10 teams to participate in Hero I-League Qualifiers 2021

There will be two groups of five teams each. The Group Stage will be conducted in a round-robin format.

All the teams will be in a central bio-bubble, said AIFF Leagues CEO Sunando Dhar.

Ten teams will be in action at the Hero I-League Qualifiers 2021 at the Bangalore Football Stadium in October.

Seven teams — Hyderya Sports FC (J&K), Corbett FC (Uttarakhand), Delhi FC (Delhi), Madan Maharaj FC (Madhya Pradesh), Rajasthan United FC (Rajasthan), Kerala United FC (Kerala), Ryntih SC (Meghalaya) — will make their debut.

ARA FC (Gujarat), Kenkre FC (Maharashtra), and FC Bengaluru United (Karnataka), who have played in the competition before, complete the lineup.

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"It's great to kick-off the Indian Football domestic season once again with the Hero I-League Qualifiers. What makes the tournament all the more special this season is that we will have double the number of teams that played in the competition last year, and seven of the 10 teams are debutants,” said AIFF Leagues CEO Sunando Dhar.

“All the teams will be in a central bio-bubble, and that goes a long way in affirming that we are all firmly committed to taking Indian Football forward together. I wish the participating teams all the best,” he added.

There will be two groups of five teams each. And the Group Stage will be conducted in a round-robin format.

The top two teams from each group will enter the Final Round, which will be played in another round-robin format with each of the four teams playing against each other once. The team that finishes at the top of the pile in the Final Round will earn promotion to the Hero I-League 2021-22 season.