The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has invited bids for the commercial rights of its men’s and women’s club competitions for a minimum period of 15 years, beginning with the 2026-27 season.
The federation has offered two separate packages under the tender process. Package A includes the Indian Super League (ISL), described as the seniormost men’s league, and the Federation Cup, the top domestic cup competition. Package B comprises the Indian Women’s League (IWL) and IWL 2, along with the Women’s Federation Cup, which is expected to be introduced at a later stage at the bidder’s option.
The commercial rights of the recently rechristened Indian Football League were not included in the current Request for Proposal (RFP).
According to the AIFF, the commercial rights are being offered for a minimum duration of 15 years, with the possibility of extending the term to 20 years if mutually agreed upon.
Unlike previous tenders, the RFP document will not be made publicly available. Interested entities must purchase the document for Rs 2.5 lakh. The federation clarified that the RFP will be shared via email only upon receipt of payment and that only the purchasing entity will be eligible to submit a bid. Bids from entities that have not made the required payment will not be considered.
A pre-bid conference has been scheduled for March 11. The last date for submission of bids is March 19, with the opening of bids set for March 20.
The tender process comes amid recent uncertainty surrounding the ISL season, which commenced on February 14 in a truncated format. The 2025-26 season had been delayed by nearly five months after the federation and its previous commercial partner failed to renew their Master Rights Agreement beyond December 8 last year.
A previous tender to appoint a new commercial partner did not attract bidders. However, following negotiations, all 14 clubs confirmed participation in the truncated ISL season, with 91 matches scheduled on a home-and-away basis.
Under the financial arrangement for the 2025-26 season, ISL clubs are expected to share 60 per cent of the cost, amounting to around Rs 1 crore per club. The AIFF’s contribution is estimated at approximately Rs 9 crore, with the total season cost pegged at around Rs 24 crore.
In January, the federation issued an RFP for broadcast rights for the truncated ISL season. On February 2, it awarded the exclusive global broadcast rights to FanCode for Rs 8.62 crore. Production rights, both domestic and global, were awarded to Kaleidoscope Production and Services.
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