Despite the fact that cricket remains the most popular sport across India, there is growing evidence to suggest that football is quickly gaining ground. European competitions, including the English Premier League and Spanish LaLiga, now boast millions of enthusiastic fans and followers across the whole sub-continent. The beautiful game is being embraced amongst Indians like never before.

European leagues and competitions are fighting a new turf war, keen to increase interest in their products across this vastly populous region. Although this has also brought additional benefits for domestic leagues and competitions, leading to growing interest for the Indian Super League and the I-League, both of which are surfing atop the crest of a rising football tsunami.

Indian Super League & I-League Competitions

Following the introduction of the National Football League in 1996, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) aimed to further professionalise the sport in 2006, reformatting competition to establish the I-League by 2006. However, due to a combination of poor management and marketing, the competition itself never gained the widespread appeal it was hoping for. This inevitably led to the Indian Super League (ISL) being founded, which commenced in 2014.