The much awaited 2020-21 edition of the I-League is scheduled to be played later this year in December 2020. However, the popular football league had to undergo a major overhaul due to the coronavirus pandemic halting the final round of the second division league matches. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) decided to cut short the format and re-introduced it as I-League Qualifiers 2020.
The winner of the mini tournament will be promoted to the upcoming 2020-21 I-League, which will be played in a new shortened format from October 8-19, 2020.
The five teams which have qualified are Mohammedan SC, Bhawanipore FC, FC Bengaluru United, Ahmedabad Racquet Academy Football Club (ARA FC) and Garhwal FC.
I-League Qualifiers 2020 format
Instead of the usual format where teams had to play twice against other teams, the renewed format will be divided in two stages. The tournament will be conducted in a round-robin format, with five teams vying for a single spot in the I-league. Each team will play against each other once. All the qualifying matches will be held at two venues – the Vivekananda Yuba Bharathi Krirangan in Kolkata and the Kalyani Municipal Stadium in Kalyani, West Bengal. The league will be held entirely in West Bengal due to the Covid-19 pandemic situation.
I-League Qualifiers 2020 Fixtures
The first qualifier game between Bhawanipore FC and Bangalore United will kick off at 12:30 pm, IST on October 9, 2020. The second game between Mohammedan SC and Gharwal FC will be played at 4:30pm IST.
The timings remain the same for the rest of the matches every day. However, on the final day, both the games will start at 2pm IST.
The full set of fixtures:
I-League Qualifiers 2020 fixtures telecast
As per an official announcement by All India Football Federation, the tournament will be telecast by Lex Sports Vision Private Limited on 1Sports.
“The five-camera set-up for the matches will ensure a good viewing experience for the fans,” AIFF League’s CEO Sundar Dhar said. The matches will also be streamed live on 1Sports Facebook page", he added.
I-League Qualifiers past winners
Winning the second division league in 2018-19, Tiddim Road Athletic Union (TRAU) was the last team to secure a promotion to the I-League. They performed well in the previous season as a newly promoted club by finishing sixth in the league. East Bengal was placed second with only a point separating both.