Indian Super League

Indian Super League

Organising bodies	AIFF and FSDL
Founded	21 October 2013; 10 years ago (2013-10-21)
Country	India
Confederation	AFC
Number of teams	13
Level on pyramid	1
Domestic cup(s)	Super Cup Durand Cup
International cup(s)	AFC Champions League Two SAFF Club Championship
Current champions	Mohun Bagan SG (1st League Shield title) Mumbai City (2nd ISL Cup title) (2023–24)
Most championships	Mumbai City (2 League Shield titles) ATK (3 ISL Cup titles)
Most appearances	Pritam Kotal Amrinder Singh (162)
Top goalscorer	Bartholomew Ogbeche (63)
TV partners	List of broadcasters
Website	indiansuperleague.com
Current: 2024–25 Indian Super League

The Indian Super League (ISL) is the men's highest level of the Indian football league system. Administered by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and its commercial partner Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL),^[1][2] the league currently comprises 13 clubs across India.

The season runs from September to March and includes a 24-round regular season followed by playoffs involving the top six teams, culminating with the ISL Final to determine the ISL Cup winners. At the end of the regular season, the team with the most points is declared the ISL champions and presented with the League Winners' Shield. Until 2021–22 season, the ISL Cup winners were designated as champions but later from 2022–23 season, the champions designation was given to table toppers instead of playoff champions.^[3]

Currently, the league only follows promotion in the promotion and relegation processes. ISL clubs qualify for the Asian continental club competitions; League Shield winners qualify directly for the subsequent season's AFC Champions League Two group stage.

The competition was founded on 21 October 2013 to grow the sport of football in India and increase its exposure in the country. Play began in October 2014 with eight teams. During its first three seasons, the competition operated without official recognition from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the governing body for the sport in Asia. It was structured along the same lines as the Indian Premier League, the country's premier Twenty20 franchise-based cricket competition. Each season lasted just three months, from October to December, and matches were held daily. However, before the 2017–18 season, the league expanded to ten teams, expanded its schedule to six months, and earned recognition from the AFC. Two of India's most historic clubs - Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, also joined the ISL. With ATK disbanding, the 2020–21 season had 11 clubs competing.

The ISL attained the sole top-tier league status from the 2022–23 season with the I-League demoted to the second tier. The 2023–24 season saw a promoted team from the I-League participating in the ISL for the first time ever. Punjab FC, as the 2022–23 I-League champions, became the 12th team in the league. The following year, Mohammedan SC joined the league as the 13th club as champions of the I-League.

Since the league's inaugural season, six clubs have won the ISL Cup title: ATK (3), Chennaiyin (2), Mumbai City (2), Bengaluru (1), Hyderabad (1) and Mohun Bagan (1).

Since the introduction of the League Winners' Shield in the 2019–20 season, Mumbai City has won it twice, while Mohun Bagan, Jamshedpur and Goa have won once each. Mumbai City is the only team to have won the ISL Final and the League Winners' Shield in the same season, which they achieved in the 2020–21 season.