Kerala Blasters FC and ATK Mohun Bagan will kickstart the seventh season of the Indian Super League on November 20 at the GMC Stadium, Bambolim, Goa, as per the first 11 rounds of fixtures released by Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) today.
Interestingly, new entrants SC East Bengal will make their ISL debut with one of the oldest rivalries in Asian football—the Kolkata Derby—against the ATK Mohun Bagan on November 27, at the Tilak Maidan Stadium.
The entire league will be played behind closed doors under a bio-secure bubble in Goa across three venues—JL Nehru Stadium (Fatorda), GMC Stadium (Bambolim), and Tilak Maidan (Vasco). With SC East Bengal's inclusion, the ISL will feature 115 games, up from 95 last season. All 11 clubs play each other in a double round-robin format. The top four clubs on the points table at the end of the regular season, qualify for the playoffs.
The first 11 rounds feature 6 double-headers—all Sundays—with Jamshedpur FC and Odisha FC playing in the first 5pm kick off this season, on November 29, at the Tilak Maidan Stadium. Last season's League Shield winners FC Goa begin their campaign against former champions Bengaluru FC at 7:30pm on November 22, at the JL Nehru Stadium in Fatorda.
The schedule for the remaining 55 league matches will be published in December post clarity on calendar dates of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) competitions matches.
