Indian football has never had the cricket-style cultural moment. But the 2025-26 season suggests something is finally shifting — quietly, structurally, and fast.
ISL attendance is up 41%
Average match attendance hit 17,800 across the league — a 41% jump over last year. Bengaluru FC, Mumbai City, and Kerala Blasters routinely sell out 25,000+ seat venues. TV ratings nearly doubled.
AIFF reforms started landing
The promotion-relegation tie between ISL and I-League is now active. Smaller clubs have a clear path up; bigger clubs have an honest reason to invest in academies. Five new state-association youth academies opened in 2025.
The U-17 pipeline
India's U-17 squad qualified for the AFC Championship for the second cycle in a row. Three players in that squad are already on ISL first-team rosters — a feeder pipeline that was non-existent five years ago.
National team performance
India climbed 11 places in the FIFA rankings in 2025. The senior team beat Kuwait and held UAE to a draw in World Cup qualifiers — competitive results that wouldn't have been imaginable in 2018.
What's still missing
Foreign coaches with multi-year contracts. Broadcast contract that pays clubs enough to keep stars in India. School-level football as a serious extra-curricular at scale.