List of Indian football champions
| 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 (7 titles)[1] |
The Indian football champions are the winners of the highest league in Indian men's football, which is currently the Indian Super League.
Though Indian football tournaments dates back to the eighteenth century, a proper league system was established in 1996 with the commencement of
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 seven times. They won the NFL thrice, I-League and ISL twice.
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
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
Dempo
who have won three championships in the league.
In 2014, a new football league named
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 |
|---|---|
| 1996–2007 | National Football League first placed team |
| 2007-2017 | I-League first placed team |
| 2017–2022 | Both I-League first placed team and Indian Super League playoffs winners |
| 2022–present | Indian Super League champions |
National Football League (1996–2007)
| Season | Champions (number of titles) |
Runners-up | Third place | Winning manager | Leading goalscorers (Club) |
Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | JCT
|
Churchill Brothers
|
East Bengal
|
Sukhwinder Singh
|
Bhaichung Bhutia (JCT)
|
14 |
| 1997–98 | Mohun Bagan | East Bengal
|
Salgaocar
|
T. K. Chathunni
|
Raman Vijayan (Kochin)
|
10 |
| 1998–99 | Salgaocar
|
East Bengal
|
Churchill Brothers
|
Shabbir Ali
|
 Philip Mensah (Churchill Brothers)
|
11 |
| 1999–2000 | Mohun Bagan (2) | Churchill Brothers
|
Salgaocar
|
Subrata Bhattacharya
|
 Igor Shkvyrin (Mohun Bagan)
|
11 |
| 2000–01 | East Bengal
|
Mohun Bagan | Churchill Brothers
|
Monoranjan Bhattacharya
|
José Ramirez Barreto (Mohun Bagan)
|
14 |
| 2001–02 | Mohun Bagan (3) | Churchill Brothers
|
Vasco
|
Subrata Bhattacharya
|
Yusif Yakubu (Churchill Brothers)
|
18 |
| 2002–03 | East Bengal (2)
|
Salgaocar
|
Vasco
|
Subhash Bhowmick
|
Yusif Yakubu (Churchill Brothers)
|
21 |
| 2003–04 | East Bengal (3)
|
Dempo
|
Mahindra United
|
Subhash Bhowmick
|
 Cristiano Júnior (East Bengal)
|
15 |
| 2004–05 | Dempo
|
Sporting Goa
|
East Bengal
|
Armando Colaco
|
 Dudu Omagbemi (Sporting Goa)
|
21 |
| 2005–06 | Mahindra United
|
East Bengal
|
Mohun Bagan | Derrick Pereira
|
Ranti Martins (Dempo)
|
13 |
| 2006–07 | Dempo (2)
|
JCT
|
Mahindra United
|
Armando Colaco
|
Odafa Onyeka Okolie (Churchill Brothers)
|
18 |
I-League (2007–2017)
| Season | Champions (number of titles) |
Runners-up | Third place | Winning manager | Leading goalscorers (Club) |
Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007–08 | Dempo (3)
|
Churchill Brothers
|
JCT
|
Armando Colaco
|
Odafa Onyeka Okolie (Churchill Brothers)
|
22 |
| 2008–09 | Churchill Brothers
|
Mohun Bagan | Sporting Goa
|
 Zoran Đorđević
|
Odafa Onyeka Okolie (Churchill Brothers)
|
24 |
| 2009–10 | Dempo (4)
|
Churchill Brothers
|
Pune
|
Armando Colaco
|
Odafa Onyeka Okolie (Churchill Brothers)
|
21 |
| 2010–11 | Salgaocar (2)
|
East Bengal
|
Dempo
|
 Karim Bencherifa
|
Ranti Martins (Dempo)
|
28 |
| 2011–12 | Dempo (5)
|
East Bengal
|
Churchill Brothers
|
Armando Colaco
|
Ranti Martins (Dempo)
|
32 |
| 2012–13 | Churchill Brothers (2)
|
Pune
|
East Bengal
|
Mariano Dias
|
Ranti Martins (Prayag United)
|
26 |
| 2013–14 | Bengaluru | East Bengal
|
Salgaocar
|
 Ashley Westwood
|
 Cornell Glen (Shillong Lajong) Darryl Duffy (Salgaocar) Sunil Chhetri (Bengaluru)
|
14 |
| 2014–15 | Mohun Bagan (4) | Bengaluru | Royal Wahingdoh
|
Sanjoy Sen
|
Ranti Martins (East Bengal)
|
17 |
| 2015–16 | Bengaluru (2) | Mohun Bagan | East Bengal
|
Ashley Westwood
|
Ranti Martins (East Bengal)
|
12 |
| 2016–17 | Aizawl
|
Mohun Bagan | East Bengal
|
Khalid Jamil
|
 Aser Pierrick Dipanda (Shillong Lajong)
|
11 |
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[a] | 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 (number of titles)[b] |
Regular season runners-up | Winning manager (Champions) |
Leading goalscorers (Club) |
Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | Chennaiyin[c] | Bengaluru | Didn't exist[b] | John Gregory
|
Coro (Goa)
|
18 | |
| 2018–19 | Bengaluru (3) | Goa | Carles Cuadrat
|
Coro (Goa)
|
16 | ||
| 2019–20 | ATK[c] | 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]
- ^ 2022-23 ISL Season.
