagan Super Giant and East Bengal FC on 17 May 2026. The historic rivalry attracted massive fan interest and played a decisive role in the championship race. East Bengal’s victory proved crucial as the club went on to secure its maiden ISL title, ending a long wait for league glory.

Other standout fixtures included Mohun Bagan Super Giant vs Mumbai City FC, Bengaluru FC vs Mohun Bagan Super Giant, FC Goa vs Mumbai City FC, and East Bengal FC vs Bengaluru FC, all of which had a significant impact on the league standings. The introduction of Inter Kashi FC as the newest club added fresh excitement, while the season also marked the first implementation of relegation in ISL history, increasing the importance of every match. With 91 league matches, thrilling double-headers, and an intense title battle that went down to the final matchday, ISL 2026 became one of the most competitive and entertaining seasons in the league’s history.

The Kolkata Derby — The Match Everyone Waited For

The standout fixture of any ISL season is always the Kolkata Derby between Mohun Bagan Super Giant and East Bengal FC. In the 2026 edition, the derby was scheduled for May 17, tantalisingly close to the end of the season. With both clubs competing for the title, the match drew massive crowds and nationwide attention. East Bengal ultimately came out on top, which proved critical in their title charge.

East Bengal FC’s Historic Title Win

The most memorable story of the ISL 2026 season was undoubtedly East Bengal FC’s maiden ISL title. The Red and Gold Brigade ended a 22-year title drought, claiming their first ISL trophy and their fourth overall Indian football championship. They finished the league stage at the top of the table with 26 points from 13 games — level on points with Mohun Bagan Super Giant but ahead on goal difference (+19 vs +14).

The ISL 2026 final standings table looked like this:

#	Team	MP	GD	Pts
1	East Bengal FC	13	+19	26
2	Mohun Bagan Super Giant	13	+14	26
3	Mumbai City FC	13	+8	25
4	Bengaluru FC	13	+6	23
5	Jamshedpur FC	13	+5	22
6	Punjab FC	13	+6	22
14	Mohammedan SC	13	-25	3

Mohammedan SC, with just 3 points from 13 games, finished bottom and became the first-ever club to be relegated from the ISL, dropping to the Indian Football League for the 2026–27 season.

The season’s top scorer was Youssef Ezzejjari, who ended the campaign with 11 goals.

ISL 2026 Live Streaming and TV Broadcast

The transfer of TV rights was one of the most talked about before the ISL 2026 live streaming. In January 2026, FanCode won the AIFF’s media rights tender, with this marking the first time in league’s history that a primary rights holder would be so from outside traditional television networks.

Platform	Availability	Coverage	Subscription Required
FanCode (App & Website)	Live Streaming	Live matches, highlights, replays, match stats	Yes (Match Pass/Tour Pass available)
DD Sports	TV Broadcast	Selected live ISL matches (as announced)	No (Free-to-air)
FanCode (Web Browser)	Online Streaming	HD live streaming on desktop and mobile	Yes
Official ISL Website	Match Updates	Live scores, fixtures, standings, and match reports	Free
Official ISL YouTube Channel	Digital	Match highlights, interviews, goals, and behind-the-scenes content	Free

Here is a quick guide on where to watch ISL 2026 live matches:

• FanCode App and Website — Official exclusive digital streaming platform for all 91 ISL 2026 matches in India. Fans could subscribe via an ISL Season Pass or purchase individual match passes.
• Sony Sports 2 and Sony Sports 2 HD — FanCode sublicensed the linear TV rights to Sony Sports Network, which broadcast matches on traditional television.
• Asianet Plus — Regional language coverage was also available.
• OneFootball — Global streaming partner for international viewers outside India.

FanCode’s interactive statistics, multi-language commentary and ad-free experience for premium subscribers made it a class apart when it came to ISL football live stream viewing online.

ISL 2026 Schedule of matches with time in detail

The ISL football match today ( 2026 season ) 2.0 has been like this Kick off times

• Evening slot: 5:00 PM IST
• Night slot: 7:30 PM IST

Matchday last (21 may): At 2:00 PM IST, all matches played at the same time

In almost all the double-headers of ISL, there have been two matches on the same day where one match is scheduled at 5:00 PM and the other at 7:30 PM — allowing fans to watch, essentially, two full matches of ISL in one night. Scheduling in this manner ensured engagement remained high throughout the league stage.

Why ISL 2026 Mattered Beyond the Pitch

The Indian Super League 2026 season was memorable more than through anything that took place over the course of its 91 matches, but it also stood for something structural for Indian football:

• Relegation introduced: For the first time, clubs really had something to play for at the wrong end of the table. The relegation of Mohammedan SC confirmed the existence of the system and introduced competitive stakes to all positions in the ISL 2026 standings.
• Functional promotion-relegation link: The I-League has officially become a feeder to the ISL, establishing an operational “glass pyramid” where clubs both rise and fall based on merit.
• AFC continental ambitions: The ISL champion East Bengal qualified for the 2026–27 AFC Champions League Two qualifying playoffs, which opens up the possibility of more Indian clubs being tested against Asia’s best.
• Club-Based Governance: The league was for the first time run on a club-funded model, moving away from the former commercial structure enforced by FSDL and providing a platform for long-term sustainability.

Conclusion

The ISL 2026 schedule produced one of the most thrilling seasons in the league’s 12-season history not just for all the dramatics on the field, but because it was so close to never even taking place at all. The Indian Super League 2026 fixtures served up memories for fans that they will certainly never forget, from East Bengal’s historic title charge to Mohammedan SC unprecedented relegation, from the electric Kolkata Derby to ushering in the FanCode live streaming era.

The ISL 2025-26 season is done, and Indian football looks set to turn a brand new page as it shifts into a restructured, club-led model for the future. Bookmark this guide for all the important facts, timings of ISL matches (along with teams and broadcast details) around the 2026 version plus watch out for an even bigger season in preparation.[source: News on why more women’s soccer is a good thing]

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