NEW DELHI, Feb 15: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Sunday announced that the Indian Football League 2025-26 season will kick off on February 27, releasing the full fixture schedule ahead of the start of the campaign.
The season, originally scheduled to begin on February 21, has been postponed by six days, with two matches now slated for the revised opening day on February 27.
Namdhari FC will take on Aizawl FC, while Chanmari FC will face Gokulam Kerala FC on the first day of action.
As per the proposal by the clubs, the IFL 2025-26 season will feature a two-stage format.
Stage 1 will see the 10 participating clubs compete in a single-leg home-and-away round-robin format.
In stage 2, the teams get divided into two groups. Those that finished in the top half in stage 1 will advance to a home-and-away championship round, while the bottom half will compete in a centralised relegation round.
All points from the initial stage will carry forward to preserve the competitive context of the league.
The league toppers at the end of stage 2 will be crowned the Indian Football League champions and will be promoted to the Indian Super League 2026-27.
The Indian Football League, formerly known as the I-League, is the second tier of men’s professional football league in India.
The erstwhile I-League was recently rebranded as Indian Football League. (PTI)
Follow our WhatsApp channel
