List of Indian football champions
The Indian football champions are the winners of the highest league in Indian men's football, which is currently the Indian Super League.
| Indian Football League (1st tier) |
|---|
| National Football League (1996–2007) I-League (2007–2017) I-League & Indian Super League (2017–2022) Indian Super League (2022–present) |
| Country |
| India |
| Founded |
| 1996 |
| Number of teams (from 2024–25) |
| 13 |
| Current Champions |
| Mohun Bagan SG |
| Most successful club |
| Mohun Bagan SG (6 titles)[1] |
Though Indian football tournaments dates back to the eighteenth century, a proper league system was established in 1996 with the commencement of National Football League (NFL). Since its inception in the 1996–97 season, the champions of the NFL were considered as the national champions. However, after the 2006–07 season of the NFL, the league was rebranded as the I-League. Since 2007–08 season, the I-League champions were considered the national champions until 2016–17 season. Since 2017–18 season the ISL became the joint premier football league of the country along with I-League upto 2021–22 season. Since 2022–23 season ISL became the only top tier football league of the country and hence ISL champions are considered as the national champions. However, the winners of the ISL play-offs were considered as the ISL champions since its inception in 2014.
There are 12 clubs who have won either the National Football League or the I-League and 6 clubs who have won the Indian Super League since the league became the joint top division in India. JCT were the first club to have won any championship, winning the 1996–97 NFL. Mohun Bagan Super Giant are the most successful club via winning championships six times. They won the NFL thrice, I-League twice and ISL once.
History
The first Indian football league, the National Football League (commonly known as the NFL) was an association football league competition in India which was organised into three divisions. The Premier Division of the league was first introduced in 1996, though the country already had a long history in the sport thanks to the likes of the IFA Shield and the Federation Cup. The league though is now transformed into the I-League and continues with that name. The change was supposed to bring more popularity to Indian Football. The first league season of I-League consisted of eight teams from the NFL plus two promoted teams from the former Division Two.
The 1996–97 Indian National Football League was the first season of the NFL and ended with JCT Mills FC being crowned champions. The NFL era though saw Kolkata clubs East Bengal and Mohun Bagan had the most championships with three respectively. The I-League era is different though as most of the champions of the league have come from Goa.
Currently, the team with the most championships in I-League is Dempo who have won three championships in the league.
In 2014, a new football league named Indian Super League has started. In its first three seasons it was running without recognition from the AFC. Before 2017–18 season, ISL got recognition from Asian Football Confederation (AFC). In July 2017, it was proposed by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) that the Indian Super League champion be granted a spot in the AFC Cup, Asia's second-tier club competition.[2] On 25 July 2017, the AFC approved the AIFF's proposal. Thus, from the 2017–18 season, the Indian Super League champions were allowed to participate in the AFC Cup from the qualification stages of the competition.[2] Meanwhile, India's spot in the AFC Champions League, Asia's top club competition, was still kept by the I-League;[2] thus two leagues were parallelly running in the country. In October 2019, a roadmap for development of league in India was proposed. All stakeholders accepted the proposal where it was announced that ISL premiers would now be entitled to the AFC Champions League, starting from 2021 edition and the I-League champion will get to play the AFC Cup.[3] From 2022–23 season the AFC Cup slot from I-League has been transferred to Super Cup and ISL became the only top tier League in India.
