CHENNAI: 2025 ISL champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant will face Kerala Blasters FC in the first match of the truncated 25/26 season on Saturday, February 14, as per the tentative schedule released by the All India Football Federation on Monday. Days after meeting four interested parties over this season's media rights, the AIFF had released the document which contained the clarifications to response to the bidders' queries.
The schedule is not finalised and remains subject to change and inputs received from the participating ISL clubs. The tentative schedule has double-headers planned on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Few single-headers are scheduled on Thursday as well as Mondays, too. The ISL will be played in a single-leg home-and-away. The Kolkata Derby between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal meanwhile, will kick off at 7.30 pm on May 3.
The final match of the league will be between Chennaiyin FC and Bengaluru FC on May 17.
Chennai will play their first home game only on March 13, against Mohammedan SC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, according to the schedule. Kerala Blasters meanwhile, are all but set to play their matches at the EMS Stadium in Kozhikode. They will play their first match there against Mumbai City FC on February 22.
In a cost-cutting measure, clubs like Mohammedan SC, Inter Kashi FC have chosen to play away from their designated venues. Mohammedan will share the JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshedpur with Jamshedpur FC while Inter Kashi, who played their I-League matches in Kalyani, West Bengal are expected to share the Kalinga Stadium with Odisha FC.
Venues in Kozhikode, Bhubaneswar and Mumbai are marked "To Be Confirmed" (TBC). As reported by this daily, the EMS Stadium is set to be handed over by the Kerala Football Association (KFA) by mid February.