The 2025–26 season is the sixth season in Punjab FC's existence, the club's third consecutive season in Indian football's top-flight, and fifth overall. In addition to the league, the club will also take part in the 2025 Durand Cup and the 2025–26 Super Cup.
Background Punjab finished eighth in the 2024–25 Indian Super League. After the completion of the 2024–25 season, the club chose not to renew the contracts of any of their foreign players and opted for an overhaul in the foreign contingent. The club became active right after the end of the previous season, roping in Muhammad Uvais from Jamshedpur FC and Bijoy Varghese from Inter Kashi to strengthen the defence after departures of Abhishek Singh Tekcham, Melroy Assisi and the Croatian centre-back Ivan Novoselec. Punjab also renewed the contract of head coach Panagiotis Dilmperis for one more season keeping him at the club till the end of the 2026–27 season. The main highlight of the window for Punjab FC was the sale of fullback Abhishek Singh Tekcham to Mohun Bagan SG in a multi-crore rupees deal. Punjab bolstered their squad with the signing of 3 foreigners - Dani Ramírez, Samir Zeljković and Effiong Nsungusi. All three players have completed their medicals, penning one-year contracts after arriving on free transfers.
On 31 July, Punjab FC unveiled their new club crest, a face of a lion from front with the words "Punjab FC" below it. Nikhil Prabhu was appointed team captain before the start of the Durand Cup.
Squad
First team
Transfers
In +DatePlayerPositionFromTransfer FeeRef.15 June 2025 Muhammad UvaisDF Jamshedpur FCFree transfer15 July 2025 Bijoy VargheseDF Inter Kashi FCFree transfer6 October 2025 Dani RamírezMF Manisa F.K.Free transfer6 October 2025 Samir ZeljkovićMF FK Radnički 1923Free transfer6 October 2025 Effiong NsungusiFW FC UTA AradFree transfer21 October 2025 Pablo SantosDF FC NoahFree transfer24 October 2025 Bikash Singh SagolsemDF Kerala BlastersFree transfer24 October 2025 Arshdeep SinghGK HyderabadFree transfer25 November 2025 Bede Osuji AmarachiFW Manisa F.K.Free transfer
Out +DatePlayerPositionToTransfer FeeRef.5 June 2025 Petros GiakoumakisFW Niki Volos F.C.Free transfer6 June 2025 Filip MrzljakMF FC UfaFree transfer7 June 2025 Ivan NovoselecDF Duhok SCFree transfer8 June 2025 Denechandra MeiteiDFFree transfer17 June 2025 Asmir SuljićMF Szeged-Csanád GAFree transfer19 June 2025 Luka MajcenFW Diamond Harbour FCFree transfer20 June 2025 Melroy AssisiDF Diamond Harbour FC9 July 2025 Ezequiel Pulga VidalFW PSIM YogyakartaFree transfer24 July 2025 Abhishek Singh TekchamDF Mohun Bagan Super Giant11 November 2025 Samuel KynshiMF Gokulam Kerala11 November 2025 Tejas KrishnaDF Thrissur Magic FC4 February 2026 Ravi KumarGK Jamshedpur FCFree transfer
Preseason and Friendlies Punjab played 2 friendly matches – against Namdhari and Delhi on 5 October and 19 October respectively. Punjab won both the matches comfortably by 2–1 and 4–1. Suresh Meitei and Kipgen scored for Punjab in the 2–1 victory against Namdhari. Kipgen, Ninthoi, Nikhil Prabhu and Omang scored for Punjab in the 4–1 victory against Delhi. In January the team played two more friendlies against the same opponents as the start of the league season was delayed. Matches
Competitions Overall record
Durand Cup
Table
Matches
Super Cup
Punjab participated in the Super Cup and was grouped into Group C alongside Bengaluru, Mohammedan and Gokulam Kerala.
Group stage
Bracket
Matches
Indian Super League
Table
Matches
Reserves and Academy Punjab State Super League
Summary
August 2025 Punjab FC started their Durand Cup campaign on 3 August against Karbi Anglong Morning Star FC in Kokrajhar, Assam with an all-domestic lineup. The match ended in a 2-1 win for Punjab, courtesy goals by Pramveer and Sanathoi. Punjab then played against ITBP FT and were held to a goalless draw. In the third match on 9 August, Punjab faced resilient Bodoland FC and were handed a tough loss by them which brought an end to Punjab's Durand Cup campaign.
October to December 2025 The AIFF decided to organise the 2025-26 Super Cup in Goa before the Indian Super League due to administrative problems between the federation and their commercial partners. The team was placed in Group C with Bengaluru FC, Mohammedan SC and Gokulam Kerala. Punjab FC started the campaign on 27 October against Gokulam Kerala, winning 3–0 with goals from Suhail, Prabhu and Princeton. This was followed by another 3–0 win over Mohammedan SC on 1 November, with Ninthoi, Samir and Kipgen scoring this time. Bengaluru FC had won its own first two matches with the same overall goal difference, which meant that the last group-stage match between these two sides would be a de-facto knockout match, with a penalty shootout in case of a draw. After a 0–0 draw in regular time, Punjab won the penalty shootout by 5–4, scoring all 5 penalties while Bengaluru's Ryan Williams missed his kick against Muheet Shabir. A month-long break split the Super Cup group stages from the knockout stage. On 4 December, Punjab travelled to Goa again to face East Bengal in the semi-final. Despite a goal from Dani, East Bengal won 3–1 and eliminated Punjab from the competition.
