The ISL 2025-26 season is finally set to happen after months of uncertainty, finally cleared with the league restarting from 14 February 2026. It won’t sound more romantic for football fans who waited for so long for the ball to roll to finally fill up the stadium to support their beloved team starting from this very day. However, this edition will be played in a truncated format with just four months left, with just 91 matches and each side playing 13 matches in a single home and away format. The opening match round gets the excitement instantly with some high-voltage clashes lined up, including the opener between Mohun Bagan and Kerala Blasters in 5 PM kick-off in a jam-packed Salt Lake to mark the league’s return.
Mohun Bagan vs Kerala Blasters - Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata (Saturday, 14 February 2026 - 17:00)
The curtain raiser of the truncated 2025-26 season takes place at the Salt Lake Stadium on Valentine's Day, where defending champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant welcome Kerala Blasters in the first of two games on the opening day. It will also be the first competitive game for the Mariners in the Sergio Lobera era and they will want to start it with a win. The Green and Maroon is the first side to win the Shield back-to-back times and will be favourites to make it third in a row, after a star manager appointment and stellar squad building. They are one of the few teams to be least affected by the ISL delay and will not lack motivation despite facing a ban from AFC competitions for two years. Having not lost a single home game, carrying a 13-game winning streak in the entire season last term, the team is confident of extending it here.
On the contrary, Kerala Blasters have to face an exodus of their star players like Noah Sadaoui and even their iconic captain, Adrian Luna, although on loan, due to the league crisis and the financial burden that came with it. Hence, the Tuskers will be severely affected even though they have made some business to strengthen their squad at the last minute. David Catala's side will want to avoid a collapse in the 2025-26 season after finishing eighth last time. With no playoffs this time and just 13 games to play, the club will want to avoid a collapse and starting with a defeat will only fuel negative energy. The side has also lost four straight meetings since 2023 in all competitions, including a loss at Salt Lake on their last trip, where Bagan came from 2-1 behind to win 3-2 with a dramatic late strike.
FC Goa vs Inter Kashi - Fatorda Stadium, Goa (Saturday, 14 February 2026 - 19:30)
The second game on the first day of the season will see consecutive Super Cup winners FC Goa take on promoted side Inter Kashi at their home venue, Fatorda Stadium. Despite another memorable cup performance, the league uncertainty stripped the Gaurs of some of the key contributors to the success. Still, they have fulfilled their objective of the season in taking the qualifier spot for the AFC Champions League 2 by winning the Super Cup and will play the ISL this season without any pressure, as winning the League Shield wouldn't have given them an automatic spot in the group stages owing to the AFC constraints for the truncated season. They will want to start the season with a win against the I-League winners.
Promoted side Inter Kashi are newbies in the league, but they will be managed by a former ISL Cup and Shield winner, Antonio Lopez Habas, hoping to cause a surprise. Their certificate to play in the top flight came after winning a long drawn court battle to decide the I-League winners after AIFF declared Churchill Brothers winners initially and the club then faced the delay of the top flight altogether. However, despite a short preseason like most teams in the league, they have assembled a squad full of I-League stars, combining with ISL experience. The Uttar Pradesh side faced FC Goa twice before, both times in the Super Cup, including in the latest edition, where Manolo Marquez's side ran out 3-0 winners.
Jamshedpur FC vs Mohammedan SC - The Furnace, Jamshedpur (Sunday, 15 February 2026 - 17:00)
The big motivation for Jamshedpur FC for the season is that they have brought their star coach, Owen Coyle, back to the dugout. Under his watch, the Men of Steel experienced the most remarkable period in winning the 2022 ISL Shield and were a consistent threat in the league. The club found themselves back under Khalid Jamil last season, reaching the semifinals, but now with the former Aizawl manager in charge of the national side, Coyle's introduction speaks volumes about the club's ambition. They will want to build on their last success with a promising 2025-26 campaign after making a series of interesting signings and a decent preseason.
Their opponents for their tournament opener, Mohammedan SC, though is in a difficult position, having been forced to play with an all Indian squad for the 2025-26 season. The club is plagued by the issue surrounding investors, having lost all their foreigners and was slapped with a transfer ban. The ISL delay only made it worse. Still, the Black Panthers will want to play without pressure or fear now that they won't have any expectations riding on them this season. However, consecutive bottom-place finishes will create more tensions rather than a solution. They hope calling back Mehrajuddin Wadoo as the head coach will pay off for the side.
