| List of Indian football champions | |
|---|---|
| National Football League (1996–2007) | |
| I-League (2007–2017) | |
| I-League &Indian Super League (2017–2022) | |
| Indian Super League (2022–present) | |
| Country | |
 India | |
| Founded | |
| 1996 | |
| Number of teams | |
| 14 | |
| Current champions | |
| Mohun Bagan (7th title) (2024–25) | |
| Most successful club(s) | |
| Mohun Bagan (7 titles ) |
TheIndian football champions are the winners of the highest league inIndian men's football, which is currently theIndian Super League.
Though Indian football tournaments dates back to the eighteenth century, a proper league system, theNational Football League (NFL) was established in 1996, playing it first season in1996–97. Its champions were considered the national champions. After the2006–07 season, the NFL was rebranded, becoming theI-League with its champions continuing to be considered national champions until 2017, when theIndian Super League (ISL) became the country's joint premier football league. In 2022, ISL became the only top tier football league of the country. ISL playoffs winners were considered as ISL champions until 2021–22 season. Later from 2022–23 season, ISL champions designation was awarded to the table toppers.
There are 12 clubs who have won either the National Football League or the I-League and championships and six clubs who have won the Indian Super League since the league became the joint top division in India.JCT were the first club to have won any championship, winning the1996–97 NFL.Mohun Bagan are the most successful club, winning championships seven times, NFL three times, I-League twice and ISL twice.[1]
The first Indian football league, theNational Football League (NFL) was anassociation football league competition inIndia which was organised into three divisions. ThePremier Division of the league was first introduced in 1996, though the country already had a long history in the sport thanks to the likes of theIFA Shield and theFederation Cup. The league though is now transformed into theI-League and continues with that name. The change was supposed to bring more popularity to Indian Football. The first league season ofI-League consisted of eight teams from the NFL plus two promoted teams from the former Division Two.
The1996–97 Indian National Football League was the first season of the NFL and ended withJCT Mills FC being crowned champions. The NFL era though saw Kolkata clubsEast Bengal andMohun Bagan had the most championships with three respectively. TheI-League era is different though as most of the champions of the league have come fromGoa.
Currently, the team with the most championships inI-League isDempo who have won three championships in the league.
In 2014, a new football league namedIndian Super League has started. In its first three seasons it was running without recognition from theAFC. Before2017–18 season, ISL got recognition fromAsian Football Confederation (AFC). In July 2017, it was proposed by theAll India Football Federation (AIFF) that the Indian Super League champion be granted a spot in theAFC Cup, Asia's second-tier club competition.[2] On 25 July 2017, the AFC approved the AIFF's proposal. Thus, from the2017–18 season, the Indian Super League champions were allowed to participate in the AFC Cup from the qualification stages of the competition.[2] Meanwhile, India's spot in theAFC Champions League, Asia's top club competition, was still kept by theI-League;[2] thus two leagues were parallelly running in the country. In October 2019, a roadmap for development of league in India was proposed. All stakeholders accepted the proposal where it was announced that ISL premiers would now be entitled to theAFC Champions League, starting from 2021 edition and the I-League champion will get to play theAFC Cup.[3] From 2022–23 season the AFC Cup slot from I-League has been transferred toSuper Cup and ISL became the only top tier League in India.