- ^ a b 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(number of titles) | League Shield Winners(Premiers)[a][5] | Regular season runners-up | Playoffs Winners | Playoffs Runners-up | Winning manager (Champions) |
Leading goalscorers (Club) |
Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | ATK Mohun Bagan (6) | Mumbai City | Hyderabad | ATK Mohun Bagan | Bengaluru | Juan Ferrando
|
Diego Maurício (Odisha) Cleiton Silva (East Bengal) Dimitri Petratos (ATK Mohun Bagan)
| |
| 2023–24 | Mohun Bagan SG (7)[6] | Mohun Bagan SG | Mumbai City | Antonio López Habas
|
- ^ Since 2023–24 ISL season, the regular season table toppers i.e. Premiers who are awarded with the League Winners Shield were granted a spot in AFC Champions League 2 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
2024–25
season.
| Rank | Club | Winners | Runners-up | Winning seasons | Runners-up seasons |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mohun Bagan | 7 | 5 | 2022-23, 2023–24
|
2000–01, 2008–09, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2020–21 |
| 2 | Dempo
|
5 | 1 | 2004–05, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2011–12 | 2003–04 |
| 3 | East Bengal
|
3 | 7 | 2000–01, 2002–03, 2003–04 | 1997–98, 1998–99, 2005–06, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2013–14, 2018–19 |
| 4 | Bengaluru | 3 | 3 | 2013–14, 2015–16, 2018–19 | 2022–23
|
| 5 | Churchill Brothers | 2 | 6 | 2008–09, 2012–13 | 1996–97, 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2020–21 |
| 6 | Salgaocar †
|
2 | 1 | 1998–99, 2010–11 | 2002–03 |
| 7 | Gokulam Kerala | 2 | 0 | 2020–21, 2021–22 | - |
| 8 | JCT †
|
1 | 1 | 1996–97 | 2006–07 |
| Chennaiyin | 1 | 1 | 2017–18 | 2019–20 | |
| Mumbai City | 1 | 1 | 2020–21 | 2023–24 | |
| 9 | Mahindra United †
|
1 | 0 | 2005–06 | - |
| Aizawl | 1 | 0 | 2016–17 | - | |
| Minerva Punjab† | 1 | 0 | 2017–18 | - | |
Chennai City †
|
1 | 0 | 2018–19 | - | |
| ATK† | 1 | 0 | 2019–20 | - | |
| Hyderabad | 1 | 0 | 2021–22 | - | |
| Never won | Sporting Goa
|
0 | 1 | — | 2004–05 |
Pune †
|
0 | 1 | — | 2012–13 | |
| NEROCA | 0 | 1 | — | 2017–18 | |
| Goa | 0 | 1 | — | 2018–19 | |
| Kerala Blasters | 0 | 1 | — | 2021–22 | |
| Mohammedan | 0 | 1 | — | 2021–22 |
- † – Defunct clubs
By state
| State | Championships | Clubs |
|---|---|---|
| West Bengal | 11 | East Bengal (3), ATK (1)
|
| Goa | 9 | Salgaocar (2)
|
| Karnataka | 3 | Bengaluru (3) |
| Punjab | 2 | JCT (1), Minerva Punjab (1)
|
| Tamil Nadu | 2 | Chennai City (1)
|
| Maharashtra | 2 | Mahindra United (1), Mumbai 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 | 11 | East Bengal (3), ATK (1)
|
| Panaji | Goa | 5 | Dempo (5)
|
| Bangalore | Karnataka | 3 | Bengaluru (3) |