National League Champions
| Season(s) | Format |
|---|---|
| 1996–2017 | National Football League/I-League first placed team |
| 2017–2022 | Both I-League first placed team and Indian Super League playoffs winners |
| 2022–present | Indian Super League first placed team |
National Football League (1996–2007)
I-League (2007–2017)
I-League and Indian Super League (2017–2022)
From 2017–18 season until 2021–22 season, I-League and Indian Super League shared joint top flight status in Indian Football
I-League
| Season | Champions (number of titles) |
Runners-up | Third place | Winning manager | Leading goalscorers (Club) |
Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | Minerva Punjab | NEROCA | Mohun Bagan | Khogen Singh | Aser Pierrick Dipanda (Mohun Bagan) | 13 |
| 2018–19 | Chennai City | East Bengal | Real Kashmir | Akbar Nawas | Pedro Manzi (Chennai City) Willis Plaza (Churchill Brothers) |
21 |
| 2019–20 | Mohun Bagan (5) | Not awarded[lower-alpha 1] | Kibu Vicuña | Aser Pierrick Dipanda (Punjab) | 12 | |
| 2020–21 | Gokulam Kerala | Churchill Brothers | TRAU | Vincenzo Alberto Annese | Bidyashagar Singh (TRAU) | 12 |
| 2021–22 | Gokulam Kerala (2) | Mohammedan | Sreenidi Deccan | Vincenzo Alberto Annese | Marcus Joseph (Mohammedan) | 16 |
Indian Super League
| Season | Champions (number of titles) |
Runners-up | League Winners Shield/Premiers[lower-alpha 2] | Regular season runners-up | Winning manager (Champions) |
Leading goalscorers (Club) |
Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | Chennaiyin[lower-alpha 3] | Bengaluru | Didn't exist[lower-alpha 2] | John Gregory | Coro (Goa) | 18 | |
| 2018–19 | Bengaluru (3) | Goa | Carles Cuadrat | Coro (Goa) | 16 | ||
| 2019–20 | ATK[lower-alpha 3] | Chennaiyin | Goa | ATK | Antonio Lopez Habas | Roy Krishna (ATK) Nerijus Valskis (Chennaiyin) Bartholomew Ogbeche (Kerala Blasters) |
15 |
| 2020–21 | Mumbai City | ATK Mohun Bagan | Mumbai City | ATK Mohun Bagan | Sergio Lobera | Igor Angulo (Goa) Roy Krishna (ATK Mohun Bagan) |
14 |
| 2021–22 | Hyderabad | Kerala Blasters | Jamshedpur | Hyderabad | Manolo Márquez | Bartholomew Ogbeche (Hyderabad) | 18 |
- On 18 April 2020, All India Football Federation, the organising body of the league announced Mohun Bagan as champions and decided to cancel the remaining matches due to the COVID-19 pandemic. No team was relegated, and the remaining prize money (apart from the champion's prize money) was equally divided among the 10 teams as the remaining teams were closely placed in the league table.[4]
- Since 2019–20 , the regular season table toppers are awarded with the League Winners Shield and were granted a spot in AFC Champions League group stage till 2022–23 ISL Season.
- ATK won the ISL title in 2014 and 2016 and Chennaiyin won the ISL title in 2015 before 2017–18 season when the ISL got official recognition from AFC.
Indian Super League (2022–present)
| Season | Champions/League Winners Shield (number of titles)[lower-alpha 1][5] | Regular season runners-up | Playoffs Winners | Playoffs Runners-up | Winning manager (Champions) |
Leading goalscorers (Club) |
Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | Mumbai City (2) | Hyderabad | ATK Mohun Bagan | Bengaluru | Des Buckingham | Diego Maurício (Odisha) Cleiton Silva (East Bengal) Dimitri Petratos (ATK Mohun Bagan) |
12 |
| 2023–24 | Mohun Bagan SG (6)[6] | Mumbai City | Mumbai City (2) | Mohun Bagan SG | Antonio López Habas | Dimitrios Diamantakos (Kerala Blasters) Roy Krishna (Odisha) |
13 |
- Since 2023–24 ISL season, the regular season champions who are awarded with the League Winners Shield were granted a spot in AFC Champions League Two group stage.
Total titles won
There are 12 clubs who have won either the National Football League or the I-League. There are also 6 clubs who have won the Indian Super League since the league became the joint top division in India.
Teams in bold will compete in the Indian Super League for the 2024–25 season.
