AIFF awaits AFC's response on ISL clubs’ Asian slots amid talks of shortened 2025-26 season

New Delhi: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is waiting for a response from the continental body regarding whether Indian Super League (ISL) clubs will get AFC slots even if they play fewer than the mandatory number of matches this season, according to sources.

India has two spots in the AFC Champions League Two – one in group stage for ISL Shield winners and another in playoff round for Super Cup winners.

Each club in the domestic top division also needs to play a minimum of 24 matches in a season – including top division league and domestic cup – to be eligible to feature in the ACL 2.

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FC Goa, who had won the Super Cup earlier this year, could be disqualified from participation in ACL 2 play-off round if they do not play the mandatory number of matches.

The representatives of the ISL clubs and the AIFF-appointed committee had a meeting on Sunday, two days after the the national federation proposed a new structure of the ISL.

“The response from the AFC may even come tomorrow, so it is in the fitness of things that we know what is the view of the AFC,” a source privy to the development told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

“If the AFC allows less number of matches for the Indian clubs under the current situation, that is the best scenario. But in case, the AFC says no, even then the ISL will be held this season (with less number of mandatory matches and hence without any AFC slot) because most of the clubs, (and) the AIFF want it to happen.” Another source said that the format of the ISL was discussed in Sunday’s meeting and the clubs will respond after a couple of days.

“The format has been proposed and they have asked two more days to discuss among themselves,” the source said.

Under the circumstances, this season’s ISL, if it happens, is likely to be played at just two or three centralised venues and not in the home-and-away format as was the case earlier.

On Friday, the AIFF proposed a new structure for the ISL, under which the league would be owned and operated by the national body in accordance with its new constitution for the next 20 seasons.

According to the new proposal which the AIFF formulated after a meeting with the ISL clubs, the league will implement a promotion and relegation system from the upcoming season.

On December 20, a proposal from 10 ISL clubs for “perpetual” operational and commercial ownership of the country’s top-tier competition had failed to get the approval of the AIFF’s General Body, which formed a committee to look into the matter.

The AIFF panel was tasked with holding discussions with representatives of five clubs – Chennaiyin FC, Mumbai City FC, Delhi Sporting Club, NorthEast United FC and Mohun Bagan Super Giant – from December 22 to 29.

The 2025-26 ISL season was put on hold in July due to the uncertainty over the renewal of the Master Rights Agreement (MRA) between the league’s former organisers, Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), and the AIFF. The deal expired on December 8, creating a contractual impasse that also required Supreme Court intervention.

Under the supervision of a Supreme Court-appointed committee, a tender was floated for ISL’s commercial rights but there was no taker for it.