Bengaluru FC vs SC Delhi - Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bengaluru (Sunday, 15 February 2026 - 19:30)
Like most other clubs, Bengaluru FC also felt the effects of the ISL delay, having suspended operations earlier and being forced to take pay cut measures even after the season resumed. Additionally, they had to cope with a lot of departures, leaving them with a foreigner-less defence and just two overseas players in the squad. It means the Indian players will face most of the heat to deliver. There has been a change in the management, too, after Renedy Singh stepped into the head coach role following the departure of Gerard Zaragoza. The Blues ended as finalists last season after coming close to winning the ISL Cup, amid suffering a group stage exit from the Super Cup, but continuing the success will be difficult this season. Still, starting the season with a win is something they will want desperately and that too at home.
Sporting Club Delhi, rebranded from Hyderabad FC after they relocated their base to the nation’s capital, is a new-look side in the season, riding on ambition and unpredictability. Coached by the former Kerala Blasters assistant, Tomasz Tchórz, the Phoenix is hoping to capitalise on the unfamiliarity the opponents will find in facing them to raise a few eyebrows in their debut campaign, which could start with an unexpected victory in their competition opener. However, even after snapping some ISL campaigners and I-League stars, the challenge in the top-flight in a truncated season is set to be extreme. The side, at the very least, will want an encouraging showing in their very first ISL season to build on the future.
East Bengal vs NorthEast United - Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata (Monday, 16 February 2026 - 19:30)
Probably the highlight fixture of the opening round of games, Kolkata giants East Bengal welcome back-to-back Durand Cup holders Northeast United FC at the Salt Lake Stadium after choosing the ground at the last moment, having initially set to host games of the season at Kishore Bharoti. As usual, there will be high expectations riding on the Red and Gold to end their doldrums in ISL finally, with the shortened season and others, apart from their rivals and Shield holders, affected by the delay, giving them an ideal opportunity. The team has gone for more mindful business this time and has had a promising run to the Super Cup, with the schedule of playing more home games consecutively, which should instil hopes of glory. Oscar Bruzon will want his first full season to become a memorable one in the club's history and no better way to start it than with a victory in front of their fans.
However, the Highlanders by no means should be taken lightly after their excellent rise under Juan Pedro Benali, with their repeated success in the Durand Cup and a run to the ISL playoffs last season. The mountainous club are wishing to continue the momentum in the truncated season, but they will have to do it without the Golden Boot winner Alaeddine Ajarie, who went on loan to the Indonesian league due to ISL uncertainty, dealing a huge blow. The forward was the face of the club’s transformation, shattering records for fun while also being a difference maker. No one will be able to match his rate of scoring, yet Benali’s men hope I-League wonder Lalrinzuala Lalbiaknia fills in the shoes properly and becomes their maskman. It is an uphill task, so is facing a spirited Kolkata giant, failing to win against them at Salt Lake.
Mumbai City vs Chennaiyin FC - Mumbai Football Arena, Andheri (Thursday, 19 February 2026 - 19:30)
The final game of the opening round of the 2025-26 season is also an exciting one, with Mumbai City FC taking on Chennaiyin FC at the Mumbai Football Arena, with both clubs dealing with problems due to the delayed season. The Islanders are facing most of it, as this will be their first season post-CFG ownership after they ended their ownership due to the league’s uncertainty, making the situation far more challenging for the club. Adding to the loss of many stars from the team, Petr Kratky’s side is put in a difficult position. However, with some late acquisition of quality-filled foreigners and the manager staying true to the cause, Mumbai City could still be a side to watch out for and a victory at home is an ideal way to begin the season.
The Marina Machans fielded an all-Indian squad in last year's Super Cup, but they quickly bolstered their team in the winter window after the league's restart was confirmed. That puts the side, who will be managed by Clifford Miranda, in a much better position than at the time of that competition with ISL-proven foreigners recruited. The side finished a disappointing 11th last season and finished in the top six, it will not matter this time with no playoffs, only once since the 2019-20 season, records they will aim to change, even with the departure of key performers. Their opening fixture of the season will be troublesome, though, as they have lost every trip to Mumbai since 2015 and carry a brutal record of four straight losses without scoring.
