The 2026–27 Championship (also known as the 2026–27 Pegadaian Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the second season of the Championship for men's football, under its current name, and the 17th season under its current league structure. The season began on 11 September 2026 and will conclude in 9 May 2027.
Overview General 20 teams will compete in the league – the fourteen teams from the previous season, three teams relegated from the Super League and three teams promoted from Liga Nusantara. Teams promoted to Super League Garudayaksa and PSS became the first two teams to be promoted in the final matchweek. Garudayaksa defeated Persikad on 2 May 2026, while PSS defeated PSIS on 3 May 2026 requiring both to stay in the second division for just one season. For Garudayaksa, this marked their first season as their current entity after acquiring PSKC in the previous season.
Adhyaksa Banten became the last team to be promoted after winning over Persipura in the promotion playoff on 8 May 2026, which ended their two-season stay in the second division.
Teams relegated from Super League PSBS and Semen Padang return to second division after both spent two seasons in the top division. In the matchweek 31, PSBS suffered a defeat to Persebaya on 2 May 2026 while Semen Padang lost to Dewa United Banten on 3 May 2026.
Madura United's victory over PSM in the final matchweek on 23 May 2026 saw Persis return to the second division after spending four seasons in the top division despite their victory over Persita.
Teams promoted from Liga Nusantara Dejan and RANS Nusantara became the first two teams to be promoted after reaching the final on 3 February 2026 and both teams returned after one season absence. In the semifinals, Dejan defeated PSGC while RANS Nusantara defeated Persiba Bantul.
The victory over Persiba Bantul on penalties in the promotion playoff on 7 February 2026 made PSGC the last team to be promoted and return to the second division after six seasons absence.
Teams relegated to Liga Nusantara The defeat against Sumsel United in matchweek 21 held on 28 February 2026 resulted in Sriwijaya being the first team to be relegated after spending seven seasons in the second division and recording the lowest points record since the Championship was formed as the second division in the current Indonesian football league pyramid.
Persipal became the second team to be relegated after losing to Deltras in the matchweek 24 on 12 April 2026. Persipal was relegated after spending four seasons in the second division as their current entity after acquiring Muba Babel United in 2022–23 season.
Persekat became the last team to be relegated after losing to Persiba Balikpapan in the relegation playoff on 8 May 2026, ending their six-season stay in the second division.
Grouping This is the second season of the two-region system since its reintroduction in previous season. West Group consists of 10 teams based in Sumatra and the western part of Java, while East Group consists of 10 teams based in the eastern part of Java, Kalimantan, and Papua region. Teams that hold a Super League level license are written in bold.
However, de Red, Persiku and PSIS moved their regions when the draw was announced.
West Group East GroupAdhyaksa BekasiPersikadPersikuPersirajaPSGCPSISPSMSPSPSSemen PadangSumsel United Barito Puterade RedDeltrasKendal TornadoPerselaPersibaPersipuraPersisPSBSRANS Nusantara
Teams Changes The following teams changed division since the 2025–26 season. + To Championship Relegated from Super League PSBS Semen Padang Persis Promoted from Liga Nusantara RANS Nusantara de Red PSGC+ From Championship Promoted to Super League Garudayaksa PSS Adhyaksa Banten Relegated to Liga Nusantara Sriwijaya Persipal Persekat
Notes:
Name changes and relocated teams Clubs can no longer relocate their home base once they have obtained an I-League license. Any club that violates this rule will be deducted one point.
FC Bekasi City changed its official name to Adhyaksa Football Club Bekasi as of this season, following a takeover by the Public Prosecution Service of Indonesia.
Dejan has relocated to East Java and will be using the Gelora 10 November Stadium in Surabaya as its home base starting this season, after the club's ownership was handed over to the East Java Regional Leadership of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle. As part of the acquisition, the club has been renamed de Red Football Club, with the new identity being ratified at the 2026 PSSI General Congress.
