The fourth tier of Indian football is set to have a revamped format as it was announced by the All India Football Federation on Wednesday (October 21).

The 2026-27 season of I-League 3, the fourth tier of Indian men’s football, will feature 19 clubs competing across four groups, with the group stage beginning on Thursday. The participating teams will battle for a place in the play-offs, where two promotion spots to I-League 2 for the 2027-28 season will be at stake.

The group-stage matches will be held across four venues in Imphal, Rudrapur, Shillong and Mapusa. All matches will be streamed live on the Indian Football YouTube channel, allowing supporters to follow the competition throughout the campaign.

I-League 3 2026-27: Groups and Host Venues

The 19 participating clubs have been divided into four groups. Groups A and B will feature four and five teams respectively, while Groups C and D will each consist of five teams.

Group A – Imphal

TRAU FC, NEROCA FC, Southern Sporting Union and KLASA FC.

The Manipur-based clubs will compete in Imphal, with their matches scheduled at Khuman Lampak Stadium. Group A action will begin on October 26.

Group B – Rudrapur

Garhwal Heroes FC, Sher-e-Punjab SC, Corbett FC, Techtro Swades United FC and Ghaziabad City FC.

The Amenity Football Academy in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand, will host Group B matches, with the teams beginning their campaigns on Thursday.

Group C – Shillong

Lakecity FC, Nongkseh SS&CC, Godavari FC, Kuppuraj FC and Chhaygaon FC.

Group C matches will take place at the SSA Stadium in Shillong, Meghalaya, with the opening fixtures scheduled for Thursday.

Group D – Mapusa

Kickstart FC, RT Boys FC, GOG FCC, Zinc Football Academy and Clube de Salgaocar.

Duler Stadium in Mapusa, Goa, will host Group D, which will begin its campaign on November 1.

I-League 3 2026-27: Group-Stage Format and Schedule

The group stage will follow a single round-robin format, meaning each club will play every other team in its group once. The matches will be spread across the four host venues, with the group stage scheduled to conclude on November 9.

Group B and Group C will kick off their campaigns on Thursday, followed by Group A on October 26 and Group D on November 1.

I-League 3 Promotion Rules: How Teams Can Qualify for I-League 2

At the end of the group stage, the four group winners and the two best second-placed teams will advance to a six-team play-off stage.

The play-offs will determine which two clubs earn promotion to I-League 2 for the 2027-28 season. Qualification will therefore depend not only on winning a group but also on the performances of the second-placed teams across the four groups.

I-League 3 2026-27 Live Streaming Details

Football fans can watch all I-League 3 2026-27 matches live on the Indian Football YouTube channel. The online coverage will include the group-stage fixtures across Imphal, Rudrapur, Shillong and Mapusa.

I-League 3: What Happened in Last Season?

In the previous season, Baghpat FC and runners-up FC Raengdai secured promotion from I-League 3 to I-League 2 for the 2026-27 campaign.