# I-League (Indonesia)
**I-League** is the brand name of PT Liga Indonesia Baru (LIB), the Indonesian company authorized by the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) to operate the country's professional football competitions and tournaments[1](https://assets.ligaindonesiabaru.com/uploads/files/regulasi-liga-nusantara-25-26.pdf). The brand was launched on 11 July 2025 as part of a full rebranding of the league operator, replacing the previous "Liga Indonesia Baru" identity[2](https://ileague.id/press/detail/ileague-hadir-sebagai-wajah-baru-operator-kompetisi-sepak-bola-indonesia). Under the I-League name, the top division is the BRI Super League (formerly BRI Liga 1) and the second division is the Pegadaian Championship (formerly Pegadaian Liga 2)[3](https://ileague.id/press/detail/persebaya-versus-psim-jadi-laga-pembuka-bri-super-league).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Legal entity | PT Liga Indonesia Baru, a company established under Indonesian law and authorized by PSSI to manage professional football competitions and tournaments[1](https://assets.ligaindonesiabaru.com/uploads/files/regulasi-liga-nusantara-25-26.pdf) |
| Brand launch | 11 July 2025, replacing the "Liga Indonesia Baru" label[2](https://ileague.id/press/detail/ileague-hadir-sebagai-wajah-baru-operator-kompetisi-sepak-bola-indonesia) |
| Competition renames | BRI Liga 1 became BRI Super League; Pegadaian Liga 2 became Pegadaian Championship, decided at the 7 July 2025 shareholders' meeting attended by 18 clubs[3](https://ileague.id/press/detail/persebaya-versus-psim-jadi-laga-pembuka-bri-super-league) |
| Competitions run | Super League, Championship, Liga Nusantara, Elite Pro Academy (EPA ONE U20, U18, U16), Indonesia Women's League, and League Cup[4](https://ileague.id/press/detail/liga-nusantara-2026-27-siapkan-format-baru--24-klub-bersaing-menuju-championship) |
| Championship 2026/27 | Two groups of 10 clubs, triple round robin, September 2026 to May 2027, 273 matches[5](https://ileague.id/press/detail/lewat-owner-s-meeting--i-league-satukan-langkah-klub-sambut-championship-2026-27) |
| Liga Nusantara 2026/27 | 24 clubs in three geographic groups, 30 October 2026 to 6 February 2027[4](https://ileague.id/press/detail/liga-nusantara-2026-27-siapkan-format-baru--24-klub-bersaing-menuju-championship) |
| Head office | Menara Mandiri 2, 19th floor, Jl. Jend. Sudirman Kav 54-55, Jakarta[6](https://www.ileague.id/?lang=id) |
## Origin and rebranding
The operator's corporate entity, PT Liga Indonesia Baru, was created to run Indonesia's professional competitions under PSSI authority[1](https://assets.ligaindonesiabaru.com/uploads/files/regulasi-liga-nusantara-25-26.pdf). At an extraordinary and annual shareholders' meeting (RUPS) held in Jakarta on 7 July 2025, attended by representatives of the 18 clubs in the top division, the company decided on a rebranding: the corporate entity remained LIB, but the public brand became I-League, with BRI Liga 1 renamed BRI Super League and Pegadaian Liga 2 renamed Pegadaian Championship[3](https://ileague.id/press/detail/persebaya-versus-psim-jadi-laga-pembuka-bri-super-league). Ferry Paulus, the chief executive (Direktur Utama) of PT LIB, explained that the entity stayed the same while the brand changed[3](https://ileague.id/press/detail/persebaya-versus-psim-jadi-laga-pembuka-bri-super-league).
The new logo and identity were formally launched on 11 July 2025, presented as a symbol of a more modern, inclusive, and professional governance of Indonesian football[2](https://ileague.id/press/detail/ileague-hadir-sebagai-wajah-baru-operator-kompetisi-sepak-bola-indonesia). The first match of the renamed BRI Super League 2025/26 was [Persebaya Surabaya](https://www.edgepedia.org/persebaya-surabaya) against PSIM Yogyakarta at Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium, Surabaya, on 8 August 2025[3](https://ileague.id/press/detail/persebaya-versus-psim-jadi-laga-pembuka-bri-super-league).
## Competitions operated
I-League's competition portfolio for the 2026/27 season covers the men's professional pyramid, youth academies, women's football, and a cup competition[4](https://ileague.id/press/detail/liga-nusantara-2026-27-siapkan-format-baru--24-klub-bersaing-menuju-championship).
**BRI Super League.** The top tier. Its 2025/26 competition regulation provides that clubs ranked 16th, 17th, and 18th in the final standings are relegated to the Championship for the following season, and that top-ranked positions receive proportional quotas to represent Indonesia in AFC club competitions, subject to AFC licensing requirements[7](https://assets.ileague.id/uploads/files/eng-_-competition-regulation-super-league-2025-26.pdf).
