---
title: "ISL 2026-27 Season to Begin on October 10; Traditional Home-and-Away Format Returns"
english_title: "ISL 2026-27 to Start October 10 With 13 Teams in Home-and-Away Format"
publisher: "Truevision English News"
canonical_url: "https://english.truevisionnews.com/news/381312/isl-2026-27-season-start-october-10-home-away-format"
published_at: "2026-09-06T08:15:00+05:30"
category: "Sports"
language: "en"
image: "https://cf.zdn.im/img/truevisionnews.com/0/image-uploads/6a9cd4968dd9c_isl-2026-27-season-start-october-10-home-away-format.jpg"
keywords: ["Indian Super League", "ISL 2026-27", "ISL Season 2026-27", "Indian Football", "Kerala Blasters", "East Bengal FC", "Churchill Brothers"]
---

# ISL 2026-27 Season to Begin on October 10; Traditional Home-and-Away Format Returns

> **Lead Summary:** **New Delhi:**The Indian Super League 2026-27 season will begin on **October 10**, with the competition scheduled to continue until **May 27 next year**. The upcoming season will return to the traditional home-and-away format, following a shortened single-leg competition used last season due to scheduling constraints.

## Article Content

**New Delhi:**The Indian Super League 2026-27 season will begin on **October 10**, with the competition scheduled to continue until **May 27 next year**. The upcoming season will return to the traditional home-and-away format, following a shortened single-leg competition used last season due to scheduling constraints.

The previous ISL season began only in **February 2026** after considerable uncertainty and delays. Since the league had to be completed within a limited period, all clubs played each other only once in a single-leg round-robin format. At the end of that competition, the team finishing at the top of the points table was directly declared the champion.

The format will change this season, with the traditional **playoffs, semi-finals and final** returning to the competition. The team finishing at the top of the league table will be crowned the **Shield winner**, while the team that wins the final will lift the **ISL Cup**.

New Delhi: The Indian Super League (ISL) 2026-27 season will begin on October 10 and continue until May 27 next year, with matches set to be played in the traditional home-and-away format. The upcoming season will also bring back the playoffs, semi-finals and final, following the single-leg round-robin format used in the previous season.

The 2025-26 ISL season began only in February 2026 after a period of uncertainty. As the league had to be completed within a limited time, all clubs played each other only once in a single-leg round-robin format. The team finishing at the top of the points table was directly declared the champion.

For the 2026-27 season, the competition will return to its earlier structure, with the playoffs, semi-finals and final being conducted as part of the tournament. The team that finishes at the top of the points table will be declared the Shield winner, while the team that wins the final will lift the ISL Cup.

A total of 13 teams will participate in the upcoming season, compared with 14 teams in the previous edition. Jamshedpur FC, which disbanded its senior football team, will not take part this time. Mohammedan SC, which was relegated, will also be absent from the competition.

The new entrant this season is Churchill Brothers, a Goa-based club. Meanwhile, East Bengal FC are the current champions. Kerala Blasters finished the previous season in eighth place in the points table.

With the traditional home-and-away format returning, the 2026-27 ISL season will follow a longer competition schedule, running from October 10 until May 27 next year.

### Related Links & Sources
- [Original Story Source](https://english.truevisionnews.com/news/381312/isl-2026-27-season-start-october-10-home-away-format)