ISL: BFC coach Munoz welcomes return to full home-and-away format
Bengaluru FC head coach Pep Munoz said he was pleased the 2026-27 Indian Super League season had returned to a full home-and-away format at a season-opener press conference at Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on October 08, 2026. Munoz added that he is not a fan of the league's playoff system.
The 2026-27 ISL season marks the return of the full-fledged home-and-away format, rather than the truncated version of the previous season. Munoz spoke at the press conference alongside Suresh Wangjam at Kanteerava Stadium; Photo Credit: K. MURALI KUMAR. "The only thing that affected our pre-season was that we didn’t know exactly when the league would start. So we arrived to camp early, and we had enough time to prepare," Munoz said.
"Last season was like a small tournament. This season is how it should be," Munoz said, describing the contrast with the prior campaign. He criticised the playoff structure, noting that the top-six teams from the regular season advance to an elimination tournament. "I prefer the regular format — home and away matches, champion, done. But if you finish sixth, or you finish on top, you have to show it again in the playoffs. In the end, who is the champion? The champion of the regular season, or the champion of the playoff? But this is just my personal opinion. We will go with what we have," Munoz said.
Munoz also defended goalkeeper Gurpeeet Sandhu after the player was substituted at half-time in a recent international friendly against Brazil following a couple of mistakes. "He is the best goalkeeper of the country. Sometimes people take the bad actions (mistakes), and post it on social media. And everyone calls it a big, big, big mistake. But no one talks about the first 20 minutes of the game, where he made two saves against Vinicius. He was perfect in the first 20 minutes in a huge game. I’m very happy to have him back," Munoz said.
Bengaluru FC open their ISL campaign against Sporting Club Delhi at Kanteerava Stadium on Saturday.