NEW DELHI, OCT 22 (PTI): Nineteen clubs will compete in the 2026-27 season of I-League 3, the fourth tier of Indian men’s football, with the group stage beginning on Thursday across four venues.
The clubs have been divided into four groups and will play a single round-robin league, with matches scheduled in Imphal, Rudrapur, Shillong and Mapusa. All matches will be streamed live on the Indian Football YouTube channel.
Group B and Group C will kick off their campaigns on Thursday, with matches at the Amenity Football Academy in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand, and the SSA Stadium in Shillong, Meghalaya, respectively.
Group A action will begin on October 26 at Khuman Lampak Stadium in Imphal, while Group D will get underway on November 1 at Duler Stadium in Mapusa, Goa.
The group stage will conclude on November 9, with the four group winners and the two best second-placed teams advancing to a six-team play-off stage. The top two teams in the play-offs will earn promotion to I-League 2 for the 2027-28 season.
Group A comprises TRAU FC, NEROCA FC, Southern Sporting Union and KLASA FC, with the Manipur-based clubs set to play their matches in Imphal.
Group B features Garhwal Heroes FC, Sher-e-Punjab SC, Corbett FC, Techtro Swades United FC and Ghaziabad City FC, with Rudrapur hosting the fixtures.
Lakecity FC, Nongkseh SS&CC, Godavari FC, Kuppuraj FC and Chhaygaon FC form Group C, which will be based in Shillong.
Group D comprises Kickstart FC, RT Boys FC, GOG FCC, Zinc Football Academy and Clube de Salgaocar, with matches to be played in Mapusa.
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.
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