New Indian Super League (ISL) Season to Kick off on 7 October in Kochi
For the first time, the ISL league stage will run close to 5 months apart from the playoffs, semi-finals and final.
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The 2022-23 Hero Indian Super League (ISL) kicks off on 7 October 2022, when last season's runners-up Kerala Blasters host East Bengal FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi.
Featuring 117 matches of high-octane football action, the Hero ISL returns to entertain its fans across ten venues around the country. For the first time ever, the ISL league stage will run for close to five months apart from the playoffs, semi-finals and final.
All Hero ISL teams are currently participating in Asia's oldest competition, the Durand Cup, as they gear up for the upcoming ISL season.
All Indian football stakeholders have been determined to create a longer football calendar that provides players with more competitive matches throughout the year. The Hero ISL will be followed by the Super Cup in April 2023.
The 2022-23 season will also be special as fans will be welcomed back to the stadiums after a gap of two seasons. To make it convenient for more fans and families to attend and watch their teams in action, ISL has created a fixture list with matches taking place on weekends.
Each matchweek is scheduled between Thursday and Sunday, bringing the Hero ISL in line with the top global football leagues.
This season onwards, Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) has also introduced a new playoff format for the league, adding two exciting matches into the calendar.
The top two teams at the end of the league stage will automatically qualify for the semi-finals. Teams finishing between third and sixth will feature in a single-leg playoff to determine the other two semi-finalists.
Defending champions Hyderabad FC start their title defence on 9 October in front of their home fans against former champions Mumbai City FC at the GMC Balayogi Athletic Stadium in Gachibowli.
2021-22 League Shield Winners Jamshedpur FC are in action two days later, on 11 October at the JRD Tata Sports Complex against Odisha FC.
Fans can watch India's biggest derby between ATK Mohun Bagan and East Bengal FC on 29 October and 25 February next year, to be played at the iconic Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (Salt Lake Stadium) in Kolkata.
New ISL Playoff Format: Eliminator 1: third placed team vs sixth placed team; Eliminator 2: fourth placed team vs fifth placed team; Semifinal 1 first leg: first placed team vs (Winner - Eliminator 2); Semifinal 2 first leg: second placed team vs (Winner - Eliminator 1); Semifinal 1 second leg: (Winner - Eliminator 2) vs first placed team; Semifinal 2 second leg: (Winner - Eliminator 1) vs second placed team; Final: (Winner Semifinal 1) vs (Winner Semifinal 2)
Key Dates: Opening match: 7 October 2022; Last league stage matchweek: 23-26 February 2023; Playoffs, semi-finals and final: March 2023.
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