Indian Super League 2025–26 season put on hold amid MRA renewal uncertainty

The Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), organisers of the Indian Super League (ISL), have informed clubs and the All India Football Federation (AIFF) that the 2025–26 season has been put on hold till further notice.

The decision has come in light of ongoing uncertainty around the renewal of the Master Rights Agreement (MRA) between FSDL and the AIFF.

The Master Rights Agreement (MRA), signed in 2010, is set to expire in December 2025, and the future of Indian football depends on its outcome.

The MRA gave FSDL exclusive commercial and operational rights to run the ISL for 15 years.

FSDL has proposed a restructured model for the league's governance, under which a holding company would be formed, jointly owned by ISL clubs (60%), FSDL (26%), and AIFF (14%).

The AIFF has faced flak for handling of the MRA renegotiations. Instead of finalising a new agreement by the end of April, the AIFF formed an eight-member task force to study the issue. Some members of the executive committee, including former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia, have openly croiticised the move.

The ISL, which launched on October 12, 2014, has grown into the country’s premier football league, earning recognition from FIFA and the AFC in 2019 as India's top-tier competition.

The communication also clarified that with the ISL typically running from September to April, the uncertainty surrounding the MRA made it “impossible to effectively plan, organise, or commercialise” the upcoming season.

Several ISL clubs, including FC Goa, Bengaluru FC, Chennaiyin FC, Odisha FC, Kerala Blasters, Mumbai City FC, and Hyderabad FC, have already postponed their pre-season preparations and withdrawn from the Durand Cup 2025. These clubs have reportedly expressed concerns over financial losses and contractual complications with players and staff if the ISL fails to commence on schedule.