Indian football league system

Indian football league system

Country	India
Sport	Association football
Promotion and relegation	Yes
National system
Federation	All India Football Federation
Confederation	AFC
Top division	Indian Super League (men) Indian Women's League (women)
Second division	I-League (men) Indian Women's League 2 (women)
Cup competition	Men: Super Cup (India) Durand Cup
Association football in India

The Indian football league system is the league structure of football club competitions in India. The highest level of men's club football competition is the Indian Super League.^[1][2] Indian Women's League, founded in 2016, is the highest level of women's football club competition in India.^[3]

The Indian men's football league system consists of the top 4 national divisions organized by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and commercial partners FSDL. From tier 5 are the various regional state football leagues, organized by the respective state associations under AIFF affiliation.

Professional leagues

Amateur/Semi-professional leagues

Inter-state championship

Year	Tier 1	Tier 2	Tier 3	Tier 4	Tier 5 and below
1941–1996	Santosh Trophy	State leagues
1996–1997	National Football League	State leagues (without top divisions)
1997–2006	National Football League	National Football League Division 2	State leagues (without top divisions)
2006–2007	National Football League	National Football League Division 2	National Football League Division 3	State leagues (without top divisions)
2007–2017	I-League	I-League Division 2	State leagues (without top divisions)
2017–2022	I-League and Indian Super League	I-League Division 2	State leagues (without top divisions)
2022–2023	Indian Super League	I-League	I-League 2	State leagues (without top divisions)
2023–present	Indian Super League	I-League	I-League 2	I-League 3	State leagues (without top divisions)

Founded in 1996, the National Football League was the first football league of India to be organised on a national scale,^[5] in an aim to develop the sport & give platform for Indian footballers in a club league. However, due to several problems the league was defunct to make way for a new professional I-League.

After the end of 2006–07 season, AIFF disbanded the NFL after allegedly missing the full aim of professionalism. To replace NFL, AIFF introduced a fully professional I-League, with ten clubs from the last season of NFL participating in the maiden season of I-League.^[6] The league was declared as joint top tier in 2019–20 season when AFC approved AIFF's proposal to demote the AFC Champions League slot, for the AFC Cup. Three seasons later the league was completely demoted to second tier status in Indian football, with the league champions now promoted to the Indian Super League.

The I-League suffered from lack of popularity due to poor marketing as the seasons passed by.^[7] The deal between the Zee Sports and the AIFF, which was initially signed for a ten-year term in 2006, was terminated in 2010 after disagreement between both the parties. AIFF then signed a new 700-crore deal with Reliance Industries and the International Management Group on 9 December 2010.^[8] The Indian Super League was officially launched on 21 October 2013 by IMG–Reliance, Star Sports, and the All India Football Federation with an aim of growing the sport of football in India and increasing its exposure in the country, this time with the big names and high professionalism.^[9]

In 2017, The AFC were against allowing the ISL as the main league in India, while I-League clubs East Bengal and Mohun Bagan wanted a complete merger of the ISL and I-League.^[10] A couple of weeks later, the AIFF proposed that both the Indian Super League and I-League should run simultaneously on a short–term basis, with the I-League winner qualifying for the AFC Champions League and the ISL champion to AFC Cup qualification stage.^[11] The proposal from the AIFF was officially approved by the AFC on 25 July 2017.^[12]

Two seasons later the AIFF and AFC announced in a meeting that the Indian Super League was officially the top-tier league of India with the AFC Champions League slot, while the I-League was with the AFC Cup slot. The first recommendation was to open a pathway for two I-League clubs to enter into the ISL by the end of the 2020–21 season, subject to the criteria being fulfilled. The second recommendation was allowing the winner of the I-League to stand a chance of getting promoted to the ISL with no participation fee, starting with the 2022–23 season. In its final recommendation it was agreed that the introduction of promotion and relegation into the top league would be implemented by the end of 2024–25 season, thus making ISL the top tier & I-League officially being 2nd tier competition.^[13]

The NFL's second division was introduced by AIFF in 1997 to supplement the top division.^[14] After the 2006–07 season, all the three tiers of NFL were defunct and replaced with I-League and I-League 2nd Division respectively.

The National Football League's second division was succeeded by the I-League 2nd Division in 2008. The state FAs nominated top teams from their respective state leagues to AIFF who then selected the clubs based on criteria. The number of clubs in this league varied each season. Since 2017–18 season, the league saw introduction of the I-League reserve sides which weren't eligible for promotion.^[15] After the I-League lost its top tier status, the I-League 2nd Division was demoted, re-establishing India's third tier since the NFL's Third Division in 2006.

Starting from the 2022–23 season, I-League lost its top-tier status. The champions of the 2022–23 I-League were promoted to the ISL with no participation fee. In its recommendation for 2024–25, it was agreed to fully implement promotion and relegation between the two leagues.^[16]

Ten years after the formation of NFL, a third division was briefly introduced for one season in 2006^[17] The NFL Third Division was the first third division tier football league in India to be organized on a national scale. The league was played from 25 November till 18 December 2006 as a promotional tournament for Indian National Football League Second Division. Five teams were promoted to the second division.^[18][19] Starting from the 2022–23 season, I-League 2 filled the void in the third tier left by NFL Third Division in 2006.