Teams by province Number Province Team(s)4Kendal Tornado, Persiku, Persis, and PSISde Red, Deltras, Persela, and RANS Nusantara3Adhyaksa Bekasi, Persikad, and PSGC2Persipura and PSBS1PersirajaPersibaPSMSPSPSBarito PuteraSumsel UnitedSemen Padang
Location and stadiums
Team Location Stadium Capacity 2025–26 season Adhyaksa Bekasi Bekasi Patriot Candrabhaga30,000 3rd in Group 1 Barito Putera Banjarmasin 17th May30,000 3rd in Group 2 de Red↑ Surabaya Gelora 10 November20,000 Liga Nusantara runner-up Deltras Sidoarjo Gelora Delta19,400 5th in Group 2 Kendal Tornado Kendal Sriwedari, at Surakarta23,000 4th in Group 2 Persela Lamongan Surajaya12,097 6th in Group 2 Persiba Balikpapan Surajaya, at Lamongan12,097 Relegation playoff winner Persikad Depok Pakansari, at Bogor30,000 8th in Group 1 Persiku Kudus Sultan Agung, at Bantul 25,000 7th in Group 2 Persipura Jayapura Lukas Enembe40,263 4th in Championship Persiraja Banda Aceh H. Dimurthala7,000 5th in Group 1 Persis↓ Surakarta Manahan20,000 16th in Super League PSBS↓ Biak Numfor Sriwedari, at Surakarta23,000 18th in Super League PSGC↑ Ciamis Galuh20,000 Promotion playoff winner PSIS Semarang Jatidiri18,000 8th in Group 2 PSMS Medan North Sumatra Main, at Deli Serdang26,000 7th in Group 1 PSPS Pekanbaru Kaharudin Nasution25,000 6th in Group 1 RANS Nusantara↑ Batu Kanjuruhan, at Malang21,603 Liga Nusantara champion Semen Padang↓ Padang Patriot Candrabhaga, at Bekasi30,000 17th in Super League Sumsel United Palembang Gelora Sriwijaya23,000 4th in Group 1
↓ Relegated from the Super League ↑ Promoted from the Liga Nusantara
Personnel and kits Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. No foreign coaches are allowed. + Team Manager Captain Kit manufacturer Kit sponsors Main Other(s) Calma balé by BTN Eazywear Hasnur Group RMB Apparel Myze Hotel Made by club Kopi Ya! Calma Bank BRI Octagon Duta Merpati Arche MBSS XTen Bank Syariah Nasional Total Sportswear None Cendrawasih Karsa Kapal Api Trops Bank Syariah Nasional Made by club Aladin Bank ADSport None Zestien Bank BJB RIORS Belikopi DRX Bank Sumut Curva Sport PSF Group Reds! Cipung Land Calma Semen Padang XTen Bank Sumsel Babel
Apparel made by club.
Coaching changes Pre-season Team Outgoing head coach Date of vacancy Replaced by Date of arrivalDeltras Nurul HudaEnd of caretaker role9 May 2026 Leonard Tupamahu12 July 2026PSIS Kas HartadiEnd of contract18 May 2026 Widodo C. Putro18 May 2026Persipura Rahmad Darmawan19 May 2026 Andri Ramawi15 July 2026Persis Milomir Šešlija23 May 2026 Ricky Nelson15 June 2026PSBS Marian Mihail23 May 2026 Miskardi2 September 2026Semen Padang Imran Nahumarury23 May 2026 Nil Maizar3 June 2026Sumsel United Nil MaizarSigned by Semen Padang3 June 2026 Mohammad Nasuha9 July 2026PSPS Aji SantosoResigned6 June 2026 Akhyar Ilyas22 June 2026de Red NurcholisSigned by Persis7 July 2026 Aji Santoso3 August 2026Persiba Leonard TupamahuSigned by Deltras12 July 2026 Sudirman24 July 2026Barito Putera Stefano CugurraEnd of contract25 July 2026 Hendri SusiloPersiku Bambang Pujo Sumantri7 September 2026 Kahudi Wahyu
During the season TeamOutgoing head coachDate of vacancyWeekPosition in tableReplaced byDate of appointment Group Position Persipura Andri Ramawi Sacked 23 September 2026 2 East 8th Regi Aditya 23 September 2026
Foreign players Starting from two seasons prior, I-League announced an increase in the foreign player quota to three foreign players. All of them are allowed to be registered in the matchday squad and placed in the starting eleven at the same time.
