ISL 2023-24 schedule: ISL timetable, fixtures, match timings, and venues
The Indian Super League (ISL) on Thursday, September 7, announced the first set of their league stage fixtures for the 2023-24 season.
Kerala Blasters FC will once again kick off the season, this time facing their formidable rivals, Bengaluru FC, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on September 21.
Among the other match-ups in the first game week, Hyderabad FC welcomes FC Goa while reigning ISL champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant will host the newly promoted Punjab FC at the Salt Lake Stadium.
Odisha FC will host Chennaiyin FC and East Bengal FC will take on Jamshedpur FC. The ISL Shield winners, Mumbai City FC will travel to Guwahati to face NorthEast United FC.
Notably, there's a change in the broadcast for the Indian Super League as Viacom18 has now acquired the exclusive media rights, taking over from Star India. This change means that Indian football fans can watch the games on the Sports18 channel and can also stream them for free on JioCinema.
Additionally, the game timings have been adjusted to the prime time slot of 8:00 pm IST while doubleheader days will retain the 5:30 pm and 8:00 pm timings for the first and second games, respectively.
Adding to the excitement, the highly anticipated Kolkata Derby is scheduled for October 28, a Saturday, at 8:00 pm IST. The Kolkata giants met twice during the Durand Cup, including the finals, where Mohun Bagan SG defeated East Bengal FC by a scoreline of 1-0.
Other noteworthy fixtures include the southern derby between Chennaiyin FC and Bengaluru FC, set for December 13 on a Wednesday, at 8:00 pm, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai.
Kerala Blasters will host Chennaiyin FC on November 29 while the clash of the titans - Mumbai City FC and Mohun Bagan SG is set for December 20 at the Mumbai Football Arena.
Group-stage fixture list of the 2023-24 ISL season
Here is the fixture list for the upcoming season of the Indian Super League, along with the match timings and venues.
Similar to the previous season, most games are scheduled between Thursday and Sunday. Additionally, there is a one-week break before the FIFA international window in November, allowing the Indian national team preparation time for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
India will also participate in the AFC Asian Cup in January 2024 and the national team is expected to have a three-week period to prepare. Consequently, the fixtures are currently announced only until December 29.