India forced to settle for playoff spot in third tier of Asian football

Panaji: From competing in the top tier of Asian football just three years ago, Indian clubs have been demoted to the AFC Challenge League, the third tier, for the 2027-28 season.
The restructuring of Asian competitions and poor performances of Indian clubs has seen India drop to 15th in West Asia and 26th overall in Asia. This season’s truncated league with just 13 matches for each team did not help its cause either.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced slot allocations for member associations with India handed a playoff spot in the AFC Challenge League. That slot will be taken by the Indian Super League (ISL) champions, leaving nothing for Cup winners.
India have been ranked a poor 15th in West Asia. The top seven countries play in the AFC Champions League Elite, while those ranked between eight to twelve compete in the second tier. The rest have to settle for the lowest tier where India will be grouped with clubs from Pakistan, Yemen, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Nepal, Palestine, Bhutan, Maldives, Syria, Bangladesh and Lebanon.
“It’s a big setback but isn’t really a surprise,” said a senior official. “The performances of clubs have not helped in adding to India’s coefficient points. India’s poor league structure has also contributed to the downfall.”
After winning the preliminary stage playoff against Al Seeb, FC Goa lost all games in the AFC Champions League Two this season, while Mohun Bagan refused to travel to Iran due to security fears, for two years in a row. The Kolkata giants were later handed a two-year ban.
For 2026-27, ISL champions East Bengal and Super Cup winners FC Goa will both feature in the AFC Champions League Two playoffs.
AFC regulations state that each club in the domestic top division should play a minimum of 24 matches per season, including the domestic top division league and domestic cup, if the member association aspires to play in the ACL Elite and ACL 2.
The league should also be conducted for eight months, with home and away matches.