**Pegadaian Championship.** The second tier. For 2026/27 it keeps a two-group format of 10 clubs each with a triple round robin, followed by promotion play-offs, relegation play-offs, and a final, running from September 2026 to May 2027 with 273 matches in total[5](https://ileague.id/press/detail/lewat-owner-s-meeting--i-league-satukan-langkah-klub-sambut-championship-2026-27). Foreign-player rules allow three registered foreign players, three in the match squad, and three on the pitch simultaneously; an U21 rule requires clubs to give young players minutes; and all club officials in the Championship must be Indonesian nationals[5](https://ileague.id/press/detail/lewat-owner-s-meeting--i-league-satukan-langkah-klub-sambut-championship-2026-27).
**Liga Nusantara.** The third tier of the professional pyramid. The 2026/27 season has 24 clubs divided into three geographic groups (West, Central, East), playing from 30 October 2026 to 6 February 2027[4](https://ileague.id/press/detail/liga-nusantara-2026-27-siapkan-format-baru--24-klub-bersaing-menuju-championship). The preliminary stage is a home-and-away double round robin; group winners, the two best runners-up, and the two best third-placed teams advance to a quarterfinal round of two centralized groups of four, from which the two group winners are promoted directly to the Championship 2027/28 and the two runners-up play a promotion play-off[4](https://ileague.id/press/detail/liga-nusantara-2026-27-siapkan-format-baru--24-klub-bersaing-menuju-championship).
**League Cup.** A cup competition introduced for 2026/27, with 12 groups formed by a draw held at the I-League office attended by PSSI General Secretary Yunus Nusi and former players Ponaryo Astaman and Firman Utina[8](https://ileague.id/press/detail/league-cup-2026-27--12-grup-terbentuk--persaingan-baru-segera-dimulai). Group matches are played on weekdays across three matchdays: 3 to 5 November, 24 to 26 November, and 1 to 3 December 2026[9](https://liasmatch-dev.ligaindonesiabaru.com/news/detail/i-league-perbarui-kalender-kompetisi-musim-2026-27--league-cup-kick-off-3-november-2026).
**Youth and women's competitions.** The Elite Pro Academy competitions are standardized from 2026/27 into two age groups, U20 and U18, as part of a roadmap for every [Super League](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-league) and Championship club to have a standard-compliant academy by 2030[5](https://ileague.id/press/detail/lewat-owner-s-meeting--i-league-satukan-langkah-klub-sambut-championship-2026-27). The Indonesia Women's League 2026/27 is the first season of the women's professional league managed by I-League, run with a sports-festival concept intended as a foundation for a sustainable professional women's competition[10](https://www.ileague.id/news/detail/indonesia-women---s-league-2026-27-bersiap-bergulir--i-league-usung-konsep-sport-festival).
## Club licensing
Club licensing is the operator's central governance tool. In the Club Licensing Cycle 2025/26, clubs were evaluated on five main aspects: sporting, infrastructure, personnel and administrative, legal, and financial[11](https://ileague.id/press/detail/i-league-umumkan-hasil-club-licensing-cycle-2025-26). For the AFC Champions League Two (ACL 2) license category, 8 clubs received Granted status ([PSM Makassar](https://www.edgepedia.org/psm-makassar), Persebaya Surabaya, Borneo FC Samarinda, Persita, Dewa United Banten FC, Persik Kediri, Persib Bandung, and [Persija Jakarta](https://www.edgepedia.org/persija-jakarta)) and 8 received Granted with Sanctions; for the Super League license, 25 clubs in total obtained Granted status[11](https://ileague.id/press/detail/i-league-umumkan-hasil-club-licensing-cycle-2025-26).
From the 2026/27 cycle, the Championship applies licensing standards equal to the Super League, adding [Marketing](https://www.edgepedia.org/marketing) and Development & [Sustainability](https://www.edgepedia.org/sustainability) assessment aspects, so clubs must show professional organization and business sustainability as well as sporting criteria[5](https://ileague.id/press/detail/lewat-owner-s-meeting--i-league-satukan-langkah-klub-sambut-championship-2026-27). In [Liga Nusantara](https://www.edgepedia.org/liga-nusantara) 2026/27, clubs face seven licensing criteria: sporting, infrastructure, personnel, legal, financial, development & sustainability, and marketing[4](https://ileague.id/press/detail/liga-nusantara-2026-27-siapkan-format-baru--24-klub-bersaing-menuju-championship).
