List of Indian football champions
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The Indian football champions are the winners of the highest tier of the Indian football league system, currently the Indian Super League.
| List of Indian football champions | |
|---|---|
| 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 | |
| 14 | |
| Current champions | |
| East Bengal (4th title) (2025–26) | |
| Most successful club(s) | |
| Mohun Bagan (7 titles) |
Though Indian football tournaments date back to the eighteenth century, a proper league system, the National Football League (NFL) was established in 1996–97. After the 2006–07 season, the NFL was rebranded, becoming the I-League with its champions continuing to be considered national champions until 2017, when the Indian Super League (ISL) became the country's joint premier football league. In 2022, ISL became the only top-tier football league of the country. ISL playoffs winners were considered as ISL champions until 2021–22 season. From 2022–23 season, ISL champions designation was awarded to the table toppers.
There are 12 clubs who have won either the National Football League or the I-League, and six clubs who have won the Indian Super League. JCT were the first club to have won any championship, winning the 1996–97 NFL. Mohun Bagan are the most successful club, winning championships seven times, NFL three times, I-League twice and ISL twice.[1]
History
The first Indian football league, the National Football League (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 to 2023 season the AFC Cup slot from I-League has been transferred to Super Cup and ISL became the only top tier League in India.
List of champions by season
National Football League (1996–2007)
Key
| † | Winning team won the Double (League title and Federation Cup) |
I-League (2007–2017)
I-League and Indian Super League (2017–2022)
From the 2017–18 season until the 2021–22 season, the I-League and the Indian Super League shared joint top-tier status in the Indian football league system.
I-League
| Ed. | Season | Champions (titles) | Runners-up | Third place | Head coach | Top scorer(s) (club) | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | 2017–18 | Minerva Punjab | NEROCA | Mohun Bagan | Khogen Singh |
 Aser Dipanda (Mohun Bagan) |
13 |
| 23 | 2018–19 | Chennai City | East Bengal | Real Kashmir |  Akbar Nawas |
 Pedro Manzi (Chennai City) |
21 |
| 24 | 2019–20 | Mohun Bagan (5) | Not awarded[a] | Kibu Vicuña |
Aser Dipanda (Punjab) |
12 | |
| 25 | 2020–21 | Gokulam Kerala | Churchill Brothers | TRAU |  Vincenzo Annese |
Bidyashagar Singh (TRAU) |
12 |
| 26 | 2021–22 | Gokulam Kerala (2) | Mohammedan | Sreenidi Deccan | Vincenzo Annese |
 Marcus Joseph (Mohammedan) |
16 |
Indian Super League
Until the 2021–22 season, the winners of the Indian Super League playoffs final were awarded the championship title.
| Ed. | Season | Champions (titles) | Score | Runners-up | Head coach | Top scorer(s) (club) | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | 2017–18 | Chennaiyin[b] | 3–2 | Bengaluru |  John Gregory |
Coro (Goa) |
18 |
| 23 | 2018–19 | Bengaluru (3) | 1–0 | Goa | Carles Cuadrat |
Coro (Goa) |
16 |
| 24 | 2019–20 | ATK[b] | 3–1 | Chennaiyin | Antonio López |
 Roy Krishna (ATK)
|
15 |
| 25 | 2020–21 | Mumbai City | 2–1 | Mohun Bagan | Sergio Lobera |
Igor Angulo (Goa) |
14 |
| 26 | 2021–22 | Hyderabad | 1–1 (a.e.t.) 3–1 (p) |
Kerala Blasters | Manolo Márquez |
 Bartholomew Ogbeche (Hyderabad) |
18 |
Indian Super League (2022–present)
| Ed. | Season | Champions (titles) | Runners-up | Third place | Head coach | Top scorer(s) (club) | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | 2022–23 | Mumbai City (2) | Hyderabad | Mohun Bagan | Des Buckingham |
 Diego Maurício (Odisha) Cleiton Silva (East Bengal) Dimitri Petratos (Mohun Bagan |
12 |
| 28 | 2023–24 | Mohun Bagan (6) | Mumbai City | Goa | Antonio López |
 Dimitrios Diamantakos (Kerala Blasters) Roy Krishna (Odisha) |
13 |
| 29 | 2024–25 | Mohun Bagan (7) | Bengaluru | Goa | José Molina |
 Alaaeddine Ajaraie (NorthEast United) |
23 |
| 30 | 2025–26 | East Bengal (4) | Mohun Bagan | Mumbai City | Óscar Bruzón |
Youssef Ezzejjari (East Bengal) |
11 |
Performances
Sixteen clubs have won India's top-tier league title. Six clubs won the National Football League (1996–2007), six clubs won the I-League, and six clubs have won the Indian Super League. From the 2017–18 season until the 2021–22 season, the I-League and Indian Super League shared joint top-tier status in the Indian football league system.
Performance by club
Clubs in bold currently play in the top-tier.
