I League
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| Country | India |
|---|---|
| Confederation | AFC |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | I-League 2nd Division |
| Domestic cup(s) | Federation Cup |
| League cup(s) | Durand Cup |
| International cup(s) |
AFC Cup AFC Champions League (Qualifying play-off) |
| Current champions |
Bengaluru FC (2nd title) (2015–16) |
| Most championships |
Dempo (3 titles) |
| TV partners | TEN 2 |
| Website | I-League.org |
 2016–17 I-League
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The I-League, officially known as the I League due to sponsorship reasons, is an Indian professional league for men's association football clubs. Contested by 10 clubs (currently), it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the I-League 2nd Division as well as a system of direct-entry.
Seasons run from January to May, with teams playing 18 matches each, totalling 90 matches in the season. Most games are usually played in the afternoons during the weekends or midweeks. It is currently sponsored by .
The competition, formed as the ONGC I-League in 2007 in an effort to professionalize the game in India after holding the old National Football League for eleven seasons, replaced the NFL as the primary competition in the country. The league's first official broadcaster was Zee Sports. The first goal for the league was to have 16 teams by the third season, by which the league would be spread all around India.
Since the league inception, a total of five clubs have been crowned champions of the I-League. Of the 25 clubs to have competed since the inception of the I-League in 2007, the teams that have won the title are Mohun Bagan A.C. (once), Bengaluru FC (twice), Churchill Brothers (twice), Dempo (thrice), and Salgaocar (once) respectively. The title has only been won thrice by a team from outside of the state of Goa with the first six of eight editions of the league being won by Goan sides. The current champions of the I-League are Bengaluru FC, who won their second league title in three years.
In 1996 the first domestic league was started in India known as the National Football League. The league was started in an effort to introduce professionalism to Indian football. Despite that ambition, that has never been achieved. During the National Football League days the league suffered from poor infrastructure and unprofessionalism from its clubs. One of the clubs in the league, FC Kochin went defunct in 2002 after it was revealed that the club had not paid salaries since 2000 after running up 2.5 crores in losses a season.
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