The I-League 2021 campaign is set to begin from January 9, with the opening fixture to be played between debutants Sudeva Delhi FC and Mohammedan SC at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata.
West Bengal will host I-League’s 14th edition entirely with the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Kalyani Municipal Stadium and Kishore Bharati Krirangan selected as the three venues for the first 10 rounds.
Mohammedan Sporting, who won the I-League qualifiers to make it to the competition, and Sudeva Delhi FC, who won a direct corporate entry to the league, will replace Mohun Bagan and East Bengal in the second-tier as the two Kolkata giants moved up to the Indian Super League this season.
This move means Churchill Brothers are now the most successful team in the competition with two I-League titles to their name.
The I-League 2021 season also has a new competition format, where the 11 participating teams will play each other once before getting divided into two groups for the second half of the season.
The top six teams will be clubbed together as they will play against each other once again. The bottom five, meanwhile, will play each other within their group in a one-leg league format.
The opening clash of the I-League 2021 season will be followed by two more matches on the same day - Roundglass Punjab FC vs Aizawl FC and Gokulam Kerala FC vs Chennai City FC.
As part of the safety protocols for the COVID-19 pandemic, all matches will be played behind closed doors.
Here are the I-League 2021 fixtures for the first 10 rounds as released by the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
I-League 2021 fixtures, venue, and match times
|
Day |
DATE |
MATCH |
TIME (IST) |
VENUE |
|
Saturday |
January 9 |
Sudeva Football Club vs Mohammedan Sporting Club |
2:00 PM |
VYBK |
|
Saturday |
January 9 |
Roundglass Punjab FC vs Aizawl FC |
4:00 PM |
KMS |
|
Saturday |
January 9 |
Gokulam Kerala FC vs Chennai City FC |
7:00 PM |
KMS |
|
Sunday |
January 10 |
Real Kashmir FC vs Tiddim Road Athletic Union |
4:00 PM |
KBK |
|
Sunday |
January 10 |
Indian Arrows vs Churchill Brothers FC Goa |
7:00 PM |
KMS |
|
Thursday |
January 14 |
Gokulam Kerala FC vs Roundglass Punjab FC |
2:00 PM |
VYBK |
|
Thursday |
January 14 |
Sudeva Football Club vs Indian Arrows |
4:00 PM |
KMS |
|
Thursday |
January 14 |
Mohammedan Sporting Club vs Churchill Brothers FC Goa |
7:00 PM |
KMS |
|
Friday |
January 15 |
Chennai City FC vs Real Kashmir FC |
4:00 PM |
KBK |
|
Friday |
January 15 |
NEROCA FC vs Tiddim Road Athletic Union |
7:00 PM |
KMS |
|
Tuesday |
January 19 |
Roundglass Punjab FC vs Churchill Brothers FC Goa |
2:00 PM |
VYBK |
|
Tuesday |
January 19 |
Tiddim Road Athletic Union vs Mohammedan Sporting Club |
4:00 PM |
KMS |
|
Tuesday |
January 19 |
Real Kashmir FC vs Sudeva Football Club |
7:00 PM |
KMS |
|
Wednesday |
January 20 |
Aizawl FC vs Gokulam Kerala FC |
4:00 PM |
KBK |
|
Wednesday |
January 20 |
Indian Arrows vs NEROCA FC |
7:00 PM |
KMS |
|
Sunday |
January 24 |
Tiddim Road Athletic Union vs Chennai City FC |
2:00 PM |
VYBK |
|
Sunday |
January 24 |
Aizawl FC vs Indian Arrows |
4:00 PM |
KMS |
|
Sunday |
January 24 |
Roundglass Punjab FC vs Mohammedan Sporting Club |
7:00 PM |
KMS |
|
Monday |
January 25 |