Clubs in italics with a † are no longer in existence.
| Rank | Club | Winners | Runners-up | Winning seasons | Runners-up seasons |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mohun Bagan | 7 | 5 | 1997–98, 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2014–15, 2019–20, 2023–24, 2024–25 | 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 | 4 | 7 | 2000–01, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2025–26 | 1997–98, 1998–99, 2005–06, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2013–14, 2018–19 |
| 4 | Bengaluru | 3 | 4 | 2013–14, 2015–16, 2018–19 | 2014–15, 2017–18, 2022–23, 2024–25 |
| 5 | Churchill Brothers | 2 | 6 | 2008–09, 2012–13 | 1996–97, 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2020–21 |
| Salgaocar †[c] | 2 | 1 | 1998–99, 2010–11 | 2002–03 | |
| Mumbai City | 2 | 1 | 2020–21, 2022–23 | 2023–24 | |
| Gokulam Kerala | 2 | 0 | 2020–21, 2021–22 | — | |
| 9 | JCT † | 1 | 1 | 1996–97 | 2006–07 |
| Chennaiyin | 1 | 1 | 2017–18 | 2019–20 | |
| Hyderabad †[d] | 1 | 1 | 2021–22 | 2022–23 | |
| Mahindra United † | 1 | 0 | 2005–06 | — | |
| Aizawl | 1 | 0 | 2016–17 | — | |
| Minerva Punjab †[e] | 1 | 0 | 2017–18 | — | |
| Chennai City † | 1 | 0 | 2018–19 | — | |
| ATK †[f] | 1 | 0 | 2019–20 | — |
- Mohun Bagan 20.59 (20.0%)
- Dempo 14.71 (14.3%)
- East Bengal 8.82 (8.57%)
- Bengaluru 8.82 (8.57%)
- Churchill Brothers 8.82 (8.57%)
- Salgaocar 5.88 (5.71%)
- Mumbai City 5.88 (5.71%)
- Gokulam Kerala 5.88 (5.71%)
- JCT 2.94 (2.86%)
- Chennaiyin 2.94 (2.86%)
- Hyderabad 2.94 (2.86%)
- Mahindra United 2.94 (2.86%)
- Aizawl 2.94 (2.86%)
- Minerva Punjab 2.94 (2.86%)
- Chennai City 2.94 (2.86%)
- ATK 2.94 (2.86%)
Performance by state
| State | Championships | Clubs |
|---|---|---|
| West Bengal | 12 | Mohun Bagan (7), East Bengal (4), 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) |
Performance by city/town
| City/Town | State | Championships | Clubs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kolkata | West Bengal | 12 | Mohun Bagan (7), East Bengal (4), 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) |
Performance by region
National Cup winners
Federation Cup (1977–2017, 2026–present)
AIFF Super Cup (2018–2025)
| Season | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Bengaluru (3) | 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 (9) | Odisha |
| 2025 | Goa (2) | Jamshedpur |
| 2025–26 | Goa (3) | East Bengal |
Performance by club
Key
| * | Shared |
| # | There were two federation cups in 1996 |
Clubs in bold currently play in the top-tier.
| Rank | Club | Winner | Winning Years | Runners-up | Runners-up Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mohun Bagan | 14 | 1978*, 1980*, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1987 1992, 1993, 1994, 1998 2001, 2006, 2008, 2016 |
6 | 1977, 1983, 1985, 2004, 2010, 2017 |
| 2 | East Bengal | 9 | 1978*, 1980*, 1985, 1996, 2007, 2009–10, 2010, 2012, 2024 | 10 | 1984, 1986, 1992, 1995–96, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2011, 2018, 2025–26 |
| 3 | Salgaocar | 4 | 1988, 1989, 1997, 2011 | 3 | 1987, 1990, 1994 |
| 4 | Bengaluru | 3 | 2014–15, 2017, 2018 | 1 | 2023 |
| Goa | 3 | 2019, 2025, 2025–26 | 0 | — | |
| 6 | Mohammedan | 2 | 1983, 1984 | 3 | 1981, 1989, 2003 |
| Mahindra United | 2 | 2003, 2005 | 3 | 1991, 1993, 2007 | |
| JCT | 2 | 1995, 1995–96 | 0 | — | |
| Kerala Police | 2 | 1990, 1991[4] | 0 | — | |
| 10 | Dempo | 1 | 2004 | 5 | 1996#, 2001, 2008, 2012, 2014–15 |
| Border Security Force | 1 | 1979 | 1 | 1988 | |
| Odisha | 1 | 2023 | 1 | 2024 | |
| Indian Telephone Industries | 1 | 1977 | 0 | — | |
| Churchill Brothers | 1 | 2013–14 | 0 | — |
Performance by state
| State | Championships | Clubs |
|---|---|---|
| West Bengal | 25 | Mohun Bagan (14), East Bengal (9), Mohammedan (2) |
| Goa | 9 | Salgaocar (4), Goa (3), Dempo (1), Churchill Brothers (1), |
| Karnataka | 4 | Bengaluru (3), Indian Telephone Industries (1) |
| Punjab | 3 | JCT (2), Border Security Force (1) |
| Maharashtra | 2 | Mahindra United (2), |
| Kerala | 2 | Kerala Police (2) |
| Odisha | 1 | Odisha (1) |