The 2020-21 I-League will commence on January 9, 2021 in Kolkata

AIFF has announced that the 2020-21 I-League will commence on January 9, 2021 in Kolkata.

The 11 participating teams will enter into a bio-secure bubble 14 days prior to the start of the tournament. No spectators will be allowed inside the stadiums and the tournament will be held based on SOPs laid out by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India.

The format of the tournament has been altered. The 11 teams will play each other once in a single-leg format. Based on points, the teams will be divided into two groups comprising of the top six teams and the bottom five. The top six will play against each other in a single leg format and the team with the most points will be declared winner of the 2020-21 I-League. The bottom five will face off against each other once – the team at the bottom of the group will be relegated.

The participating teams are Aizawl FC, Chennai City FC, Churchill Brothers, Gokulam Kerala FC, Indian Arrows, NEROCA FC, Punjab FC, Real Kashmir FC, TRAU FC, the winners of the I-League Qualifiers 2020 Mohammedan SC and direct corporate entry side Sudeva FC. The 2019-20 I-League winners and defending champions Mohun Bagan AC have merged with ATK and moved to the Indian Super League this season.

The matches will be telecast live on 1Sports and streamed on the 1Sports Facebook page and Fancode App.

We can’t thank Government of West Bengal and IFA enough for their unconditional support to hosting the Hero I-League Qualifier this year. Without their support, we couldn’t even think of hosting the tournament smoothly.

I-League Qualifiers was a stage rehearsal for the next edition of Hero I-League as it’ll be a longer and more challenging tournament from every single aspect.

We’ll work with them hand in hand to make it a grand success and we’re confident to pull it off successfully.

Sunando Dhar, CEO, I-League to AIFF Media