After demoting I-League to the second tier status in Indian football, its second division i.e., I-League 2nd Division was subsequently demoted to third tier. AIFF renamed the 2nd Division to I-League 2 to avoid disambiguation.^[20]

I-League 3 is set to serve as a platform for state champions and nominated teams. It forms the fourth tier of the Indian football league system, between the I-League 2 and the state leagues. No ISL reserve teams will be part of it.^[21][22]

There are currently total of 36 state associations (including union territories) affiliated with the AIFF.^[23] These state associations have state leagues concurrently running. The top teams of state leagues are eligible for the I-League 3 (national 4th tier). Most state leagues have multiple divisions and a promotion/relegation system between these divisions. Calcutta Football League (Oldest football league in Asia) in West Bengal is the oldest state league and has the highest number of divisions with promotion/relegation system in place.^[24]

League	State/Region	Clubs	Formed
Gujarat Super League	Gujarat	6	2024
Super League Kerala	Kerala	6	2024
Sikkim Premier League	Sikkim	8	2023
Manipur Premier League	Manipur	9	2023–24

The women's football league system in India currently consists of top tier national league i.e. Indian Women's League, organized by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). From 2023 to 24 IWL 2nd Division will form the tier 2, and top 2 clubs will be promoted to IWL. Tier 3 are the State football leagues, organized by regional state associations under AIFF affiliation, in the league tier pyramid of women's football in India.

Professional leagues

Amateur/Semi-professional leagues

Inter-state championship

Year	Tier 1	Tier 2	Tier 3 & below
1991–2016	Senior Women's National Football Championship	State leagues
2016–2023	Indian Women's League	State leagues (without top divisions)
2023–present	Indian Women's League	Indian Women's League 2	State leagues (without top divisions)

In 2014, after the success of the India women's team, mainly in the SAFF Women's Championship, a push to start a women's football league, along the lines of recently inaugurated and successful Indian Super League, happened.^[25] Clubs such as Pune and Bengaluru expressed interests in joining a national women's league.^[25] It was around this time that AIFF started plans to create a league for women along the lines of ISL.^[26]

On 21 April 2016, the AIFF president Praful Patel said that Indian Women's League would kick-off in October with six teams to be decided, and goal to expand to eight teams by 2017. Over two months later, on 5 July, AIFF organized a workshop to discuss the India women's national team and proposed women's football league. Five Indian Super League sides – Delhi Dynamos, Chennaiyin, Kerala Blasters, Pune City and Atletico de Kolkata, and three I-League sides – Bengaluru, Aizawl and Mumbai, attended the workshop. It was announced that the league would feature eight teams and two other spots would be determined through a preliminary round.^[27] The primary objective of the tournament was to capitalise the potential of Indian women and prepare them for the national team, so as to eventually qualify for AFC Women's Asian Cup and FIFA Women's World Cup.^[28]

The league was launched by All India Football Federation as India's first national women's second tier professional football league.^[21][22] In January 2024, the League Committee confirmed the introduction of the system of promotion and relegation of the clubs involving the IWL and IWL 2, effective from the 2024–25 season.

There are currently total of 36 state associations (including union territories) affiliated with the AIFF.^[23] These state associations have state leagues concurrently running. The top teams of state leagues are eligible for the Indian Women's League 2 (national 2nd tier). Some of the state leagues have multiple divisions and a promotion/relegation system between these divisions. Calcutta Women's Football League (Oldest football league in India) in West Bengal is the oldest state league. Karnataka Women's League has the highest number of divisions with promotion/relegation system in place.

Women's

Level		Years
		1937	1991–2016	2016–2023	2023-present
National leagues	1	Formation of All India Football Federation (AIFF)	Senior Women's National Football Championship	Indian Women's League
	2		None		Indian Women's League 2
Regional leagues	3–		State leagues

Level	Competition	Age category
National	Reliance Foundation Development League	Under-21
	Youth League	Under-17
	Junior League	Under-15
	Sub-Junior League	Under-13
	Subroto Cup	Inter-school

On 7 January 2023, the AIFF unveiled Vision 2047, a new roadmap for Indian football with the planned reforms in India's league system.^[29][30]

Structure	Age category	Participants	Minimum matches
Boys
RFDL/Elite League	Under-21	Elite licensed academies and professional clubs	35
	Under-19
State Youth League champions
	Under-17
	Under-15
	Under-13
Girls
Institutional League	TBD	Association clubs	14
Elite League	18 to 22	Universities
Elite and state youth league	Under-17	State Youth League champions
	Under-15
	Under-13

The National football Championships are competitions contested among the regional state associations and government institutions under the All India Football Federation. Currently, six championship competitions are divided into age groups for both men and women.

The Santosh Trophy^[31] is a men's football competition contested by the regional state associations and government institutions under the AIFF. Before starting the National Football League in 1996, the Santosh Trophy was considered the top domestic championship in India.

Senior Women's National Football Championship for Rajmata Jijabai Trophy^[32] is the women's football tournament which is contested among the regional state, territory federations and government institutions of India. It began to play in 1991. The league consisted of 30 teams for the 2019–20 season.

The U-20 National Football Championship or Swami Vivekananda U20 National Football Championship^[33] is a national level inter-state championship for boys under the age of 20.^[34] All affiliated State Units of AIFF are eligible to participate in this championship.

The Junior National Football Championship or BC Roy Trophy^[35] is for the Junior age groups, which was started in 1962. All affiliated State Units of AIFF are eligible to participate in this championship through the two tiers of the competition played across the country.

The Sub Junior National Football Championship or Mir Iqbal Hussain Trophy^[36] is a national level inter-state championship for boys under the age of 16, which was started in 1977. All affiliated State Units of AIFF can participate in this championship through the qualifying round.

The U-19 Junior Girls' National Football Championship^[37] was first introduced in 2001.

The U-17 Sub-Junior Girls' National Football Championship^[38] was first introduced in 2003 and held at Ooty.

AIFF proposed the Institutional League for the institutional clubs. The league is not part of the Indian football pyramid.

• Futsal Club Championship
• National Beach Soccer Championship
• List of football clubs in India
• History of football in India

• Official website of AIFF