Shillong, Jan 27: The Indian Super League (ISL) 2025-26 has been struggling to get off the ground but the hastily put together season will not have Shillong as one of its venues, according to the tentative fixtures shared by the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
Three NorthEast United FC matches were held at the JN Stadium here in 2024-25 and, as part of a landmark deal between the Meghalaya government and club costing the state exchequer crores of rupees, the city was meant to host another four this season.
However, the lack of commercial partners and other messy legal factors have left the AIFF and ISL clubs with precious little time to cobble together a proper season and this year the ISL will be curtailed to a single leg.
Each team will, therefore, only have six or seven home matches. NEUFC have been allotted seven and all of these are slated to be held at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Sarusajai, Guwahati.
The fixtures are not final, however, and the AIFF says that they are more for the information of potential commercial partners. The schedule could change before the season begins on February 14 “based on inputs received from the participating clubs.”
The Meghalaya government has a wide-ranging deal with NorthEast United, which includes not just holding ISL matches here but also football development initiatives, from coaching and refereeing workshops to grassroots training camps, fan engagement zones and awareness drives in schools and colleges. NEUFC players, along with the club’s co-owner John Abraham, will also participate in outreach programmes and promotional campaigns aimed at inspiring the next generation of Meghalaya footballers.
Meghalaya Tourism is already the lead sponsor of the ISL club and has been for a few years now. In 2024 the Meghalaya government signed an agreement with NorthEast United for the club to set up a state of the art residential academy in Mawkhanu.