| Margao | Goa | 2 | Churchill Brothers (2)
|
| Vasco da Gama | Goa | 2 | Salgaocar (2)
|
| Mumbai | Maharashtra | 2 | Mahindra United (1), Mumbai City (1)
|
| 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)
| Year | Winners | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|
| 1977–78 | ITI (Indian Telephone Industries) | Mohun Bagan |
| 1978–79 | Mohun Bagan and East Bengal - (joint winners) | |
| 1979–80 | BSF | Mafatlal Mills |
| 1980–81 | Mohun Bagan and East Bengal - (joint winners) | |
| 1981–82 | Mohun Bagan | Mohammedan
|
| 1982–83 | Mohun Bagan | Mafatlal Mills |
| 1983–84 | Mohammedan
|
Mohun Bagan |
| 1984–85 | Mohammedan
|
East Bengal
|
| 1985 | East Bengal
|
Mohun Bagan |
| 1986–87 | Mohun Bagan | East Bengal |
| 1987–88 | Mohun Bagan | Salgaocar
|
| 1988–89 | Salgaocar
|
BSF |
| 1989–90 | Salgaocar
|
Mohammedan Sporting
|
| 1990 | Kerala Police
|
Salgaocar
|
| 1991 | Kerala Police
|
Mahindra & Mahindra
|
| 1992 | Mohun Bagan | East Bengal |
| 1993 | Mohun Bagan | Mahindra & Mahindra
|
| 1994 | Mohun Bagan | Salgaocar
|
| 1995 | JCT | East Bengal |
| 1995–96 | JCT Mills | East Bengal |
| 1996 | East Bengal
|
Dempo
|
| 1997 | Salgaocar
|
East Bengal
|
| 1998 | Mohun Bagan | East Bengal
|
| 1999 | Not held | |
| 2000 | ||
| 2001 | Mohun Bagan | Dempo
|
| 2002 | Not held | |
| 2003 | Mahindra United
|
Mohammedan Sporting
|
| 2004 | Dempo
|
Mohun Bagan |
| 2005 | Mahindra United
|
Sporting Goa
|
| 2006 | Mohun Bagan | Sporting Goa
|
| 2007 | East Bengal | Mahindra United
|
2008
|
Mohun Bagan | Dempo
|
2009–10
|
East Bengal
|
Shillong Lajong
|
| 2010 | East Bengal | Mohun Bagan |
| 2011 | Salgaocar
|
East Bengal |
| 2012 | East Bengal | Dempo
|
| 2013–14 | Churchill Brothers
|
Sporting Goa
|
| 2014–15 | Bengaluru | Dempo
|
| 2015–16 | Mohun Bagan | Aizawl
|
| 2016–17 | Bengaluru | Mohun Bagan |
Super Cup (2018–present)
| Season | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Bengaluru | East Bengal
|
| 2019 | Goa | Chennaiyin |
| 2020–2022 | Tournament suspended due to the 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 |
ISL Double
| Club | Seasons | Titles |
|---|---|---|
| Mumbai City | 2020–21 | ISL Premiership, ISL Championship
|
See also
- List of Indian football first tier top scorers
- List of association football competitions
- Super Cup
- Durand Cup
- I-League
- Indian Super League
- Football in India
- List of Indian women's football champions
References
- ^ "REPORT: MOHUN BAGAN SUPER GIANT SEE OFF MUMBAI CITY FC TO WIN LEAGUE SHIELD". www.indiansuperleague.com.
- ^ a b c "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)
External links
| National Football League |
|
|---|---|
| I-League |
|
| Indian Super League |
|
}}