- † – Defunct clubs
By state
| State | Championships | Clubs |
|---|---|---|
| West Bengal | 10 | Mohun Bagan SG (6), East Bengal (3), ATK (1) |
| Goa | 9 | Dempo (5), Churchill Brothers (2), Salgaocar (2) |
| Karnataka | 3 | Bengaluru (3) |
| Maharashtra | 3 | Mumbai City (2), Mahindra United (1) |
| Punjab | 2 | JCT (1), Minerva Punjab (1) |
| Tamil Nadu | 2 | Chennaiyin (1), Chennai City (1) |
| Kerala | 2 | Gokulam Kerala (2) |
| Mizoram | 1 | Aizawl (1) |
| Telangana | 1 | Hyderabad (1) |
By city/town
| City / Town | State | Championships | Clubs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kolkata | West Bengal | 10 | Mohun Bagan SG (6), East Bengal (3), ATK (1) |
| Panaji | Goa | 5 | Dempo (5) |
| Bangalore | Karnataka | 3 | Bengaluru (3) |
| Mumbai | Maharashtra | 3 | Mumbai City (2), Mahindra United (1) |
| Margao | Goa | 2 | Churchill Brothers (2) |
| Vasco da Gama | Goa | 2 | Salgaocar (2) |
| Kozhikode | Kerala | 2 | Gokulam Kerala (2) |
| Aizawl | Mizoram | 1 | Aizawl (1) |
| Chennai | Tamil Nadu | 1 | Chennaiyin (1) |
| Coimbatore | Tamil Nadu | 1 | Chennai City (1) |
| Hoshiarpur | Punjab | 1 | JCT (1) |
| Ludhiana | Punjab | 1 | Minerva Punjab (1) |
| Hyderabad | Telangana | 1 | Hyderabad (1) |
National Cup winners
Federation Cup (1977–2017)
Super Cup (2018–present)
| Season | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Bengaluru | East Bengal |
| 2019 | Goa | Chennaiyin |
| 2020–2022 | Tournament suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Indian National Team's international fixtures | |
| 2023 | Odisha | Bengaluru |
| 2024 | East Bengal | Odisha |
Total Cups won
| Club | Winner | Winning Years | Runners-up | Runners-up Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohun Bagan SG | 14 | 1978*, 1980*, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1987 1992, 1993, 1994, 1998 2001, 2006, 2008, 2015–16 |
6 | 1977, 1983, 1985, 2004, 2010, 2016–17 |
| East Bengal | 9 | 1978*, 1980*, 1985, 1996, 2007, 2009–10, 2010, 2012, 2024 | 9 | 1984, 1986, 1992, 1995-96, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2011, 2018 |
| Salgaocar | 4 | 1988, 1989, 1997, 2011 | 3 | 1987, 1990, 1994 |
| Bengaluru | 3 | 2014–15, 2016–17, 2018 | 1 | 2023 |
| Mohammedan | 2 | 1983, 1984 | 3 | 1981, 1989, 2003 |
| Mahindra United | 2 | 2003, 2005 | 3 | 1991, 1993, 2007 |
| JCT Mills | 2 | 1995, 1995–96 | 0 | - |
| Kerala Police | 2 | 1990, 1991[7] | 0 | - |
| Dempo | 1 | 2004 | 5 | 1996#, 2001, 2008, 2012, 2014–15 |
| BSF (Border Security Force) | 1 | 1979 | 1 | 1988 |
| Odisha | 1 | 2023 | 1 | 2024 |
| ITI (Indian Telephone Industries) | 1 | 1977 | 0 | - |
| Churchill Brothers | 1 | 2013–14 | 0 | - |
| Goa | 1 | 2019 | 0 | - |
| Sporting Clube de Goa | 0 | - | 3 | 2005, 2006, 2013–14 |
| Shillong Lajong | 0 | - | 1 | 2009–10 |
| Aizawl | 0 | - | 1 | 2015–16 |
| Chennaiyin | 0 | - | 1 | 2019 |
- * : shared
- # :There were two federation cups in 1996
Multiple trophy wins
The Double
| Club | Seasons | Titles |
|---|---|---|
| Mohun Bagan | 2001–02 | National Football League, Federation Cup |
| Dempo | 2004–05 | National Football League, Federation Cup |
| Mahindra United | 2005–06 | National Football League, Federation Cup |
Other Double
| Club | Seasons | Titles |
|---|---|---|
| Mohun Bagan | 2023–24 | ISL Shield, Durand Cup |
| Mumbai City | 2020–21 | ISL Shield, ISL Cup |
See also
References
- "REPORT: MOHUN BAGAN SUPER GIANT SEE OFF MUMBAI CITY FC TO WIN LEAGUE SHIELD". www.indiansuperleague.com.
- "ISL gets official recognition from AFC, becomes second national football league". FirstPost. 28 June 2017. Archived from the original on 2 January 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
- "India clubs agree to work together on league roadmap". AFC. 14 October 2019. Archived from the original on 26 May 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
- "League Committee sends its recommendations to the AIFF Executive Committee | Hero I-League". Archived from the original on 27 June 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
- "ISL Champions badge awarded to ISL Shield winners; Mumbai City FC set to wear the badge in the 2023-24 season". www.sportskeeda.com.
- "MOHUN BAGAN SG ARE ISL CHAMPIONS: THE GLORY, THE RECORDS AND THE HEROES". www.indiansuperleague.com.
- Federation Cup. the-aiff.com (archived)