February 2026 In the shortened 2025–26 Indian Super League season, all teams were to face the other teams only once, some at home and some away. Punjab FC was scheduled to play 6 matches at home and 7 matches away, although one of them against SC Delhi at the JLN Stadium of New Delhi, which was the club's home ground for this season once again. Punjab's opening league fixture away against Odisha FC on 16 February was postponed to May due to Odisha not having an arrangement for a home ground. On 21 February, Punjab travelled to the Furnace to face Jamshedpur, losing the match 1–0. On 27 February, Punjab faced Bengaluru at the Kanteerava Stadium and secured a solid 2–0 away win against one of the strong sides of the league. The new Nigerian signing Effiong Nsungusi scored both goals.
March 2026 Punjab's first home match of the league season on 9 March against NorthEast United ended in a disappointing 1–1 draw. On 16 March, Punjab faced FC Goa at home. After scoring in the 27th minute, Effiong was sent off in the 48th minute. Goa then scored within 6 minutes of the red card and the match finished 1–1. Punjab registered a 3–1 win at Kochi against Kerala Blasters on 21 March, the third time in a row that the team has won away against the Blasters in the ISL. Bede and Dani scored their first goals for the club. Up until this match, all goals for the club in this season's league were scored by Effiong.
April 2026 On 3 April, Punjab managed a 2–1 win against relegation favourites Mohammedan SC at home after conceding first in the first half. On 12 April, Punjab travelled to Kolkata for a huge clash against Mohun Bagan Super Giant. Dani scored early for Punjab but the score was equalised by Jamie Maclaren for the hosts in the 29th minute. Punjab re-took the lead in the second half through Effiong. Sahal Abdul Samad equalised once again for Mohun Bagan with a long-range goal. Punjab then failed to convert a couple of good chances before conceding a free kick close to the goal in added time. Jason Cummings kicked the ball into the net. The goal was allowed despite Punjab players protesting that Mohun Bagan's Tom Aldred fouled goalkeeper Arshdeep Singh during play. The incident caused Punjab to lose the match 3–2.
Punjab faced newly promoted side Inter Kashi on 20 April and recorded a 3–0 win at home with goals from Samir, Effiong and Bede.
May 2026 Punjab drew newly-relocated SC Delhi 0–0 on 2 May at the two teams' shared ground. On 6 May at home against Chennaiyin FC, Punjab won 1–0 thanks to a late own goal from Chennaiyin's Lalrinliana Hnamte.
Punjab faced East Bengal in Kolkata on 11 May in an important clash. Despite both clubs coming very close to scoring, the match ended 0–0. On 16 May Punjab defeated Odisha FC in the re-arranged fixture from the first round, winning 3–2. Kipgen scored his first ISL goal.
Going into the league's final matchday on 21 May, Punjab had a chance to win the league depending upon the results of two other matches. Punjab would be the ISL champions if they beat Mumbai City in their last match while both East Bengal and Mohun Bagan dropped points in their respective matches. In case only East Bengal dropped points, Punjab would manage to qualify for the AFC Champions League Two qualifiers as the champions in that scenario (Mohun Bagan) were banned from competing in AFC competitions. In the four matches taking place simultaneously on 21 May, both East Bengal and Mohun Bagan conceded first. However, Punjab was unable to score in a closely contested game as Effiong and Bede missed two chances. In the second half, Leon Augustine was sent off after arguing with the referee, reducing the team to 10 men. Subsequently, Punjab conceded a goal in the 80th minute, scored by former Punjab FC player Valpuia. In the 90th minute, Pramveer was also sent off for clashing with Valpuia. The 9-men Punjab conceded another goal in the 12th minute of added time, losing 2–0 at the end. East Bengal and Mohun Bagan both eventually won their respective matches, the former winning the title.
Punjab finished 6th, the team's highest finish in the ISL, tied on points with Jamshedpur FC (to whom Punjab had lost, hence being placed below them).
Statistics
Squad appearances and goals
All competitions
!colspan=16 style="background:#FD6019; color:#FFFFFF;"| Goalkeepers
!colspan=16 style="background:#FD6019; color:#FFFFFF;"| Defenders
!colspan=16 style="background:#FD6019; color:#FFFFFF;"| Midfielders
!colspan=16 style="background:#FD6019; color:#FFFFFF;"| Forwards
Most Goals +Sl. No.PlayerDurand CupSuper CupLeagueTotal goals1Effiong Nsungusi00772Dani Ramírez01453Samir Zeljković0123Bede Osuji0035Manglenthang Kipgen01126Pramveer Singh1001Konsam Sanathoi Singh100Nikhil Prabhu010Princeton Rebello010Ninthoinganba Meetei010
Most Assists +Sl. No.PlayerDurand CupSuper CupLeagueTotal assists1Manglenthang Kipgen0033Muhammad Suhail021Dani Ramírez012Samir Zeljković0032Bede Osuji0022Effiong Nsungusi002Muhammad Uvais101Leon Augustine0113Singamayum Shami1001Princeton Rebello010Ninthoinganba Meetei010Khaiminthang Lhungdim001 Cleansheets +Sl. No.PlayerMatches playedCleansheets keptCleansheet %1Muheet Shabir54802Arshdeep Singh12433.33Ravi Kumar3133.3
Notes
References