The future of the Indian Super League (ISL) hangs in the balance, with the 2025-26 season put on hold amid an unresolved commercial dispute between the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), a joint venture between Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) and JioStar, now part of RIL.
Their existing agreement is set to expire on December 8 and has yet to be renewed.
The ISL is India’s top-tier professional football league, launched in 2014 and sanctioned by the AIFF. Organised by FSDL, it follows a franchise model with 12 teams and runs from September to April.
In a note to clubs regarding the 2025-26 season, FSDL said the Master Rights Agreement (MRA) with AIFF is set to expire on December 8, roughly a third into a typical ISL season, which runs from September to April.
"While discussions between FSDL and AIFF on the potential renewal of the MRA were initiated several months ago, they remain inconclusive at this time. 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," FSDL said.
"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 the end of the current MRA term. We assure you that this decision has not been taken lightly," it added.
FSDL has reportedly proposed a new holding company to govern, operate, commercialise, and fund the ISL, with ownership split between clubs (60%), FSDL (26%), and AIFF (14%). AIFF, however, insisted on an all-cash deal of ₹50 crore annually with a 5% yearly hike, which FSDL rejected.
While FSDL’s commercial rights with AIFF run until December 8, it retains strong backend provisions to extend its tenure beyond 2025, including a Last Right to Match clause.
The AIFF said it formally initiated renewal discussions with FSDL on November 21, 2024. Meetings were held on February 5 in New Delhi and March 5 in Mumbai. FSDL submitted a proposal on March 5, to which AIFF responded with a counteroffer on April 21.
However, the process came to a standstill after the Supreme Court, during a hearing on April 26, observed that the renewal should not proceed until further orders. Acting on legal advice, both parties have since paused negotiations pending further directions from the court.
"The AIFF is conscious of the importance of the ISL not only to the football structure in the country but also to all the clubs, players, support staff, officials, and fans and recognises the challenges and difficulties posed due to its disruption. At the same time, AIFF respects the law of the land and the direction of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India," the AIFF said in a statement.
In 2023, Viacom18, now JioStar, secured ISL media rights from September 1, 2023, to June 15, 2025, with an option to extend for an additional three years. The base price for the two-year deal was ₹550 crore.
ISL clubs and their owners include Mohun Bagan Super Giant (RPSG Group, Sanjiv Goenka), Bengaluru FC (JSW Group, Parth Jindal), Chennaiyin FC (Vita Dani, Abhishek Bachchan, MS Dhoni), East Bengal FC (Emami Group and East Bengal Club), FC Goa (Jaydev Mody, Akshay Tandon, with Virat Kohli as a stakeholder), and Hyderabad FC (BC Jindal Group).
The remaining clubs are Jamshedpur FC (Tata Steel), Kerala Blasters FC (Magnum Sports, Nimmagadda Prasad), Mumbai City FC (City Football Group, with Ranbir Kapoor and Bimal Parekh), NorthEast United FC (John Abraham), Odisha FC (GMS Inc., Dr Anil Sharma), and Punjab FC (RoundGlass Sports, Sunny "Gurpreet" Singh).
Their existing agreement is set to expire on December 8 and has yet to be renewed.
The ISL is India’s top-tier professional football league, launched in 2014 and sanctioned by the AIFF. Organised by FSDL, it follows a franchise model with 12 teams and runs from September to April.
In a note to clubs regarding the 2025-26 season, FSDL said the Master Rights Agreement (MRA) with AIFF is set to expire on December 8, roughly a third into a typical ISL season, which runs from September to April.
"While discussions between FSDL and AIFF on the potential renewal of the MRA were initiated several months ago, they remain inconclusive at this time. 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," FSDL said.
"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 the end of the current MRA term. We assure you that this decision has not been taken lightly," it added.
FSDL has reportedly proposed a new holding company to govern, operate, commercialise, and fund the ISL, with ownership split between clubs (60%), FSDL (26%), and AIFF (14%). AIFF, however, insisted on an all-cash deal of ₹50 crore annually with a 5% yearly hike, which FSDL rejected.
While FSDL’s commercial rights with AIFF run until December 8, it retains strong backend provisions to extend its tenure beyond 2025, including a Last Right to Match clause.
The AIFF said it formally initiated renewal discussions with FSDL on November 21, 2024. Meetings were held on February 5 in New Delhi and March 5 in Mumbai. FSDL submitted a proposal on March 5, to which AIFF responded with a counteroffer on April 21.
However, the process came to a standstill after the Supreme Court, during a hearing on April 26, observed that the renewal should not proceed until further orders. Acting on legal advice, both parties have since paused negotiations pending further directions from the court.
"The AIFF is conscious of the importance of the ISL not only to the football structure in the country but also to all the clubs, players, support staff, officials, and fans and recognises the challenges and difficulties posed due to its disruption. At the same time, AIFF respects the law of the land and the direction of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India," the AIFF said in a statement.
In 2023, Viacom18, now JioStar, secured ISL media rights from September 1, 2023, to June 15, 2025, with an option to extend for an additional three years. The base price for the two-year deal was ₹550 crore.
ISL clubs and their owners include Mohun Bagan Super Giant (RPSG Group, Sanjiv Goenka), Bengaluru FC (JSW Group, Parth Jindal), Chennaiyin FC (Vita Dani, Abhishek Bachchan, MS Dhoni), East Bengal FC (Emami Group and East Bengal Club), FC Goa (Jaydev Mody, Akshay Tandon, with Virat Kohli as a stakeholder), and Hyderabad FC (BC Jindal Group).
The remaining clubs are Jamshedpur FC (Tata Steel), Kerala Blasters FC (Magnum Sports, Nimmagadda Prasad), Mumbai City FC (City Football Group, with Ranbir Kapoor and Bimal Parekh), NorthEast United FC (John Abraham), Odisha FC (GMS Inc., Dr Anil Sharma), and Punjab FC (RoundGlass Sports, Sunny "Gurpreet" Singh).
