The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has announced a sweeping overhaul of its top-tier league, introducing key changes effective from the 2025-26 season. These reforms aim to enhance competitiveness, financial stability, and overall quality of Indian football.
No More Franchise Fees
One of the most significant changes is the removal of franchise fees for participating teams. Instead, a revenue-sharing model will be implemented, where founding teams contribute 10% of their revenue, while non-founding or newly promoted teams contribute 20% for up to ten years. This move aims to ease the financial burden on clubs and encourage greater investment in player development and infrastructure.
Salary Cap Implementation
To maintain competitive balance and ensure financial sustainability, the AIFF will introduce a strict salary cap regime. Starting from the 2025-26 season, the salary cap will be pegged at ₹18 crore per club, inclusive of bonuses but excluding coaching and non-playing staff salaries. The AIFF will have the authority to audit financial statements and impose penalties for any breaches of this regulation. Additionally, governance provisions will prohibit conflicts of interest, such as player relatives holding financial or employment ties within the same club ownership structure.
VAR on the Horizon
In a significant step towards modernizing Indian football, the AIFF is planning to introduce Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology. While a "football video support system" will be implemented from the 2025-26 season, full VAR adoption can be mandated from the 2030-31 season, subject to agreement between the AIFF and its commercial partner. The introduction of VAR aims to minimize refereeing errors and ensure fairer outcomes in matches. The VAR technology supports the decision-making process of the referee in four game-changing situations: goals and offences leading up to a goal, penalty decisions and offences leading up to a penalty, direct red card incidents, and mistaken identity.
Financial Safeguards and Grassroots Investment
The AIFF's new commercial rights Request for Proposal (RFP) includes financial safeguards and a strong developmental component. The company that wins the bid will be required to pay the AIFF a guaranteed annual fee, with payments scheduled quarterly after the first year. Crucially, if 5% of gross annual revenues exceed the guaranteed payment, the company must pay the difference to the AIFF. The winning bidder will pay ₹37.5 crore per year or 5% of gross revenue, whichever is higher. Moreover, the company is mandated to contribute 2.5% of gross revenues towards grassroots football in the first five years, increasing to 5% from Year 6 onwards, either as CSR contributions or direct investment. Teams will receive a minimum of 70% of the contributions made by the bid-winning company for grassroots development and such amounts would be distributed equally between the teams.
League Structure and Promotion/Relegation
The 2025–26 season will feature 14 teams competing in a double round-robin format, totaling 189 matches. Promotion and relegation will be implemented at the end of the first season. One team will be promoted to and one team will be relegated from the competition. The number of participants for later seasons shall remain at 12. However, a governing council, comprising AIFF and company representatives, will reserve the right to induct new teams.
These sweeping changes represent a bold step by the AIFF to revitalize Indian football's top-tier league, fostering a more competitive, sustainable, and transparent ecosystem for the sport. With the implementation of these reforms, the AIFF aims to elevate the quality of play, attract greater investment, and ultimately propel Indian football onto the global stage.
