ISL 2026-27 to start on October 10; Diamond Harbour handed final payment deadline
The Indian Super League (ISL) will resume on October 10, 2026, with the 2026-27 campaign scheduled to run until April-May 2027. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has given Diamond Harbour FC a last deadline to clear an outstanding participation fee that could decide whether the league proceeds with 13 teams.
The upcoming season returns to a longer, seven-month format after a truncated previous edition and will launch the ISL’s new club-led model, under which participating clubs will take collective responsibility for the competition’s commercial and operational matters while the AIFF continues to oversee sporting issues. Each club must pay a total participation fee of ₹1.10 crore, split into two instalments of ₹55 lakh, with the AIFF setting August 14 as the deadline for the second instalment.
Diamond Harbour missed the August 14 deadline for the second instalment. The club completed the first instalment after the AIFF adjusted ₹55 lakh against prize money owed to Diamond Harbour following their Indian Football League 2025-26 title win, but the remaining ₹55 lakh remains unpaid and the club requested extra time. Khel Now understands the AIFF has now set a final deadline of 2 pm on August 19, 2026, for Diamond Harbour to complete the payment. “If Diamond Harbour do not pay their pending participant fee by 2pm on August 19, then the ISL 2026-27 will go ahead with 13 teams and no new team will be added,”, a source tracking the development told Khel Now.
Thirteen ISL clubs, including Churchill Brothers, completed the second instalment on August 14, 2026, according to Khel Now. Jamshedpur FC have withdrawn from the ISL, and Churchill Brothers have agreed to acquire Jamshedpur Football and Sporting Private Limited (JFSPL) from Tata Steel for ₹100 and are in line to take over the sporting licence; the transfer is subject to the necessary approvals. Churchill Brothers have paid the full ₹1.10 crore participation fee for the upcoming season and their participation is confirmed.
With the October 10 start date now set, clubs have under two months to finalise squads and complete preparations for the new season. While sporting preparations proceed, the league’s clubs still need to secure a new broadcasting partner ahead of the first season under the club-led structure, leaving a major commercial issue unresolved in the weeks before kick-off.
The AIFF’s ultimatum means the league’s final composition could be settled quickly: Khel Now reports the decision on whether a new team will be added or the ISL will proceed with 13 clubs could be determined within the next 24 hours. The 2 pm August 19 deadline is the immediate next step that will decide that outcome.
If Diamond Harbour meets the AIFF’s deadline, the ISL’s 2026-27 season will proceed with the confirmed set of participating clubs; if the payment is not made by 2 pm on August 19, the federation has indicated the competition will go ahead with 13 teams and no additional club will be added, and the campaign will begin on October 10, 2026.