Punjab FC to host Odisha FC in ISL 2026-27 opener at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on October 14
Punjab FC will begin their 2026-27 Indian Super League campaign against Odisha FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi on 14 October, with kick-off scheduled for 7:30 PM IST. The match will be televised on Sony Ten 2 and Sony Ten 2 HD and will be available to stream for free on YouTube.
Punjab used the 2026-27 IFA Shield as their main pre-season preparation, reaching the semi-finals before losing 4-3 on penalties to Mohun Bagan SG after a goalless draw. They topped their IFA Shield group, which included East Bengal FC and Calcutta Customs FC, and Raphael Messi Bouli scored three goals in the competition. Punjab’s foreign contingent entering the ISL season includes Alfred Planas, Raphael Messi Bouli, Patrick Bahanack, Mickaël Malsa and Diego Raposo. Odisha did not participate in a major pre-season tournament but completed a busy transfer window that saw additions such as Hrithik Tiwari, Stephen Eze, Everton Nascimento and Manu Molina; their foreign group is listed as Stephen Eze, Manu Molina, Giorgi Aburjania, Mahmoud Eid and Everton Nascimento.
In IFA Shield group play Punjab beat the defending ISL champions 1-0 and secured a 0-0 draw in the semi-final against the eventual winners before the penalty defeat. The club used those matches to integrate new signings into competitive fixtures and to assess combinations ahead of the ISL opener.
Odisha finished 11th in the 2025-26 ISL season with two wins, five draws and six losses, scoring 14 goals and conceding 22. The club ended that campaign on 11 points, three places above relegation, and responded by bringing in 12 new players during the summer transfer window while overhauling their foreign contingent. Odisha retained several squad members and extended contracts for Suhair VP, Edwin Sydney Vanspaul Henry, Puitea and Tejas Krishna; their last recorded win prior to the new season came in May against SC Delhi.
Both clubs are expected to name fully fit squads for the opening fixture. Players listed in contention include Arshdeep (GK), Bijoy Varghese, Patrick Bahanack, Uvais, Lhungdim, Mickaël Malsa, Mohammad Inam, Kipgen, Diego Raposo, Raphael Messi Bouli and Alfred Planas for Punjab; and Hrithik Tiwari (GK), Stephen Eze, Moirangthem Thoiba, Tejas Krishna, Saurabh Bhanwala, Edwin Vanspaul, Puitea, Giorgi Aburjania, Rahim Ali, Everton and Suhair VP for Odisha.
Raphael Messi Bouli is noted in the preview as a former Cameroon international who represented the Indomitable Lions at senior level and previously scored eight goals in the 2019–20 ISL season with Kerala Blasters. The piece records his height as 1.86 metres (6 ft 1 in) and describes him as a physical forward who featured prominently for Punjab during the pre-season.
The article identifies VP Suhair as Odisha’s top performer in 2025-26, noting his ISL experience with Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, Jamshedpur FC and NorthEast United. It states he played more than 650 minutes in the previous ISL season, was the joint Indian top goal scorer alongside Ryan Williams and Edmund Lalrindika, and is 34 years old.
Punjab’s recent recruits ahead of the 2026-27 ISL season are listed as Alfred Planas Moya, Mohammad Inam, Gurkirat Singh, Nishchal Chandan, Raphaël Messi Bouli, Patrick Bahanack, Diego Raposo and Mickaël Malsa. Odisha’s new signings are named as Nihal Sudeesh, Imran Khan, Sachin Suresh, Aashir Salim, Arjun MM, Nandhakumar Sekar, Giorgi Aburjania, Stephen Eze, Hrithik Tiwari, Mahmoud Eid, Everton Nascimento and Manu Molina. The fixture is confirmed for 14 October at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi, with kick-off at 7:30 PM IST.
