--- title: "East Bengal or Mohun Bagan win ISL 2026 title; final day in Kolkata, New Delhi and Jamshedpur No playoffs, league leaders crowned" sdDatePublished: "2026-05-20T13:34:00Z" source: "https://www.olympics.com/en/news/isl-2026-title-race-scenarios-east-bengal-mohun-bagan-champions-how" topics: - name: "sport" identifier: "medtop:15000000" - name: "football" identifier: "medtop:20001065" - name: "sport event" identifier: "medtop:20001108" locations: - "India" - "Odisha" - "Shahdara" - "Jharkhand" - "Kolkata" --- East Bengal or Mohun Bagan win ISL 2026 title; final day in Kolkata, New Delhi and Jamshedpur No playoffs, league leaders crowned ISL 2026 title race: How East Bengal or Mohun Bagan can become champions - all scenarios, watch live ISL 2026 title race: How East Bengal or Mohun Bagan can become champions - all scenarios explained, where to watch live EBFC face Inter Kashi while MBSG face SC Delhi on the final day, which will decide the title. Mumbai City FC, Punjab FC and Jamshedpur FC are also in the race. The ongoingIndian Super Leagueseason is set for a grandstand final day with five teams -East Bengal,Mohun Bagan,Mumbai City FC,Punjab FCandJamshedpur FC- still in the hunt for theISL 2026title. This is the first time that theISLwill not feature playoffs or a final to decide the champions. The table toppers after the league stage will walk away with the crown. A truncated season, this year’s ISL format will see 14footballteams face each other once. Heading into the final day of ISL 2026 on Thursday, the title race is a four-way shootoff but with the two Kolkata giants - East Bengal and Mohun Bagan - emerging as favourites, in the respective order. East Bengal will face Inter Kashi at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata while Mohun Bagan hosts Sporting Club Delhi at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan. Should both slip up, it will open the door to the title for Punjab FC and Mumbai City FC, who go head-to-head at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. Jamshedpur FC are also in the fray mathematically as they host Odisha FC at the JRD TATA Complex. All four matches kick off concurrently at 7:30 PM IST and will be available to watch live in India. For a better understanding of the ISL 2026 title race scenarios, here’s how the business end of the ISL 2026 points table looks like currently. Football’s future starts here ⚽✨. Follow the rising stars and breakthrough nations chasing their World Cup 2026 dreams. All with a FREE Olympic Membership. Sign up now 🥇 For reference, in the ISL, if two teams are level on points, the tiebreaking factors are ordered in the following order: Keeping the rules in mind, here’s a look at how each of the five teams can end up with the ISL 2026 title after what promises to be a dramatic final day. How East Bengal can win ISL 2026 title Óscar Bruzón’s East Bengal are the frontrunners for the ISL 2026 title and a win over Inter Kashi should ideally see them lift the title. East Bengal will be crowned champions if they beat Inter Kashi, unless Mohun Bagan also defeat SC Delhi by a margin six goals greater than the Red and Gold Brigade’s winning margin on the day. In that scenario, both Kolkata giants would finish level on 26 points, but Mohun Bagan would overturn East Bengal’s current goal-difference advantage to clinch the title. East Bengal and Mohun Bagan drew 1-1 in theKolkata Derbyplayed earlier this month. If East Bengal draws their match against Inter Kashi, they will end on 24 points. In such a case, they will need to hope Mohun Bagan also fails to win their match while the Mumbai City FC and Punjab FC match ends in a draw. Jamshedpur FC can also reach 24 points if they beat Odisha FC, but their goal difference is 13 worse off than East Bengal’s and negating the difference is improbable, if not impossible. Even a loss against Inter Kashi still leaves East Bengal with a chance at the title with 23 points if Mohun Bagan also lose, Jamshedpur FC fail to win and the Mumbai City FC vs Punjab FC match ends in a draw. East Bengal are looking to become national champions for the first time since 2004. The Kolkata giants were last champions of the top tier football league in India when the competition was branded as the National Football League. They finished runners-up six times during the I-League era and this is by far their best showing in the ISL since their entry in the 2020-21 season. How Mohun Bagan can win ISL 2026 title Mohun Bagan’s best chance at defending their ISL title is to win against SC Delhi and hope their eternal rivals slip up. However, an outlandish win in the match and a narrow win by East Bengal could also see them grab their third ISL crown. Sergio Lobera’s Mariners could also pocket the crown with a draw if East Bengal lose to Inter Kashi and the Mumbai City FC vs Punjab FC match ends in a draw. A Jamshedpur FC win shouldn’t concern them much, as Mohun Bagan’s goal difference is eight better. A loss against SC Delhi will knock the Mariners out of the race as East Bengal, even if they lose their match, will certainly finish above them due to a superior goal difference. How Mumbai City FC can win ISL 2026 title Mumbai City FC must beat Punjab FC to have a shot at the ISL title. In such a scenario, the Islanders will end their campaign on 25 points and will hope that both East Bengal and Mohun Bagan drop points. The 2023-24 champions cannot afford a draw as that’d mean they will end with 23 points. East Bengal and Mohun Bagan are already on 23 points and have a far superior goal difference to MCFC’s. How Punjab FC can win ISL 2026 title In exactly the same boat as Mumbai City FC, nothing short of a win will leave Punjab FC with a shot at the title with 25 points. They would still require both East Bengal and Mohun Bagan to slip up in their respective matches. A draw will also not be enough for Punjab FC for the same reasons as Mumbai. How Jamshedpur FC can win ISL 2026 title Jamshedpur FC can reach 24 points if they beat Odisha FC in their final match and could sneak away with the crown if other results go their way. The Miners will need both the Kolkata teams to lose their respective matches and a draw in the Punjab FC vs Mumbai City FC match at the national capital. Where to watch ISL 2026 final matchday live ISL 2026 final matchday fixtures, including Inter Kashi vs East Bengal and Mohun Bagan vs Sporting Club Delhi, will be available to watch on live streaming on FanCode. Live telecast of select matches will be available on Sony Sports Ten 1 and 2 and their corresponding HD TV channels in India. Picture by All India Football Federation