Churchill Brothers FC Goa vs Sudeva Football Club |
4:00 PM |
KBK |
|
Monday |
January 25 |
NEROCA FC vs Gokulam Kerala FC |
7:00 PM |
KMS |
|
Friday |
January 29 |
Roundglass Punjab FC vs Sudeva Football Club |
2:00 PM |
VYBK |
|
Friday |
January 29 |
Chennai City FC vs Indian Arrows |
4:00 PM |
KMS |
|
Friday |
January 29 |
Churchill Brothers FC Goa vs Tiddim Road Athletic Union |
7:00 PM |
KMS |
|
Saturday |
January 30 |
NEROCA FC vs Aizawl FC |
4:00 PM |
KBK |
|
Sunday |
January 30 |
Gokulam Kerala FC vs Real Kashmir FC |
7:00 PM |
KMS |
|
Wednesday |
February 3 |
Chennai City FC vs Sudeva Football Club |
2:00 PM |
VYBK |
|
Wednesday |
February 3 |
Mohammedan Sporting Club vs NEROCA FC |
4:00 PM |
KMS |
|
Wednesday |
February 3 |
Churchill Brothers FC Goa vs Aizawl FC |
7:00 PM |
KMS |
|
Thursday |
February 4 |
Real Kashmir FC vs Indian Arrows |
4:00 PM |
KBK |
|
Thursday |
February 4 |
Tiddim Road Athletic Union vs Roundglass Punjab FC |
7:00 PM |
KMS |
|
Monday |
February 8 |
NEROCA FC vs Chennai City FC |
2:00 PM |
VYBK |
|
Monday |
February 8 |
Churchill Brothers FC Goa vs Real Kashmir FC |
4:00 PM |
KMS |
|
Monday |
February 8 |
Mohammedan Sporting Club vs Gokulam Kerala FC |
7:00 PM |
KMS |
|
Tuesday |
February 9 |
Indian Arrows vs Roundglass Punjab FC |
4:00 PM |
KBK |
|
Tuesday |
February 9 |
Tiddim Road Athletic Union vs Aizawl FC |
7:00 PM |
KMS |
|
Saturday |
February 13 |
Tiddim Road Athletic Union vs Gokulam Kerala FC |
2:00 PM |
VYBK |
|
Saturday |
February 13 |
Roundglass Punjab FC vs Chennai City FC |
4:00 PM |
KMS |
|
Saturday |
February 13 |
Real Kashmir FC vs NEROCA FC |
7:00 PM |
KMS |
|
Sunday |
February 14 |
Indian Arrows vs Mohammedan Sporting Club |
4:00 PM |
KBK |
|
Sunday |
February 14 |
Aizawl FC vs Sudeva Football Club |
7:00 PM |
KMS |
|
Thursday |
February 18 |
Aizawl FC vs Mohammedan Sporting Club |
2:00 PM |
VYBK |
|
Thursday |
February 18 |
Real Kashmir FC vs Roundglass Punjab FC |
4:00 PM |
KMS |
|
Thursday |
February 18 |
Chennai City FC vs Churchill Brothers FC Goa |
7:00 PM |
KMS |
|
Friday |
February 19 |
Sudeva Football Club vs NEROCA FC |
4:00 PM |
KBK |
|
Friday |
February 19 |
Gokulam Kerala FC vs Indian Arrows |
7:00 PM |
KMS |
|
Tuesday |
February 23 |
Aizawl FC vs Real Kashmir FC |
2:00 PM |
VYBK |
|
Tuesday |
February 23 |
Sudeva Football Club vs Gokulam Kerala FC |
4:00 PM |
KMS |
|
Tuesday |
February 23 |
Mohammedan Sporting Club vs Chennai City FC |
7:00 PM |
KMS |
|
Wednesday |
February 24 |
Churchill Brothers vs NEROCA FC |
4:00 PM |
KBK |
|
Wednesday |
February 24 |
Indian Arrows vs Tiddim Road Athletic Union |
7:00 PM |
KMS |
|
Saturday |
TBD |
Mohammedan Sporting Club vs Real Kashmir FC |
TBD |
TBD |
|
Saturday |
TBD |
Sudeva Football Club vs Tiddim Road Athletic Union |
TBD |
TBD |
|
Saturday |
TBD |
Chennai City FC vs Aizawl FC |
TBD |
TBD |
|
Sunday |
TBD |
Gokulam Kerala FC vs Churchill Brothers FC Goa |
TBD |
TBD |
|
Sunday |
TBD |
NEROCA FC vs Roundglass Punjab FC |
TBD |
TBD |
The schedule for the next stage of the competition is to be released at a later stage.
Where to watch the I-League live?
The matches of the I-League 2021 season will be telecast live on the 1Sports TV channel. The matches can be streamed live on the 1Sports Facebook page.
Feature image courtesy: Twitter / @ILeagueOfficial
