At one point, it seemed like it may not even get started, but here we are, at the business end of the 2025-26 Indian Super League season. There's a serious title race, a multi-horse one, the likes of which the ISL hasn't seen before.
Ahead of this weekend's first-ever ISL Kolkata derby that actually matters, Mohun Bagan and East Bengal are both front-runners to win the title, but there are multiple other teams in the fray.
Bagan's draw against Inter Kashi on Tuesday night has kept alive the remote mathematical possibility of Jamshedpur FC, Bengaluru FC, or FC Goa winning the title. Punjab FC and Mumbai City FC are still in the fight too, ahead of those teams playing against each other in the final gameweek as well.
Here's a breakdown of the current state of play at the top of the ISL, and the results that each team would need to go their way to win the title.
East Bengal
Points: 23 in 12 games
Goal Difference: +18
Remaining Games: Inter Kashi (A)
Despite Bagan grabbing a draw in injury time in the Kolkata derby, the ISL trophy is still in their hands - A win against Inter Kashi in the final game of the season will make East Bengal champions, provided Bagan don't beat SC Delhi by six goals more than they beat Kashi.
Mohun Bagan
Points: 23 in 11 games
Goal Difference: +13
Remaining Games: SC Delhi (H)
If Bagan are to make it a hat-trick of league titles, they will need a massive favour from Inter Kashi, who would have to take points off East Bengal in that final game of the season, for Bagan to win the league title. Bagan have a job to do themselves - beat SC Delhi in their final game (and overcome a five goal deficit to East Bengal as well).
Bengaluru FC
Points: 23 in 13 games
Goal Difference: +6
Bengaluru FC cannot win the title, as four other teams (EBFC, MBSG, MCFC and PFC) are guaranteed to finish on at least on 23 points themselves. BFC have not beaten any of those teams and thus lose out on head-to-head.
Mumbai City FC
Points: 22 in 12 games
Goal Difference: +6
Remaining Game: Punjab FC (A)
It's fairly simple for Mumbai City - First they need to win against Punjab in their last game, and beyond that, they will need East Bengal and Mohun Bagan to not win their final games. Should East Bengal and Mohun Bagan lose their last game, a draw against Punjab would also not be enough - East Bengal win in the scenario of four teams finishing on 23 points at the top of the table.
Jamshedpur FC
Points: 21 in 12 games
Goal Difference: +5
Remaining Game: Odisha FC (H)
If Jamshedpur had won their previous game against Bengaluru FC at home, they could have been in charge of this title race. However, now they are in a situation where they need a number of different results to go their way, apart from beating Odisha in their last game.
Should they beat Odisha, Jamshedpur will need Inter Kashi and SC Delhi to beat East Bengal and Mohun Bagan respectively in their final games. In addition to this, Jamshedpur will also need Mumbai City FC and Punjab FC to draw their remaining game.
Punjab FC
Points: 22 in 12 games
Goal Difference: +8
Remaining Game: Mumbai City FC (H)
A win in their remaining game will take Punjab to 25 points. They need East Bengal and Mohun Bagan to lose or draw their final games to win the title. Should Punjab draw their final game against Mumbai, they lose out in the mini H2H table as well.