The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has planned to issue a commercial rights’ tender for the I-League and other national tournaments for this season. But the AIFF has not yet officially identified the champions and the two teams that have been relegated.
At a virtual executive committee meeting on Thursday evening, arranged to discuss a pathway for the 2025-26 I-League, it was decided that this fresh tender will be called once the tender process for the ISL is put in motion.
The I-League tender process will be launched once the deadline to submit request for quotation to manage and award ISL commercial rights ends on 14th September.
“Since the contract handed I-League was only for one season, we don’t have a commercial partner in place for these tournaments now, so it was decided to float a fresh tender to attract bids for monetization,” an AIFF official said while speaking to News9 Sports.
“We will have to start afresh for the I-League, so maybe after September 15 we will initiate the process once evaluation of RFQ’s for ISL is complete. Let the ISL process get over first, the I-League clubs also need time to assemble a squad,” another official said.
No timeline has yet been set for bids for I-League, the 18th edition of which for 2024-25 began on November 22, 2024 and stretched till April 6, 2025.
But like ISL, no such panel has been formed for the I-League yet as the same members are unlikely to be part of it, the AIFF official said.
