The North East Premier League (NEPL) is a regional professional football league in Northeast India, officially introduced in January 2026. The league has been conceived as a long-term competition aimed at strengthening football development, sustainability, opportunities for players and stakeholders, and helping state associations move towards financial self-sufficiency, across the eight states.
History The North East Premier League was formally unveiled on 20 January 2026 at a press conference held in Guwahati. The league was established through a deed of contract signed between the North East Football Development Council (NEFDC), representing the eight state football associations of the region, and Japanese firm Bestserv Inc., under a ten-year agreement.
The first season is set to commence in September 2026.
Clubs Eight clubs representing the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura will be selected through an organised process.
Format The 2026–27 North East Premier League will consist of a league phase followed by a knockout stage. The competition is expected to follow a franchise-based structure, with matches hosted across multiple regional venues during its first season.
League phase Each club will play 14 matches in a double round-robin format, facing other twice (home and away). The top four teams in the standings will advance to the knockout stage.
Knockout stage The semi-finals will be played as single-leg matches, with the first-placed facing the fourth-placed and the second-placed facing the third-placed lub. The higher-ranked clubs will host the matches. The final will also be played as a single match at the home ground of the higher-ranked finalist.
See also Football in India Northeast Derby Sikkim Football Association Assam Football Association Arunachal Pradesh Football Association Himachal Pradesh Football Association Nagaland Football Association All Manipur Football Association Mizoram Football Association Tripura Football Association
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