The 2026-27 Indian Super League began on 10 October 2026 with a first matchday of attacking football and late goals, according to ESPN’s round-up of the opening fixtures. The league returned under club control after fifteen months of turmoil, as IndiaX24 reported earlier. The business side was also reported: the league drew 65 million YouTube views in its first week, according to Business Standard’s headline.
The most dramatic result came in Guwahati. NorthEast United beat Mohun Bagan Super Giant 1-0 when Jithin MS scored in the 91st minute, according to ESPN, after a spell of about ten seconds in which several shots were blocked and the ball fell for him to score from the rebound. The match was played on 12 October.
In Bengaluru, Bengaluru FC beat SC Delhi 3-2 in the opening game on 10 October. Borja Martínez scored twice, and Menno Koch scored the winning goal with a late header, according to ESPN. Delhi fought back through Rodriguinho and an own goal before they fell short.
Churchill Brothers, described by ESPN as debutants, beat Mumbai City FC 2-1 at Fatorda, with goals from Gaurav Bora and Sebastian Gutiérrez, according to ESPN. Sergio Llamas scored a late goal for Mumbai City.
Kerala Blasters beat Inter Kashi 2-0 on 11 October at the Balewadi Stadium, with goals from Vibin Mohanan and Andre Green, according to the same report. Kerala Blasters were at the top of the table after the first matchday, with three points, and Bengaluru were second with three points, according to Wikipedia’s page on the season. IndiaX24 reported on 12 October that the Blasters had been sold to the UAE’s Al Fursan Group.
FC Goa and Chennaiyin FC drew 1-1, with Irfan Yadwad scoring first for Chennaiyin and Christian Borrego equalising with a header in the 75th minute, according to ESPN. Punjab FC began their campaign with a 2-1 win over Odisha FC, according to ESPN’s round-up of Indian sport for 15 October. The scorers and the date of that match were not given in the sources reviewed.
Six results are reported from the opening round: NorthEast United 1-0 Mohun Bagan, Bengaluru 3-2 SC Delhi, Churchill Brothers 2-1 Mumbai City, Kerala Blasters 2-0 Inter Kashi, FC Goa 1-1 Chennaiyin and Punjab FC 2-1 Odisha. That is 14 goals in six matches, or about 2.3 a match, a total that IndiaX24 has calculated from the scores. Five of the six matches had a winner.
Mohun Bagan finished the opening round with no points and were 12th in the table after the first matchday, according to Wikipedia’s page. A loss to a stoppage-time goal in the first match is a poor start, although the reports reviewed do not describe the club’s expectations for the season.
Four of the five decided matches were settled by a single goal: NorthEast United 1-0, Bengaluru 3-2, Churchill Brothers 2-1 and Punjab FC 2-1, with only Kerala Blasters’ 2-0 win coming by two, which is IndiaX24’s reading of the scores. Two of those results turned on late goals, Jithin MS’s winner in the 91st minute and Menno Koch’s late header for Bengaluru.
The 65 million YouTube views in the first week, according to Business Standard’s headline, are a measure of the league’s reach on the platform. The reports reviewed do not say how the figure compares with earlier seasons or which matches drew the most views, so the number is reported without a comparison.
The 2026-27 season is the first under the new club-controlled structure, and IndiaX24 will report the results of the next matchday.
Image: The Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati, home of NorthEast United (file photo). Photo by Bikramsharma 1990, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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