Team Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 Unregistered players Former players Adhyaksa Bekasi Artur Vieira Tatsuhide Shimizu Rundell Winchester Barito Putera Murilo Renan Alves Kodai Nagashima de Red Dimitri Lima Fellipe Veloso Keven Alleson Deltras Rian Lopes Taher Jahanbakhsh Mohcine Nader Abdeen Abdul Takuya Matsunaga Kendal Tornado Diego Dall’Oca Patrick Cruz Yushi Yamaya Persela Caíque Souza Daniel Gonçalves Juninho Cabral Persiba Ryohei Yoshihama Takumu Nishihara Tomoki Taniguchi Persikad Gustavo França Jhon Mena Habib Fofana Persiku Ivan Veras Willian Correia Vítor Barata Persipura David Müller Alexsandro Ricardo Lima Persiraja Daniel Alemão Djakaridja Traoré Martín Cháves Persis Wbeymar Angulo Bernard Doumbia Slavko Damjanović Vico Duarte Juan Mera PSBS PSGC Ezechiel N'Douassel Johan Bonilla Kim Min-hyeok PSIS Felipe Cadenazzi Jonathan Bustos Deri Corfe PSMS Phillerson Ângelo Meneses Javier Siverio PSPS Antônio Gamaroni Luiz Henrique Motta Matheus Machado RANS Nusantara Ladji Mallé Martin Hoel Andersen Amanhom Khamis Semen Padang Júnior Batista Sávio Roberto Igor Ćuković Lazar Zličić Sumsel United Felipe Ryan Hibiki Mochizuki Kenneth Ngwoke Gilberto Carrara
Notes: Players who were still under contract but de-registered due to various reasons (such as injury). PSBS is banned from making transfers for 3 registration periods by FIFA. PSIS was initially banned from making transfers for 3 registration periods by FIFA, but their name was now removed from the FIFA Registration Bans website. Semen Padang was initially banned from making transfers for 3 registration periods by FIFA, but their name was now removed from the FIFA Registration Bans website.
League table A total of 20 teams will be divided into two groups based on the geographical location of their homebase. Each group consists of 10 teams, with each team playing against the other teams in their group three times in a triple round-robin format. West Group
East Group
Results Teams play each other three times, twice in the first half of the season (home and away) and once in the second half of the season (either home or away) with each team playing 27 matches.
West Group
East Group
Relegation & promotion play-offs The play-offs will be played as a single match. If tied after regulation time, extra time and, if necessary, a penalty shoot-out will be used to decide the winning team. Both promotion and relegation play-offs will be held at neutral venue.
Relegation play-off The loser will be relegated to the 2027–28 Liga Nusantara.
Promotion play-off The winner will be promoted to the 2027–28 Super League.
Final
The final will be played as a single match. If tied after regulation time, extra time and, if necessary, a penalty shoot-out will be used to decide the winning team.
Attendances Overall
Home match played
Regular phase Play-offs & Final Total1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 977 1,333 2,310 6,674 6,674 204 136 340 2,718 2,718 325 325 10,615 5,673 16,288 6,640 50 6,690 1,062 559 1,621 200 200 0 0 0 0 0 0 5,763 5,763 7,062 7,062 0 0 9,605 11,263 20,868 2,117 2,117 14,874 14,874 6,505 6,505 218 1,565 1,783 10,700 10,700 1,451 1,339 2,790League total 109,628 Source: Championship 2026–27
Notes Based on Persipura's appeal result, Persipura received sanctions in the form of five home matches without spectators and a fine of IDR 200 million. Match played behind closed doors.
Season statistics Top scorers