IFL 2026-27: Mohammedan SC eyes win vs Shillong Lajong; Gokulam Kerala hosts debutant Samaleswari
Mohammedan Sporting vs Shillong Lajong will kick off in Kalyani at 4:00 pm, while Gokulam Kerala takes on debutant Samaleswari SC in Kozhikode at 6:30 pm.
Updated : Oct 31, 2026 08:12 IST , Chennai - 3 MINS READ
Mohammedan Sporting Club’s players during a training session before their Indian Football League match against Shillong Lajong. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Mohammedan Sporting Club’s players during a training session before their Indian Football League match against Shillong Lajong. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Mohammedan Sporting Club will begin its Indian Football League 2026–27 campaign against last season’s runners-up Shillong Lajong FC, while debutant Samaleswari SC will take on two-time champion Gokulam Kerala FC in a double-header on Saturday.
Mohammedan SC’s match will be played at the Kalyani Football Stadium, while Gokulam Kerala FC will host Samaleswari SC at the EMS Corporation Stadium in Kozhikode.
The Black Panthers begin the new season on familiar territory. They last played in the competition in 2023–24, when they were crowned champions and earned promotion.
Head Coach Saheed Ramon, who previously took charge of the club in 2019–20, has kept faith with a group of players who have played together in the Calcutta Football League this season, including captain Mahitosh Roy, Fardin Ali Molla, Israfil Dewan and Hira Mondal.
Meanwhile, Shillong Lajong FC arrive in Naihati as one of the sides to watch this season. Last season, head coach Birendra Thapa guided an all-Indian squad to a historic runner-up finish on 28 points, one behind champion Diamond Harbour FC.
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Lajong ended the campaign in style with a 3-0 win over the champions in their final match, in which Phrangki Buam was one of the scorers.
Buam, the league’s Most Valuable Player last season, returns as Lajong’s main attacking threat, alongside Everbrightson Sana. The Meghalaya side has also added overseas experience to their core, including Brazilian defender Arthur Pangaro and fellow Brazilian Jota.
Heavyweight vs debutant
For Gokulam Kerala FC, Saturday is a chance to draw a line under one of the most testing campaigns in the club’s history. Last season, the Malabarians went through three head coaches. They finished the league phase ninth with two wins from nine matches and were drawn into the relegation round.
Their survival came down to the final night when they won 1-0 against Sreenidi Deccan to stay afloat.
The summer has brought changes on a large scale: Brazilian Head Coach Carlos Eduardo Parreira, who was appointed in July, has coached in Brazil, Thailand and Indonesia and has worked with Brazil’s youth national sides.
Gokulam Kerala’s players during a training session before their Indian Football League match against Samaleswari SC in the Indian Football League. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Gokulam Kerala’s players during a training session before their Indian Football League match against Samaleswari SC in the Indian Football League. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
He has a reshaped squad to work with. Brazilian forward Crislan, 34, arrives with 73 goals in 294 career appearances across six countries. Ghanaian striker Denny Antwi returns to Kozhikode, where he scored 11 goals in 15 league matches during the 2020–21 title-winning season. Midfielder Lalchungnunga Chhangte has joined the club from Sreenidi Deccan FC.
Meanwhile, Samaleswari SC, founded in Sambalpur, Odisha, in 2006, will mark a significant step, playing in the second division of men’s football for the first time. The club, having acquired the IFL rights of Delhi FC, will host its home matches at the Birsa Munda Athletics Stadium in Rourkela this season.
Speaking ahead of the match, Head Coach Abdul Azim Siddique said, “Our pre-season was excellent because we confirmed our participation early and prepared very well. The boys are disciplined and dedicated, and 10 players in our squad are from Odisha.”
Siddique’s side has already shown that big occasions do not daunt it. During its debut Durand Cup campaign, it beat Mohammedan SC 3-2 in Kolkata on August 2.
Mohammedan SC takes on Lajong at 4:00 pm while Gokulam Kerala versus Samaleswari SC will kick off at 6:30 pm.
Published on Oct 31, 2026
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