India has officially withdrawn from the inaugural
Initially, India had accepted FIFA's invitation to participate in the ASEAN Cup, a new tournament designed for teams from the ASEAN region, where they were placed in Division 1 Group A alongside Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. The competition is slated to take place from September 21 to October 6 during the FIFA international window. However, the AIFF's commitment to the match against Brazil ultimately took precedence, leading to their withdrawal from the ASEAN Cup.
Despite earlier considerations of sending a separate or developmental squad to the ASEAN Cup, the federation has decided to forgo participation entirely. This shift in strategy reflects a broader focus on securing high-quality international fixtures, particularly after India's failure to qualify for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup. Reports indicate that the AIFF is now looking into potential friendlies against teams that participated in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with Cabo Verde and Iran being among the options discussed, although these matches have yet to be officially confirmed.
Media Rights for Indian Super League
In a separate development, it has come to light that only one bid has been submitted for the media rights of the Indian Super League (ISL), which is set to commence on September 4. The deadline for submissions closed on August 12, and reports suggest that the sole bidder is a digital streaming platform without a linear television channel. This situation raises concerns about the future of television broadcast for the league, which is crucial for maintaining fan engagement.
In the previous season, the media rights holder, FanCode, had sub-licensed linear TV broadcast rights to Sony Pictures Networks India while retaining exclusive digital streaming rights. The AIFF had issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the ISL 2026-27 media rights on July 25, following an agreement with participating teams to adopt a club-led model for two years, with the possibility of extending it to four years. The national federation will continue to oversee administrative and regulatory functions during this period.
