The 2026 IFA Shield is the 126th edition of the IFA Shield hosted by the Indian Football Association. The tournament will be held between 22 September–8 October before the start of the Indian Football League and Indian Super League.
The tournament will feature domestic teams from the Indian Super League and Indian Football League. Defending champions Mohun Bagan SG along with East Bengal, Mohammedan, NorthEast United, Punjab and Sreenidhi Deccan were confirmed as the 6 participants by the IFA.
Teams Here is the list of confirmed teams: However, Mohammedan withdrew their name and Calcutta Customs was taken in as a replacement.
ClubLocation Indian Super League teamsEast BengalKolkata, West BengalMohun Bagan SGNorthEast UnitedGuwahati, AssamPunjabLudhiana, PunjabIndian Football League teams Sreenidi DeccanHyderabad, TelanganaCalcutta Football League teams Calcutta CustomsKolkata, West Bengal
Venues East Bengal Ground, Kolkata Kishore Bharati Krirangan, Santoshpur Mohun Bagan Ground, Kolkata Vidyasagar Krirangan, Barasat Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata (Final)
Format 6 teams will be divided into two groups of 3 teams. After a group stage consisting of single round-robin matches, top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-final.
Rules Each team can register 6 foreign players. 6 foreign players can play on the field at a time.
Group stage Group A
Group B
Semi Finals The draws for the semi finals were held at the Indian Football Association on 30 September 2026. Bracket In the knockout stage, for any draws matches would be directly decided by a penalty shootout.
Matches
Final
Statistics Goalscorers
Hat-tricks PlayerForAgainst ResultDateRef David Lalhlansanga East Bengal FCNorthEast United7–25 October 20260–6 0–7
Clean sheets
2 Clean sheets Arshdeep Singh (Punjab) 1 Clean sheet Vishal Kaith (Mohun Bagan SG) Gurmeet Singh (NorthEast United)
See also 2026 CFL Premier Division 2026–27 East Bengal season 2026–27 Mohun Bagan season Notes
References