AIFF releases ISL 2026-27 fixtures up to gameweek 14; East Bengal to start away on Oct 18
The All-India Football Federation on Saturday, September 26, 2026 released the Indian Super League 2026–27 schedule up to gameweek 14, and defending champions East Bengal FC will begin their ISL campaign away against Churchill Brothers at Fatorda Stadium, Goa on Sunday, October 18, 2026 at 5 PM. Fixtures for Phase 2 and the Playoffs will be published at a later date.
The new ISL season will kick off with two double headers on Saturday, October 10, 2026, while East Bengal will not feature in the opening day. East Bengal are due to host Al-Shorta SC at the Salt Lake Stadium in an AFC Champions League Two 2026-27 home group-stage fixture on October 13, 2026, which accounts for their delayed league start. The competition returns to a home-and-away format with 13 teams each playing 24 league-stage matches. The campaign will operate under a club-led model, and the streaming partner for the season is yet to be confirmed but is expected to be finalised very soon.
Up to gameweek 14 East Bengal are scheduled for six home and six away matches, and the fixtures show the club will begin with three consecutive away games because of their AFC commitments. That run of fixtures places an emphasis on squad depth, tactical flexibility and mental resilience, according to the published fixture notes. The schedule through gameweek 14 spreads East Bengal’s matches across multiple cities and venues.
East Bengal’s first home ISL match is listed against SC Delhi on Friday, November 20, 2026 at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata at 5:00 PM. The Kolkata Derby versus Mohun Bagan SG is scheduled as a home fixture for East Bengal on Sunday, November 29, 2026 at the Salt Lake Stadium at 7:30 PM. The published list also shows a home match against the Highlanders on December 21, 2026, which is East Bengal’s final ISL fixture in 2026 before the league’s long winter break.
East Bengal’s first league fixture remains the away meeting with Churchill Brothers on October 18, 2026 at Fatorda Stadium, and their final game of the first phase is an away match against Kerala Blasters on 16 January (2027), which is also recorded as their last away match of the first phase. The club’s head coach is Antonio Lopez Habas.
Fixtures for Phase 2 and the Playoffs will be released at a later date, leaving the published schedule up to gameweek 14 as the confirmed programme for the opening phase of the ISL 2026-27 season.