Indian Football League

The Indian Football League (IFL), previously called the I-League, is the second-highest men's professional football league in India. It is managed by the All India Football Federation and has 10 clubs competing each season. Teams can move up or down between the IFL, the top league called the Indian Super League, and a lower league called the I-League 2.

The league began in 2007 as the I-League, replacing the old National Football League. Its goal was to help more players join the India national team. Over the years, ten different clubs have won the league. Dempo has won the most times, with three titles, while others like Churchill Brothers, Mohun Bagan, Bengaluru, and Gokulam Kerala have each won it twice.

Sponsors have changed over time. It was first called the ONGC I-League, then the Airtel I-League, and later the Hero I-League. In 2026, it became the IFL and is now known as the Star Cement Indian Football League thanks to its current sponsor, Star Cement.

History

Origins

In 1996, India started its first domestic football league called the National Football League. This was an effort to bring professionalism to Indian football, but that goal has not been fully achieved. During this time, the league faced problems like poor facilities and unprofessional clubs. One club, FC Kochin, even stopped operating in 2002 because it could not pay its players.

Formation

After the 2006–07 season, the National Football League was renamed the I-League for the 2007–08 season. The new league started with ten teams, including eight from the old league and two new teams from a lower division. The league changed its rules about foreign players, allowing each team to have four foreign players. Matches were shown on Zee Sports.

The early seasons (2007–2012)

The first I-League match happened on November 24, 2007, between Dempo and Salgaocar. Dempo won 3–0, and Chidi Edeh scored the first goal. Dempo became the first champions that season. The league grew from ten to twelve teams in the next season, then to fourteen teams later on. This helped spread the league to more cities across India.

Demotion to second tier

In 2016, plans were made to make the Indian Super League the top league and move the I-League to second tier. After discussions with FIFA and the AFC, it was decided that the Indian Super League would become the top league starting in the 2019–20 season. By the 2022–23 season, the I-League would no longer be the top league, and its champions could move up to the Indian Super League.

Restructure and Rebranding

In January 2026, the All India Football Federation announced that the I-League would be rebranded as the Indian Football League starting from the 2025–26 season. A new governing council was formed with representation from clubs, the AIFF, and commercial partners. The AIFF will still own the league but will have a smaller role in business matters. The rebranding was approved in February 2026, and a new logo was released.

Competition format

Since it started in 2007, the Indian Football League has had different rules over the years. In each season, every team plays against every other team twice — once at their own home and once at their opponent’s home. At the end of the season, the team with the most points wins the league and moves up to the top league, called the Indian Super League. If two teams have the same number of points, their direct matches and goal differences are used to decide the winner.

Clubs

Current clubs

Further information: 2025–26 I-League

Here are the clubs that currently play in the Indian Football League:

• Aizawl
• Dempo
• Delhi
• Diamond Harbour
• Namdhari
• Shillong Lajong
• Sreenidi Deccan
• Rajasthan United
• Chanmari
• Gokulam Kerala
• Real Kashmir
• Sporting Bengaluru

These clubs compete against each other in the league.

All time clubs

A total of 42 clubs have taken part in the I-League since it started in 2007, up to the 2025–26 season. The following is a list of these clubs that have played in the I-League from 2007 to now. Clubs playing in the next season are shown in bold.

As of 2025^[update]

Clubs qualifying for I-League

Clubs promoted/relegated from I-League

Timeline

Sponsorship

The Indian Football League has always had sponsors. It started with ONGC calling it the ONGC I-League. Later, Airtel took over, naming it the Airtel I-League. Then Hero MotoCorp became the sponsor, making it the Hero I-League. After the 2022–23 season, Hero stopped sponsoring, and now, after the league was renamed to Indian Football League (IFL) in 2026, Star Cement is the sponsor.

Media coverage

Coaches

The role of the head coach in the I-League can differ between clubs. Some clubs choose to have technical or sporting directors along with manager-style coaches. The All India Football Federation requires that head coaches have an AFC Professional Coaching Diploma to coach in the I-League.

After several seasons, Indian head coaches have won the I-League four times, while foreign head coaches have won it three times. Zoran Đorđević of Serbia was the first foreign head coach to win the I-League. Italian coach Vincenzo Alberto Annese was the first to win the I-League in two seasons in a row, in 2020–21 and 2021–22.

Armando Colaco was the first Indian coach to win the I-League, and he has the most championships with three. Khogen Singh was the most recent Indian coach to win the I-League, in the 2017–18 season.

Champions

Further information: Indian football champions

Performance by club

Records and statistics

Main article: I-League Golden Boot

Here are some interesting records and facts from the Indian Football League. There are tables showing the most people who watched a single game, stats from different seasons, money paid for players moving between teams, and the players who scored the most goals.

Awards

The I-League gives out a special trophy to the team that wins the league. This tradition started in 2013 when Churchill Brothers were the champions. The trophy looks similar to those used in top European leagues.

At the end of each season, several awards are given to players and coaches. These include awards for the best player, the top goal scorer, the best goalkeeper, the best coach, the best defender, the best midfielder, and the best new player. There are also awards for the best foreign player, the best Indian player, and a fan-voted award for the favorite player of the season.

Clubs in Asia

Main article: Indian football clubs in Asian competition

Traditionally, teams from the I-League have performed well in the AFC Cup. For example, Dempo reached the semi-finals but lost to a team from Lebanon. East Bengal also reached the semi-finals in another year but were eliminated. Bengaluru is the only team from this league to reach the final of the AFC Cup, where they lost to a team from Iraq. However, no team from this league has ever advanced past the qualifying rounds in the AFC Champions League.