East Bengal FC will lead the title race heading into the final round of the Indian Super League 2025-26 season, with eight teams set to play simultaneously across four venues on Thursday.
A league campaign that remained uncertain for much of the season has now reached a thrilling climax, with five of the eight teams still mathematically in contention for the title.
East Bengal and defending champion Mohun Bagan Super Giant currently occupy the top two spots with 23 points each from 12 matches. However, East Bengal holds the advantage due to a superior goal difference of +5 (East Bengal has a goal difference of 18 as against Bagan’s 13).
A victory against Inter Kashi FC in its final match at Kishore Bharati Stadium would almost certainly hand the Red and Golds the league crown, ending a 22-year wait for a national league title. The club last won the National Football League in 2004.
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Mohun Bagan, which faces Sporting Club Delhi at the Salt Lake Stadium, needs a victory by a significant margin to overturn East Bengal’s goal-difference advantage and retain the title.
The other contenders — former champion Mumbai City FC (22 points), Punjab FC (22), and Jamshedpur FC (21) — can emerge champion if they win their respective matches and both East Bengal and Mohun Bagan either draw or lose theirs.
With the tournament being played in a shortened single round-robin format, the final round has generated tremendous excitement, particularly among East Bengal supporters, who are hopeful of witnessing their team finally bring home the league title after more than two decades.
ISL 2025-26 Points Table
What did the East Bengal, Mohun Bagan coaches say?
Oscar Bruzon (East Bengal): “Tomorrow, there are still five teams that can become champions. It is going to be a very important day, but we have the advantage because we are only focused on our own performance. We cannot hide from the fact that now it is one game for one title. If we want to take one game at a time, now is the moment to take one title at a time.”
Sergio Lobera (Mohun Bagan): “We need to believe. To be honest, we are not in the scenario we wanted to be in, but there are still options. When there are options, we need to fight for them. We need to prepare well for the game and we need to win.”
Published on May 20, 2026