Overview
- The agreement announced Wednesday in New Delhi grants clubs commercial control of the Indian Super League for four years with a unilateral opt-out after two years.
- Under the plan clubs will form an SPV to run broadcast and sponsorship sales while the AIFF retains refereeing, legal, integrity and anti-doping oversight and receives a 10% share of SPV net profits.
- Clubs will pay staged participation fees starting at Rs 1.1 crore in year one and rising to Rs 1.25 crore by year four, a formula that would yield about Rs 15.4 crore to the AIFF if all 14 teams join.
- The deal clears the path for a full home-and-away 2026–27 ISL season targeted to start on September 4, with the AIFF set to send clubs letters giving them 15 days to confirm participation.
- Several implementation steps remain unresolved, including formal written agreements, SPV incorporation, appointment of a professional operations team and the outcome of the clubs’ broadcast RFP, which will determine the model’s commercial viability.