I-League changes name to Indian Football League. Fans to be treated to two months of simultaneous ISL and IFL action

Indian football is set for a busy and unusual phase as the country’s two top professional competitions run almost side by side over the next two months, following the rebranding of the I-League as the Indian Football League (IFL) .

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Thursday approved the renaming of the I-League to the Indian Football League from the 2025–26 season, a move aimed at giving the second-tier competition a clearer national identity and sharper positioning within the domestic football pyramid. The decision was taken at an Executive Committee meeting that also ratified the governing charters of both the IFL and the Indian Super League (ISL) .

The change comes at a time when Indian football followers will have continuous top-level action. The ISL, which remains the country’s premier competition, is scheduled to kick off on February 14 , while the newly named Indian Football League will begin a week later on February 21 , with both tournaments running concurrently through the next two months.

This season’s ISL will feature 12 teams: Mohun Bagan Super Giant , Mumbai City FC , Bengaluru FC , Chennaiyin FC , FC Goa , Kerala Blasters FC , East Bengal FC , NorthEast United FC , Odisha FC , Jamshedpur FC , Punjab FC and Hyderabad FC .

The Indian Football League, which has been planned as a truncated season, will see ten teams take part: Real Kashmir FC , Gokulam Kerala FC , Rajasthan United FC , Dempo SC , Namdhari FC , Shillong Lajong FC , Sreenidi Deccan FC , Aizawl FC , Chanmari FC and Diamond Harbour FC .

While the calendar promises back-to-back football, the season has also thrown up an unusual situation involving two clubs expected to be in the ISL. Inter Kashi , declared champions after a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport , were approved for promotion to the ISL in principle but are not part of the league this season as commercial and legal formalities remain unresolved. As a promoted club, they were also excluded from the truncated IFL lineup.

Meanwhile, Churchill Brothers , who were initially named champions before the CAS ruling, challenged the AIFF’s decision in the Delhi High Court . With the case still pending, the Goan side has been left out of both the ISL and the IFL for the current campaign.

Historically, the competition now renamed the Indian Football League was India’s top division between 2007 and 2014, having replaced the National Football League. The launch of the ISL in 2014, backed by stronger investment and broadcast reach, reshaped the hierarchy, pushing the former I-League into the second tier. The latest rebranding is intended to reflect that reality while giving the league a stronger standalone identity.

For fans, however, the immediate takeaway is clear: over the next two months, Indian football will be in near-constant motion, with the ISL and the newly christened Indian Football League unfolding in parallel.