New Delhi [India], October 22 (ANI): The 2026-27 season of I-League 3, the fourth tier of the Indian men’s football league system, will commence on October 22, 2026, with group-stage matches being held across four venues. The participating clubs will compete in a single round-robin format within their respective groups, according to the media release by the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
Group A, comprising TRAU FC, NEROCA FC, Southern Sporting Union, and KLASA FC, will play its matches at Khuman Lampak Stadium in Imphal, Manipur. Group B contains Garhwal Heroes FC, Sher-e-Punjab SC, Corbett FC, Techtro Swades United FC and Ghaziabad City FC. Fixtures will take place at Amenity Football Academy in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand.
Kuppuraj FC, Lakecity FC, Nongkseh SS&CC, Godavari FC and Chhaygaon FC are placed in Group C and will play their matches at the SSA Stadium in Shillong, Meghalaya. Group D action is scheduled at the Duler Stadium in Mapusa, Goa, and will feature Kickstart FC, RT Boys FC, GOG FCC, Zinc Football Academy and Clube de Salgaocar.
The group stage will begin on October 22, with Groups B and C kicking off their respective campaigns. Group A action will commence on October 26, while Group D matches will begin on November 1. The group-stage fixtures will conclude on November 9.
A total of 19 clubs will feature in the 2026-27 season, divided into four groups.
Four group winners and two best second-placed teams across all groups will qualify for the six-team play-offs. The top two teams in the play-offs will be promoted to the 2027-28 season of the I-League 2.
In 2025-26, champions Baghpat FC and runners-up FC Raengdai were promoted from I-League 3 to the 2026-27 I-League 2.
2026-27 I-League 3 Group Stage
Group A: TRAU FC, NEROCA FC, Southern Sporting Union, KLASA FC
Group B: Corbett FC, Techtro Swades United FC, Ghaziabad City FC, Sher-e-Punjab SC, Garhwal Heroes FC
Group C: Lakecity FC, Godavari FC, Nongkseh SS&CC, Kuppuraj FC, Chhaygaon FC
Group D: Clube de Salgaocar, Zinc Football Academy, RT Boys FC, GOG FCC, Kickstart FC
Notably, all matches will be streamed live on the Indian Football YouTube Channel.
2026-27 I-League 3 Group Stage Fixtures
Group A – Khuman Lampak Stadium, Imphal
October 26, 2026
Match 1: TRAU FC vs KLASA FC, 09:00 IST
Match 2: NEROCA FC vs Southern Sporting Union, 15:00 IST
October 28, 2026
Match 3: KLASA FC vs Southern Sporting Union, 09:00 IST
Match 4: TRAU FC vs NEROCA FC, 15:00 IST
October 30, 2026
Match 5: NEROCA FC vs KLASA FC, 09:00 IST
Match 6: Southern Sporting Union vs TRAU FC, 15:00 IST
Group B – Amenity Football Academy, Rudrapur
October 22, 2026
Match 1: Corbett FC vs Techtro Swades United FC, 09:00 IST
Match 2: Ghaziabad City FC vs Sher-e-Punjab Sports Club, 15:00 IST
October 24, 2026
Match 3: Techtro Swades United FC vs Ghaziabad City FC, 09:00 IST
Match 4: Garhwal Heroes Football Club vs Corbett FC, 15:00 IST
October 26, 2026
Match 5: Ghaziabad City FC vs Garhwal Heroes Football Club, 09:00 IST
Match 6: Sher-e-Punjab Sports Club vs Techtro Swades United FC, 15:00 IST
October 28, 2026
Match 7: Garhwal Heroes Football Club vs Sher-e-Punjab Sports Club, 09:00 IST
Match 8: Corbett FC vs Ghaziabad City FC, 15:00 IST
October 30, 2026
Match 9: Sher-e-Punjab Sports Club vs Corbett FC, 09:00 IST
Match 10: Techtro Swades United FC vs Garhwal Heroes Football Club, 15:00 IST
Group C – SSA Stadium, Shillong
October 22, 2026
Match 1: Lakecity FC vs Godavari FC, 09:00 IST
Match 2: Nongkseh SS&CC vs Kuppuraj FC, 17:00 IST
October 24, 2026
Match 3: Kuppuraj FC vs Lakecity FC, 09:00 IST
Match 4: Chhaygaon FC vs Nongkseh SS&CC, 17:00 IST
October 26, 2026
Match 5: Lakecity FC vs Chhaygaon FC, 09:00 IST
Match 6: Godavari FC vs Kuppuraj FC, 15:00 IST
October 28, 2026
Match 7: Chhaygaon FC vs Godavari FC, 09:00 IST
Match 8: Nongkseh SS&CC vs Lakecity FC, 17:00 IST
October 30, 2026
Match 9: Kuppuraj FC vs Chhaygaon FC, 09:00 IST
Match 10: Godavari FC vs Nongkseh SS&CC, 17:00 IST
Group D – Duler Stadium, Mapusa
November 1, 2026
Match 1: Clube de Salgaocar vs Zinc Football Academy, 09:00 IST
Match 2: RT Boys FC vs GOG FCC, 16:00 IST
November 3, 2026
Match 3: Zinc Football Academy vs RT Boys FC, 09:00 IST
Match 4: Kickstart FC vs Clube de Salgaocar, 16:00 IST
November 5, 2026
Match 5: RT Boys FC vs Kickstart FC, 09:00 IST
Match 6: GOG FCC vs Zinc Football Academy, 16:00 IST
November 7, 2026
Match 7: Kickstart FC vs GOG FCC, 09:00 IST
Match 8: Clube de Salgaocar vs RT Boys FC, 16:00 IST
November 9, 2026
Match 9: Zinc Football Academy vs Kickstart FC, 09:00 IST
Match 10: GOG FCC vs Clube de Salgaocar, 16:00 IST. (ANI)
I-League 3 2026-27: 19 clubs set to compete across four groups
