India handed only one AFC Challenge League play-off slot for 2027-28
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Indian football suffered a major setback on the continental stage after the Asian Football Confederation allotted the country just one play-off slot for the 2027-28 AFC Challenge League, the third-tier club competition in Asia.
The decision marks a sharp decline for Indian clubs, which had competed in the group stage of the top-tier AFC Champions League in previous years before moving down to AFC Champions League 2 in recent seasons.
India has already been allotted two play-off spots for the 2026-27 AFC Champions League 2. Indian Super League champions East Bengal and Super Cup winners FC Goa are set to compete in the ACL 2 play-off round later this year.
However, for the 2027-28 season, India will only have one play-off slot in the AFC Challenge League, a competition largely featuring clubs from countries such as Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, and Bangladesh.
The AFC announced the slot allocations after assessing member association rankings following the conclusion of the 2025-26 domestic seasons.
The rankings are based on factors including domestic league standards, club licensing, stadium infrastructure, governance, competition format, and continental performances by clubs.
The AFC regulations state that associations seeking participation in the top two Asian club tiers must have domestic leagues lasting at least eight months, with clubs playing a minimum of 24 matches in a home-and-away format.
In the recently concluded Indian Super League season, clubs played only 13 matches, and the competition did not follow a full home-and-away format. The structure instead met the minimum criteria for the AFC Challenge League, which requires at least 12 matches.
India’s club performances in Asian competitions have also declined in recent years. The country’s ranking in the AFC West region has dropped from 10th to 15th, contributing to the demotion in slot allocation.