The Indian Super League (ISL) has been put on hold after the league told the clubs and the All India Football Federation that they cannot proceed with the 2025-26 season until clarity emerges on the contractual structure beyond the end of the current Master Rights Agreement (MRA) term.
The suggestions that there was uncertainty around the upcoming season first emerged when the AIFF dropped its top-tier tournament from its roster for 2025–26. The football governing body had put out its calendar for the upcoming year, but ISL was missing from it, after being in existence since 2014. The organisers of the league had reportedly told the clubs and AIFF early on about their decision as there was no clarity over the status of the MRA term.
Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), which runs the ISL, is a commercial partner of the AIFF, with whom the governing body signed a 15-year MRA in 2010. Under the current MRA, FSDL pays the AIFF Rs 50 crore annually. FSDL, in return, gets the rights to broadcast, manage and commercialise Indian football, including the national team. The ISL season usually runs from September to April and the agreement between FSDL and AIFF on the current MRA term is set to end in December this year. By this time, the campaign would enter its third month.
The FSDL said in the letter that since there is an absence of a confirmed contractual framework beyond December, they found themselves unable to effectively plan, organise or commercialise the 2025-26 season. Due to this, FSDL said that they aren’t in a position to proceed with the upcoming season and the decision hasn’t been taken lightly.
“In the absence of a confirmed contractual framework beyond December, we find ourselves unable to effectively plan, organise, or commercialise the 2025-26 ISL season.
“Given this situation, we regret to inform you that we are currently not in a position to proceed with the 2025-26 ISL season and are placing it on hold until further clarity emerges on the contractual structure beyond end of current MRA term.
“We assure you that this decision has not been taken lightly,” FSDL said in a letter addressed to all the ISL clubs.
The FSDL was reportedly in favour of creating a new holding company that operates the ISL, with participating clubs (60%), FSDL (26%) and AIFF (14%) as shareholders.
– Ends