Last Updated:
FanCode and Genius Sports submitted bids for the commercial rights relating to the ISL and the Federation Cup (or the Super Cup)
AIFF opens bids for commercial rights of ISL and Fed Cup. (Picture Credit: PTI)
Two bidders are in contention to acquire the combined commercial rights of the Indian Super League (ISL) and Federation Cup with one of them offering more than Rs 2100 crore for a 20-year period after the All India Football Federation (AIFF) opened the bids on Friday.
FanCode and Genius Sports submitted bids for the commercial rights relating to the ISL and the Federation Cup (or the Super Cup), while Capri Sports placed bids for the commercial rights of the Indian Women’s League first division and the Indian Women’s League 2.
It is learnt that Genius Sports, the official data feed provider for the English Premier League, the Championship, and the Scottish league, made a bid of Rs 2129 crore over 20 years.
FanCode’s bid amount was approximately Rs 1190 crore, nearly half that of the London-headquartered Genius Sports.
Capri Sports is the lone bidder for the commercial rights of the Indian Women’s League first division and the Indian Women’s League 2. They have made a bid of Rs 150 crore over 20 years, it is learnt.
“The AIFF opened the bids for the Request for Proposal (RFP) for Commercial Rights Relating to Competitions and Properties Owned by AIFF. Rights for the Indian Super League (ISL), Federation Cup (formerly Super Cup), the Indian Women’s League (IWL), and the IWL 2 were bid on,” the AIFF said in a statement.
“Bids were received from three organisations. FanCode and Genius Sports submitted bids for the commercial rights relating to the Indian Super League and the Federation Cup (or the Super Cup). Meanwhile, Capri Sports placed bids for the commercial rights of the Indian Women’s League and the Indian Women’s League 2.
“The bids have been submitted for a 15-year term with a provision for an additional five-year extension, with the bidder having the right of first refusal. The proposal also includes a five per cent increase in value every year over the duration of the agreement.”
The bid evaluation report will be placed before the AIFF Executive Committee, which will meet on Sunday. A decision is expected on the same day.
AIFF Deputy General Secretary M. Satyanarayan rubbished reports of Genius Sports being connected with betting and bookmaking.
“Genius Sport is not a betting company. They are a data and statistics provider. They work with FIFA, AFC and over 100 clubs,” Satyanarayan told PTI.
On March 2, the AIFF invited bids for the commercial rights of both men’s and women’s club competitions for a period of 15 years minimum starting with the 2026-2027 season.
The AIFF has offered two packages for bidding pertaining to men’s and women’s club competitions.
Package A consists of Indian Super League (or seniormost men’s league) and Federation Cup (or seniormost cup competition). Package B comprises Indian Women’s League (IWL) and IWL 2, and at the bidder’s option, Women’s Federation Cup — which is likely to be introduced later on.
The bids for the commercial rights of the recently rechristened Indian Football League (earlier I-League) were not included in the latest Request for Proposal (RFP).
However, unlike in the past, the RFP was not made publicly available. Instead, interested parties will have to purchase the document for Rs 2.5 lakh from the AIFF.
The latest tender process came against the backdrop of prolonged uncertainty surrounding the start of the ongoing ISL season which began on February 14 in a truncated format.
The start of 2025-2026 ISL was delayed by around five months after crisis hit the country’s football after the national federation and its previous commercial partner FSDL failed to renew the Master Rights Agreement (MRA) beyond December 8 last year.
A tender was floated by the AIFF for the selection of a new commercial partner under the supervision of a Supreme Court-appointed committee, but it found no takers.
But, after the intervention of the sports minister and following some tough negotiations, all the 14 clubs confirmed participation in the truncated ISL with 91 matches set to be played on home and away basis.
The ISL clubs would share 60 per cent of the financial cost (around Rs 1 crore per club) for the 2025-26 season of the league, while the AIFF’s contribution would be around Rs 9 crore. The total cost for the 2025-25 season has been pegged at around Rs 24 crore.
On January 18, the AIFF issued the Request for Proposal (RFP) document for broadcast rights relating to the truncated ISL.
The AIFF, on February 2, awarded the exclusive global broadcast rights of the truncated ISL 2025-26 to FanCode for Rs 8.62 crore.
Kaleidoscope Production and Services (KPS Studios) was awarded the production rights of the league — global as well as domestic.
(With inputs from PTI)
March 27, 2026, 11:43 PM IST
Read More
Source link
[ad_3]
