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The 12th season of the Indian Super League (ISL) began with much fanfare at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Stadium, in Kolkata, as defending champions Mohun Bagan SG hosted Kerala Blasters and FC Goa took on newcomers Inter Kashi in the second match in Goa, according to a release.
While the matches kick off with much excitement from the fans in Kolkata, a number of things are going on behind the scenes, to kick-start the league. ISL 2025-26 will be played between 14 clubs in a single-leg round-robin format over 91 matches, with the team that gain the most points at the end of the 91 matches being crowned champions. The league will involve around 35 match officials, who will conduct the 91 matches as the referees and assistant referees, while 15 AIFF elite match commissioners will oversee the operations aspect of every game. The clubs will play the matches in 11 venues across ten states including the VYBK and the Kishore Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata, the Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi where Sporting Club Delhi and Punjab FC will play their home matches. The Mumbai Football Arena in Mumbai, PJN Stadium in Fatorda, Goa, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi, Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati, Sri Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai, JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshedpur, and the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar will host various matches in the ISL this season. Relegation has been introduced for the first time in the ISL, where the bottom-ranked team will be relegated to the Indian Football League, while the champions of the IFL will be promoted to the top division. The club crowned champions of the 12th Indian Super League, on the other hand, will gain entry to the AFC Champions League Two Preliminary Round next season. AIFF Deputy Secretary General M Satyanarayan said, "After all the noise off the field, we are finally kicking things off on the field, which makes it a moment of celebration. Football is back on the ground, which is what everyone in the fraternity wanted. I wish all the participating clubs the very best." AIFF Leagues Chief Operating Officer Akshay Rohatgi said, "We are all eagerly awaiting the kick-off for ISL season 12. This will be historic in the sense that in keeping with the Supreme Court judgement, the AIFF will be operating it on their own for the first time. The principle of promotion and relegation will also be seen for the first time, again in alignment with the Honourable Court's orders. We had the handicap of time with only 38 days at our disposal, but even then and thanks to the tremendous support received from the clubs, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, and the respective State Governments, we believe we will be able to deliver to the fans what they want. We wish all stakeholders of Indian football the very best." (ANI)
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