| Season(s) | Format |
|---|---|
| 1996–2007 | National Football League first placed team |
| 2007–2017 | I-League first placed team |
| 2017–2022 | Both I-League first placed team and Indian Super League playoffs winner |
| 2022–present | Indian Super League first placed team |
From2017–18 season until2021–22 season,I-League andIndian Super League sharedjoint top flight status inIndian Football
| Season | Champions (number of titles) | Runners-up | Third place | Winning coach | Top scorers (club) | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | Minerva Punjab | NEROCA | Mohun Bagan | Khogen Singh |  Aser Pierrick Dipanda (Mohun Bagan) | 13 |
| 2018–19 | Chennai City | East Bengal | Real Kashmir |  Akbar Nawas |  Pedro Manzi (Chennai City) Willis Plaza (Churchill Brothers) | 21 |
| 2019–20 | Mohun Bagan (5) | Not awarded[a] | Kibu Vicuña | Aser Pierrick Dipanda (Punjab) | 12 | |
| 2020–21 | Gokulam Kerala | Churchill Brothers | TRAU |  Vincenzo Alberto Annese | Bidyashagar Singh (TRAU) | 12 |
| 2021–22 | Gokulam Kerala (2) | Mohammedan | Sreenidi Deccan | Vincenzo Alberto Annese | Marcus Joseph (Mohammedan) | 16 |
| Season | Champions (number of titles)[b] | League winners[c] | Runners-up | Winning coach | Top scorers (club) | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | Chennaiyin | Didn't Exist | Bengaluru |  John Gregory | Coro (Goa) | 18 |
| 2018–19 | Bengaluru (3) | Goa | Carles Cuadrat | Coro (Goa) | 16 | |
| 2019–20 | ATK[b] | Goa | Chennaiyin | Antonio Lopez Habas |  Roy Krishna (ATK) Nerijus Valskis (Chennaiyin) Bartholomew Ogbeche (Kerala Blasters) | 15 |
| 2020–21 | Mumbai City | Mumbai City | Mohun Bagan | Sergio Lobera | Igor Angulo (Goa)Roy Krishna (Mohun Bagan) | 14 |
| 2021–22 | Hyderabad | Jamshedpur | Kerala Blasters | Manolo Márquez | Bartholomew Ogbeche (Hyderabad) | 18 |
| Season | Champions (number of titles)[a][5] | Runners-up | Cup Winners | Cup finalist | Winning coach | Top scorers (Club) | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | Mumbai City (2) | Hyderabad | Mohun Bagan | Bengaluru | Des Buckingham |  Diego Maurício (Odisha)Cleiton Silva (East Bengal) Dimitri Petratos (Mohun Bagan) | 12 |
| 2023–24 | Mohun Bagan (6)[6] | Mumbai City | Mumbai City | Mohun Bagan | Antonio López Habas |  Dimitrios Diamantakos (Kerala Blasters)Roy Krishna (Odisha) | 13 |
| 2024–25 | Mohun Bagan (7) | Goa | Mohun Bagan (2) | Bengaluru | José Francisco Molina |  Alaaeddine Ajaraie (Northeast United) | 23 |
There are 12 clubs who have won either theNational Football League or theI-League. There are also 6 clubs who have won theIndian Super League since the league became the joint top division in India.
Teams inbold will compete in the top tier2025–26 ISL season.
| Rank | Club | Winners | Runners-up | Winning seasons | Runners-up seasons |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mohun Bagan | 7 | 5 | 1997–98,1999–2000,2001–02,2014–15,2019–20,2023–24,2024–25 | 2000–01,2008–09,2015–16,2016–17,2020–21 |
| 2 | Dempo | 5 | 1 | 2004–05,2006–07,2007–08,2009–10,2011–12 | 2003–04 |
| 3 | East Bengal | 3 | 7 | 2000–01,2002–03,2003–04 | 1997–98,1998–99,2005–06,2010–11,2011–12,2013–14,2018–19 |
| 4 | Bengaluru | 3 | 4 | 2013–14,2015–16,2018–19 | 2014–15,2017–18,2022–23,2024–25 |
| 5 | Churchill Brothers | 2 | 6 | 2008–09,2012–13 | 1996–97,1999–2000,2001–02,2007–08,2009–10,2020–21 |
| 6 | Salgaocar† | 2 | 1 | 1998–99,2010–11 | 2002–03 |
| Mumbai City | 2 | 1 | 2020–21,2022–23 | 2023–24 | |
| 7 | Gokulam Kerala | 2 | 0 | 2020–21,2021–22 | - |
| 8 | JCT† | 1 | 1 | 1996–97 | 2006–07 |
| Chennaiyin | 1 | 1 | 2017–18 | 2019–20 | |
| Hyderabad | 1 | 1 | 2021–22 | 2022–23 | |
| 9 | Mahindra United† | 1 | 0 | 2005–06 | - |
| Aizawl | 1 | 0 | 2016–17 | - | |
| Minerva Punjab† | 1 | 0 | 2017–18 | - | |
