The IFL opening weekend concludes on Sunday, 1 November, with a double-header that takes in Jaipur and Goa. Rajasthan United FC host Sreenidi Deccan FC at the Vidyadhar Nagar Stadium in Jaipur at 4 PM IST, and Dempo Sports Club take on FC Bengaluru United at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Margao, Goa, at 6:30 PM IST. The IFL opening weekend began on 30 October, and Sunday’s two games are the final matches of the first matchweek.
Three of Sunday’s four clubs finished in the top six last season, while the fourth club is playing in the league for the first time. The 2026-27 season is the fifth season of the Indian Football League as the second tier of the Indian football league system, and it has 11 teams in a 20-match double-leg campaign.
IFL opening weekend: Rajasthan United against Sreenidi Deccan
Rajasthan United and Sreenidi Deccan both qualified for the Championship Round last season. Sreenidi Deccan finished third with 26 points from 14 matches, with seven wins, five draws and two defeats, three points behind champions Diamond Harbour FC on 29 points and two behind runners-up Shillong Lajong FC on 28 points. Rajasthan United finished fourth with 18 points from 14 matches, with five wins, three draws and six losses.
Rajasthan United are now led by Italian head coach Giuseppe Cristaldi, who has added Spanish centre-back Adri Castellano, defender Harmanjot Khabra, Brazilian forward Diego Mauricio, Spanish midfielder Pedro Astray and wingers Pangambam Naoba Meitei and Thomyo Shimray for the IFL opening weekend. Cristaldi said before his first IFL match in charge: “The preparation has gone well. The team is focused and united, which in football is sometimes even more important than technical and tactical aspects.”
IFL opening weekend: Sreenidi record and new signings
Sreenidi Deccan are now under Spanish head coach Antonio Rueda, who has added Pritam Kotal, Pronay Halder, Nishu Kumar and Jerry Mawihmingthanga, while retaining goalkeeper Kamaljit Singh for the IFL opening weekend. Rueda said: “I am happy to return to India with a strong project and a talented group of players. It is a difficult opening match because Rajasthan have quality foreign and Indian players. We have analysed their squad, we respect them, and we are prepared to execute our game plan.”
Sreenidi hold a clear edge in the head-to-head record. Across ten previous competitive meetings, Sreenidi have won seven, Rajasthan United have won two, and one match ended in a draw. In IFL and I-League meetings, Sreenidi have won six of eight, including both games in 2025-26: a 2-1 win in Hyderabad on 12 April, followed by a 2-1 stoppage-time win in the Championship Round on 24 April.
IFL opening weekend: Dempo against debutants Bengaluru United
In Goa, the second game of the IFL opening weekend sees FC Bengaluru United enter the IFL for the first time after securing promotion as runners-up in the 2025-26 I-League 2 season. On the final day of that campaign, on 15 May 2026, Bengaluru United drew 1-1 with GMSC at the Neville D’Souza Ground in Mumbai. That result took them to 15 points from eight matches, with four wins, three draws and one loss, level on points with United Sports Club but ahead on goal difference, plus 6 against plus 2, with 12 goals scored and six conceded.
Bengaluru United are coached by former India international Nallappan Mohanraj and captained by Lalramdinsanga Ralte. The club have retained their promoted core and added Colombian duo Maikoll Herrera and Brayan Cundumi alongside Russian striker Marat Tarek to adapt to the three-foreigner on-pitch regulation. Mohanraj said: “We are really proud of the players who earned promotion for us last season, and as the only club from Karnataka competing in the IFL, it is going to be a very exciting season.”
Dempo Sports Club also qualified for the Championship Round last season. Dempo finished sixth in Stage I with nine points from nine matches, edging Aizawl FC on head-to-head record, before finishing sixth overall in the Championship Round with 15 points from 14 matches, with three wins, six draws and five defeats. Head coach Samir Naik said Dempo had a three-month pre-season build-up, including three pre-season wins, and added Rowllin Borges and Athul Unnikrishnan alongside promoted academy graduates for the IFL opening weekend.
Sunday is the first IFL meeting between Dempo and Bengaluru United in the IFL opening weekend, but the clubs met twice in the 2023-24 I-League 2 campaign, with one away win each. Bengaluru United won 1-0 in Goa on 27 January 2024, before Dempo won 2-1 in Bengaluru on 3 April 2024. Dempo forward Richmond Kwasi Owusu said the home crowd can help on Sunday, and he urged fans to come out in large numbers to back Dempo for a first victory of the season.