As World Cup fever grips India, 150 ISL players left without contracts due to league uncertainty

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup just days away and football excitement building across the country, nearly 150 Indian Super League (ISL) players — including more than 20 in the national team — have been left without contracts as uncertainty continues to cloud the future of the country's top-tier football league.

The contracts of these players expired on May 31, making them free agents at a time when the fate of the 2026-27 ISL season remains unclear. The uncertainty stems from the ongoing tussle between the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and ISL clubs over the league's commercial structure and future format.

The previous ISL season was delayed and shortened after the Master Rights Agreement (MRA) between the AIFF and its former commercial partner, Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), expired in December 2025. As a result, the 14 participating teams played a single round-robin league instead of the traditional home-and-away format.

With no clarity yet on the structure of the upcoming season, clubs have been reluctant to finalise budgets and player contracts. The AIFF has, however, fixed June 12 as the opening date for player registrations, with the transfer window set to remain open until August 31.

Among the notable players whose contracts have expired are India captain Sandesh Jhingan of FC Goa and fellow national team defender Rahul Bheke of Bengaluru FC.

Mohun Bagan Super Giant, runners-up in the recently concluded season, are expected to seek clarity from the AIFF on whether the next ISL campaign will be a full-fledged season or another curtailed competition before finalising their recruitment plans.

"We will ask the AIFF how they will conduct the ISL and make our budget accordingly," a club source told PTI on condition of anonymity. The Kolkata giants are also set to part ways with foreign players Tom Aldred, Dimitri Petratos and Jason Cummings.

Meanwhile, uncertainty continues over the appointment of a new commercial partner for the league. Genius Sports emerged as the highest bidder in March, offering Rs 2,129 crore annually for a 15+5-year term.

However, several ISL clubs have proposed an alternative model under which Genius Sports would serve only as the league's data and technology partner, while the clubs retain 90 per cent of the economic interest in the league and the AIFF holds the remaining 10 per cent.

A meeting between ISL clubs and AIFF officials in Kolkata last month failed to resolve the impasse.

During the AIFF's Special General Body Meeting, it was decided that the Executive Committee would deliberate on the new MRA framework before placing any proposal before the federation's General Body for final approval.