| Chennai City† | 1 | 0 | 2018–19 | - | |
| ATK † | 1 | 0 | 2019–20 | - | |
| Never won | |||||
| Goa | 0 | 2 | — | 2018–19,2024–25 | |
| Sporting Goa | 0 | 1 | — | 2004–05 | |
| Pune† | 0 | 1 | — | 2012–13 | |
| NEROCA | 0 | 1 | — | 2017–18 | |
| Kerala Blasters | 0 | 1 | — | 2021–22 | |
| Mohammedan | 0 | 1 | — | 2021–22 |
| State | Championships | Clubs |
|---|---|---|
| West Bengal | 11 | Mohun Bagan (7),East Bengal (3),ATK (1) |
| Goa | 9 | Dempo (5),Churchill Brothers (2),Salgaocar (2) |
| Karnataka | 3 | Bengaluru (3) |
| Maharashtra | 3 | Mumbai City (2),Mahindra United (1) |
| Punjab | 2 | JCT (1),Minerva Punjab (1) |
| Tamil Nadu | 2 | Chennaiyin (1),Chennai City (1) |
| Kerala | 2 | Gokulam Kerala (2) |
| Mizoram | 1 | Aizawl (1) |
| Telangana | 1 | Hyderabad (1) |
| City/Town | State | Championships | Clubs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kolkata | West Bengal | 11 | Mohun Bagan (7),East Bengal (3),ATK (3) |
| Panaji | Goa | 5 | Dempo (5) |
| Bangalore | Karnataka | 3 | Bengaluru (3) |
| Mumbai | Maharashtra | 3 | Mumbai City (2),Mahindra United (1) |
| Margao | Goa | 2 | Churchill Brothers (2) |
| Vasco da Gama | Goa | 2 | Salgaocar (2) |
| Kozhikode | Kerala | 2 | Gokulam Kerala (2) |
| Aizawl | Mizoram | 1 | Aizawl (1) |
| Chennai | Tamil Nadu | 1 | Chennaiyin (1) |
| Coimbatore | Tamil Nadu | 1 | Chennai City (1) |
| Hoshiarpur | Punjab | 1 | JCT (1) |
| Ludhiana | Punjab | 1 | Minerva Punjab (1) |
| Hyderabad | Telangana | 1 | Hyderabad (1) |
| Season | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Bengaluru (3) | East Bengal |
| 2019 | Goa | Chennaiyin |
| 2020–2022 | Tournament suspended due to theCOVID-19 pandemic andIndian National Team's international fixtures | |
| 2023 | Odisha | Bengaluru |
| 2024 | East Bengal (9) | Odisha |
| 2025 | Goa (2) | Jamshedpur |
| Club | Winner | Winning Years | Runners-up | Runners-up Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohun Bagan | 14 | 1978*, 1980*, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1987 1992,1993, 1994, 1998 2001, 2006,2008,2016 | 6 | 1977, 1983, 1985, 2004, 2010,2017 |
| East Bengal | 9 | 1978*, 1980*, 1985,1996, 2007,2009–10,2010,2012,2024 | 9 | 1984, 1986, 1992, 1995–96, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2011,2018 |
| Salgaocar | 4 | 1988, 1989, 1997,2011 | 3 | 1987, 1990, 1994 |
| Bengaluru | 3 | 2014–15,2017,2018 | 1 | 2023 |
| Mohammedan | 2 | 1983, 1984 | 3 | 1981, 1989, 2003 |
| Mahindra United | 2 | 2003, 2005 | 3 | 1991, 1993, 2007 |
| JCT Mills | 2 | 1995, 1995–96 | 0 | - |
| Kerala Police | 2 | 1990, 1991[7] | 0 | - |
| Goa | 2 | 2019,2025 | 0 | - |
| Dempo | 1 | 2004 | 5 | 1996#, 2001, 2008,2012,2014–15 |
| BSF (Border Security Force) | 1 | 1979 | 1 | 1988 |
| Odisha | 1 | 2023 | 1 | 2024 |
| ITI (Indian Telephone Industries) | 1 | 1977 | 0 | - |
| Churchill Brothers | 1 | 2013–14 | 0 | - |
| Sporting Clube de Goa | 0 | - | 3 | 2005, 2006,2013–14 |
| Shillong Lajong | 0 | - | 1 | 2009–10 |
| Aizawl | 0 | - | 1 | 2015–16 |
| Chennaiyin | 0 | - | 1 | 2019 |
| Jamshedpur | 0 | - | 1 | 2025 |
| Club | Seasons | Titles |
|---|---|---|
| Mohun Bagan | 2001–02 | National Football League,Federation Cup |
| Dempo | 2004–05 | National Football League,Federation Cup |
| Mahindra United | 2005–06 | National Football League,Federation Cup |
| Club | Seasons | Titles |
|---|---|---|
| Mohun Bagan | 2023–24 | ISL League Shield,Durand Cup |
| Club | Seasons | Titles |
|---|---|---|
| Mumbai City | 2020–21 | ISL League Shield,ISL Cup |
| Mohun Bagan | 2024–25 | ISL League Shield,ISL Cup |
| National Football League |
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| I-League |
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| Indian Super League |
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