The second division of the men’s football league in India is back with a new name, the Indian Football League, rebranded from I-League and with a new format involving two stages due to a shortened 2025-26 season after months of uncertainty around the future of the league, like ISL. The first stage of the league will involve all 10 teams playing each other once in a single-round-robin home-and-away format, similar to the top flight. The sides will be divided into two groups, with those finishing in the top six of the first stage entering the championship round, while the bottom half will compete in the relegation round. The games of the latter round will take place in a centralised zone.
All the points gathered in the first stage of the Indian Football League 2026 will carry forward to the next stage to ensure competitiveness. The league toppers at the end of the second stage will be crowned champions of the second division and will be promoted to the Indian Super League (ISL) for the 2026-27 season. The bottom two sides will be relegated to the Indian Football League 2, in the third division. Churchill Brothers, who made a late push to enter the ISL, is the sole team that has not confirmed their participation in the league this season. The competition will start from 27 February 2026, moving back a week from the initially scheduled on 21st of the month, with the first round ending on 19 April 2026.
Teams
Aizawl FC - Mizoram
Chanmari FC - Mizoram
Dempo SC - Goa
Diamond Harbour FC - West Bengal
Gokulam Kerala - Kerala
Namdhari FC - Punjab
Rajasthan United - Rajasthan
Real Kashmir - Jammu & Kashmir
Shillong Lajong - Meghalaya
Sreenidi Deccan - Telangana
Indian Football League 2026 First Round Schedule
February 2026
Friday, 27 February 2026
Namdhari FC vs Aizawl FC
Chanmari FC vs Gokulam Kerala
Saturday, 28 February 2026
Diamond Harbour FC vs Sreenidi Deccan
March 2026
Sunday, 1 March 2026
Shillong Lajong vs Rajasthan United
Dempo SC vs Real Kashmir
Friday, 6 March 2026
Aizawl FC vs Rajasthan United
Saturday, 7 March 2026
Gokulam Kerala vs Namdhari FC
Chanmari FC vs Sreenidi Deccan
Sunday, 8 March 2026
Shillong Lajong vs Real Kashmir
Diamond Harbour vs Dempo SC
Thursday, 12 March 2026
Chanmari FC vs Dempo SC
Friday, 13 March 2026
Rajasthan United vs Namdhari FC
Aizawl FC vs Real Kashmir
Saturday, 14 March 2026
Gokulam Kerala vs Sreenidi Deccan
Shillong Lajong vs Diamond Harbour
Tuesday, 17 March 2026
Rajasthan United vs Real Kashmir
Thursday, 19 March 2026
Chanmari FC vs Shillong Lajong
Sreenidi Deccan vs Namdhari FC
Friday, 20 March 2026
Aizawl FC vs Diamond Harbour
Gokulam Kerala vs Dempo SC
Tuesday, 24 March 2026
Aizawl FC vs Chanmari FC
Wednesday, 25 March 2026
Sreenidi Deccan vs Dempo SC
Real Kashmir vs Namdhari FC
Thursday, 26 March 2026
Gokulam Kerala vs Shillong Lajong
Rajasthan United vs Diamond Harbour
Tuesday, 31 March 2026
Gokulam Kerala vs Aizawl FC
April 2026
Wednesday, 1 April 2026
Rajasthan United vs Chanmari FC
Sreenidi Deccan vs Shillong Lajong
Thursday, 2 April 2026
Dempo SC vs Namdhari FC
Real Kashmir vs Diamond Harbour
Sunday, 5 April 2026
Sreenidi Deccan vs Aizawl FC
Monday, 6 April 2026
Real Kashmir vs Chanmari FC
Namdhari FC vs Diamond Harbour
Tuesday, 7 April 2026
Dempo SC vs Shillong Lajong
Rajasthan United vs Gokulam Kerala
Friday, 10 April 2026
Namdhari FC vs Shillong Lajong
Saturday, 11 April 2026
Diamond Harbour vs Chanmari FC
Dempo SC vs Aizawl FC
Sunday, 12 April 2026
Real Kashmir vs Gokulam Kerala
Sreenidi Deccan vs Rajasthan United
Tuesday, 17 April 2026
Namdhari FC vs Chanmari FC
Wednesday, 18 April 2026
Shillong Lajong vs Aizawl FC
Diamond Harbour vs Gokulam Kerala
Thursday, 19 April 2026
Dempo SC vs Rajasthan United
Real Kashmir vs Sreenidi Deccan
