New Delhi: The All India Football Federation has reached the end of its bidding window for the commercial rights of the Indian Super League without receiving a single submission. The federation confirmed that the deadline for responses to its Request for Proposal passed on November 5 with no eligible bidders coming forward. The outcome adds another layer of uncertainty for the country’s top tier competition, which has been searching for a new long term commercial structure.
The federation has stated that its Bid Evaluation Committee will meet over the weekend to assess the situation and determine what steps to take next. The RFP was issued on October 16 and offered a 15 year contract to manage and monetise the league’s commercial and media rights. The bid opening date had been scheduled for November 11.
The eligibility criteria required interested companies to have a minimum net worth of 250 crore rupees and to commit to an annual minimum guarantee of 37.5 crore rupees to the federation. The proposed contract also included several structural changes to the league. These included a waiver of franchise fees for clubs from the 2025 to 2026 season, the phased introduction of a video support system followed by VAR, and the implementation of promotion and relegation in line with a Supreme Court directive.
The prospective commercial partner would have been responsible for match production using a multi camera setup, managing media rights sales, undertaking marketing responsibilities, and investing in grassroots development. Seventy percent of the grassroots allocation was intended for ISL clubs, with the remainder directed toward I League teams. The partner would also have been expected to follow a salary cap of 18 crore rupees per club starting in the 2025 to 2026 season.
With no bids submitted, the federation must now revisit its commercial strategy for a league that was launched in 2014 with high expectations for growth in Indian football. The lack of interest is likely to trigger debate over the current market appetite and the sustainability of the existing model.
In other updates, the federation has announced the semifinal fixtures of the Super Cup. East Bengal will face Punjab FC and FC Goa will meet Mumbai City FC in a double header on December 4, followed by the final on December 7.
