ISL 2026-27: Sporting Club Delhi to open season at Bengaluru on October 10
Sporting Club Delhi will begin their ISL 2026-27 campaign against Bengaluru FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on October 10, the club confirmed. The match kicks off SC Delhi's second season in India's top division.
SC Delhi finished 12th in their debut ISL season, recording two wins, five draws and six defeats from 13 matches, and subsequently undertook a summer rebuild. The squad also carried momentum into pre-season after reaching the semi-finals of the 2026 Durand Cup.
The ISL 2026-27 campaign will be contested as a double-leg home-and-away league, with every club set to face each opponent twice. That expanded schedule represents a more demanding test compared with SC Delhi's 13-game season in 2025-26 and raises the premium on squad consistency across a longer calendar.
SC Delhi's Durand Cup run saw them top Group C with three wins, follow that with a 5-1 quarter-final victory over FC Raengdai and exit in the semi-final to East Bengal after a 0-0 draw and a penalty shoot-out defeat. The team produced high-scoring results in the group stage, including 7-0 and 7-1 wins.
The club strengthened its roster during the window, signing India U-23 captain Lalrinliana Hnamte, Brazilian forward Rodriguinho, Burundian midfielder David Richard Ndayishimiye, Colombian defender Duván Viáfara, Colombian attacking midfielder Juan Pena and Nigerian defender Nduka Junior. SC Delhi have also added a number of young Indian players, highlighted by Diamond Singh, while Irengbam Newtan, Kamgouhao Doungel and Ringsangmi Lungharwo were loaned out.
Those arrivals mean SC Delhi's foreign contingent comprises Rodriguinho, Ndayishimiye, Viáfara, Pena and Nduka Junior, and the club has retained players including Mohammed Aimen, Mohammed Azhar, Nora Fernandes, Gogou, Joseph Sunny and Ashutosh Mehta. The recruitment has provided head coach Tomasz Tchórz with greater options across the pitch and deeper squad resources ahead of the longer league campaign.
Phase 1 fixtures are in place and the club has indicated that Phase 2 & Playoff fixtures will be released soon.