## Promotion and licensing linkage
The 2026/27 Liga Nusantara rules tie promotion directly to licensing. The top three clubs by sporting merit receive priority promotion rights, but each must hold a Championship License; if no promoted club obtains the license, the promotion rights lapse and the three clubs that would have been relegated from the Championship remain in that division[4](https://ileague.id/press/detail/liga-nusantara-2026-27-siapkan-format-baru--24-klub-bersaing-menuju-championship). Ferry Paulus framed the pairing as two inseparable parts of the competition ecosystem: sporting merit grants the right based on results, while the license ensures a promoted club meets the required standards[4](https://ileague.id/press/detail/liga-nusantara-2026-27-siapkan-format-baru--24-klub-bersaing-menuju-championship).
## Calendar and governance
The competition calendar is set through intensive coordination between I-League and PSSI, including PSSI Executive Committee meetings, taking into account the Indonesia national team's schedule and the official FIFA, AFC, and AFF calendars[12](https://ileague.id/news/detail/i-league-umumkan-jadwal-kompetisi-musim-2026-27). Referee appointments in all official Indonesian competitions remain the authority of PSSI, not the league operator[13](https://www.ileague.id/press/index/BRI_SUPER_LEAGUE_2025-26/20). I-League has also stated its support for PSSI Ordinary Congress decisions on league governance, growth of the football industry's value, and the launch of the Indonesia Women's League[14](https://www.ileague.id/press/detail/i-league-dukung-hasil-ordinary-congress-pssi-2026--perkuat-fondasi-kompetisi-musim-2026-27).
## References
1. [Regulasi Liga Nusantara 2025/26, PT Liga Indonesia Baru](https://assets.ligaindonesiabaru.com/uploads/files/regulasi-liga-nusantara-25-26.pdf)
2. [I.League Hadir Sebagai Wajah Baru Operator Kompetisi Sepak Bola Indonesia, ILeague (11 July 2025)](https://ileague.id/press/detail/ileague-hadir-sebagai-wajah-baru-operator-kompetisi-sepak-bola-indonesia)
3. [Persebaya versus PSIM Jadi Laga Pembuka BRI Super League, ILeague (7 July 2025)](https://ileague.id/press/detail/persebaya-versus-psim-jadi-laga-pembuka-bri-super-league)
4. [Liga Nusantara 2026/27 Siapkan Format Baru, 24 Klub Bersaing Menuju Championship, ILeague (18 September 2026)](https://ileague.id/press/detail/liga-nusantara-2026-27-siapkan-format-baru--24-klub-bersaing-menuju-championship)
5. [Lewat Owner's Meeting, I.League Satukan Langkah Klub Sambut Championship 2026/27, ILeague (18 June 2026)](https://ileague.id/press/detail/lewat-owner-s-meeting--i-league-satukan-langkah-klub-sambut-championship-2026-27)
6. [ILeague Beranda](https://www.ileague.id/?lang=id)
7. [Competition Regulation Super League 2025/26 (English), ILeague](https://assets.ileague.id/uploads/files/eng-_-competition-regulation-super-league-2025-26.pdf)
8. [League Cup 2026/27: 12 Grup Terbentuk, Persaingan Baru Segera Dimulai, ILeague](https://ileague.id/press/detail/league-cup-2026-27--12-grup-terbentuk--persaingan-baru-segera-dimulai)
9. [I.League Perbarui Kalender Kompetisi Musim 2026/27, League Cup Kick Off 3 November 2026, ILeague](https://liasmatch-dev.ligaindonesiabaru.com/news/detail/i-league-perbarui-kalender-kompetisi-musim-2026-27--league-cup-kick-off-3-november-2026)
10. [Indonesia Women's League 2026/27 Bersiap Bergulir, I.League Usung Konsep Sport Festival, ILeague](https://www.ileague.id/news/detail/indonesia-women---s-league-2026-27-bersiap-bergulir--i-league-usung-konsep-sport-festival)
11. [I.League Umumkan Hasil Club Licensing Cycle 2025/26, ILeague (13 May 2026)](https://ileague.id/press/detail/i-league-umumkan-hasil-club-licensing-cycle-2025-26)
12. [I.League Umumkan Jadwal Kompetisi Musim 2026/27, ILeague](https://ileague.id/news/detail/i-league-umumkan-jadwal-kompetisi-musim-2026-27)
13. [Penegasan Regulasi Pemain Asing dan Perwasitan, ILeague press index](https://www.ileague.id/press/index/BRI_SUPER_LEAGUE_2025-26/20)
14. [I.League Dukung Hasil Ordinary Congress PSSI 2026, ILeague](https://www.ileague.id/press/detail/i-league-dukung-hasil-ordinary-congress-pssi-2026--perkuat-fondasi-kompetisi-musim-2026-27)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football competitions and records › Competitions and recurring events › Domestic leagues and league seasons › Domestic leagues of Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Oceania › Southeast Asian domestic leagues*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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