# Mumbai City FC
**Mumbai City FC** is an Indian professional football club based in Mumbai, Maharashtra, that competes in the [Indian Super League](https://www.edgepedia.org/indian-super-league) (ISL), the country's top domestic league. Founded on 30 October 2014 as one of the ISL's original franchises, the club won its first ISL title in 2020-21 and became the first Indian team to win a match in the [AFC Champions League](https://www.edgepedia.org/afc-champions-league).[1](https://www.the-aiff.com/club/mumbai-city-fc-8987) • [2](https://www.indiansuperleague.com/features/year-in-review-2021-mumbai-city-fc-a-tale-of-glory-and-dominance) • [3](https://assets.the-afc.com/ACL_2022/Downloads/AFC-Champions-League%E2%84%A2-2022-Official-Media-Guide.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 30 October 2014[1](https://www.the-aiff.com/club/mumbai-city-fc-8987) |
| Home ground | Mumbai Football Arena, Andheri Sports Complex; about 6,600 to 8,000 seats, one of the few dedicated football stadiums in India[4](https://fifacies.pimsr.ac.in/event/visit-to-mumbai-football-arena-andheri/) • [5](https://www.cityfootballgroup.com/post/cfg-acquires-majority-stake-in-indian-super-league-s-mumbai-city-fc) |
| Ownership | City Football Group held a 65% majority stake from November 2019 to December 2025, when it divested and the founding owners took full control[5](https://www.cityfootballgroup.com/post/cfg-acquires-majority-stake-in-indian-super-league-s-mumbai-city-fc) • [6](https://www.mumbaicityfc.com/news/ownership-update) |
| Major honors | Two ISL League Winners' Shields and two ISL Cup titles during the CFG era (2019-2025)[6](https://www.mumbaicityfc.com/news/ownership-update) |
| 2020-21 | First team to complete the League Winners' Shield and ISL title double; won the final 2-1 over ATK Mohun Bagan at Fatorda, Goa[2](https://www.indiansuperleague.com/features/year-in-review-2021-mumbai-city-fc-a-tale-of-glory-and-dominance) • [7](https://www.indiansuperleague.com/news/proud-lobera-credits-team-work-for-mumbai-city-fcs-maiden-hero-isl-trophy) |
| Continental first | First Indian club to win a match in the AFC Champions League (2022 campaign); second Indian team to appear in the group stage[3](https://assets.the-afc.com/ACL_2022/Downloads/AFC-Champions-League%E2%84%A2-2022-Official-Media-Guide.pdf) |
| Registered players | 93 players registered with the AIFF[1](https://www.the-aiff.com/club/mumbai-city-fc-8987) |
## Founding and early seasons
The club was founded on 30 October 2014 as a founding franchise of the Indian Super League, which began play that year.[1](https://www.the-aiff.com/club/mumbai-city-fc-8987) Its early seasons were modest. A student study of Indian and foreign club tie-ups records that Mumbai City performed poorly from the league's start in 2014, with its best early result a semi-final appearance in the 2018 season before winning the double the following season.[8](https://nkc.ac.in/AQAR-23-24/AQAR_2023-24_TYBMS_Sports_Management_P_10.pdf) The club's heaviest ISL defeats all came in this period, against [FC Goa](https://www.edgepedia.org/fc-goa): a 7-0 loss in 2015, a 5-0 loss in 2018, and a 5-1 loss in 2019.[9](https://www.indiansuperleague.com/news/new-era-under-buckingham-will-mumbai-city-fc-defend-the-league-winners-shield-and-the-isl-trophy)
## The City Football Group era
**Acquisition in 2019.** On 27 November 2019, [City Football Group](https://www.edgepedia.org/city-football-group) (CFG), the owner of Manchester City FC, agreed to acquire a 65% majority stake in Mumbai City FC, its eighth club. Existing shareholders, the actor and film producer [Ranbir Kapoor](https://www.edgepedia.org/ranbir-kapoor) and Bimal Parekh, retained the remaining 35%. Damian Willoughby was appointed chief executive officer of City Football Group India.[5](https://www.cityfootballgroup.com/post/cfg-acquires-majority-stake-in-indian-super-league-s-mumbai-city-fc)
**The 2020-21 double.** Under head coach Sergio Lobera, Mumbai City won the 2020-21 League Winners' Shield and then beat ATK Mohun Bagan 2-1 in the final at Fatorda Stadium in Goa for its maiden ISL title, becoming the first team to win both the Shield and the Cup in the same season.[2](https://www.indiansuperleague.com/features/year-in-review-2021-mumbai-city-fc-a-tale-of-glory-and-dominance) • [7](https://www.indiansuperleague.com/news/proud-lobera-credits-team-work-for-mumbai-city-fcs-maiden-hero-isl-trophy) The 2020-21 season was played in a bio-secure bubble in Goa behind closed doors because of COVID-19.[10](https://www.mumbaicityfc.com/community)
**AFC Champions League.** The Shield win qualified Mumbai City for the [2021 AFC Champions League](https://www.edgepedia.org/2021-afc-champions-league), and the club became the second team from India to appear in the competition's group stage.[3](https://assets.the-afc.com/ACL_2022/Downloads/AFC-Champions-League%E2%84%A2-2022-Official-Media-Guide.pdf) In the 2022 edition the [Islanders](https://www.edgepedia.org/islanders) became the first Indian team to win a match in the AFC Champions League, finishing second in their group with two wins, one draw, and three losses.[11](https://www.indiansuperleague.com/features/hero-isl-2022-23-playoffs-a-detailed-look-at-mumbai-city-fc)
**Further titles.** Des Buckingham, who succeeded Lobera, led the club to the 2022-23 League Winners' Shield, a season in which Indian players scored 25 goals, the most by Indian players for a club in an ISL season.[11](https://www.indiansuperleague.com/features/hero-isl-2022-23-playoffs-a-detailed-look-at-mumbai-city-fc) In 2023-24 the club finished second in the league, a point behind Shield winners [Mohun Bagan Super Giant](https://www.edgepedia.org/mohun-bagan-super-giant), and won the ISL Cup.[12](https://www.indiansuperleague.com/news/isl-2023-24-playoffs-a-detailed-look-at-mumbai-city-fc) Across the CFG years the club won two League Winners' Shields and two ISL Cup titles in total.[6](https://www.mumbaicityfc.com/news/ownership-update)
**Divestment.** On 26 December 2025, the club announced that CFG had divested its shareholding and that the founding owners would assume full control. CFG cited a comprehensive commercial review and ongoing uncertainty surrounding the future of the Indian Super League as the reasons for its exit.[6](https://www.mumbaicityfc.com/news/ownership-update) Spanish sports daily AS reported the sale the following day under a headline describing the collapse of Indian football as expelling the City Group.[13](https://as.com/futbol/internacional/el-colapso-del-futbol-indio-expulsa-al-city-group-f202512-n/)
## Recent seasons
**2024-25.** After the 2023-24 title, expectations were high, but the club finished sixth in the league with 36 points from 24 matches (9 wins, 6 draws, 9 losses, 29 goals for and 28 against), qualifying for the playoffs on the final matchday with a 2-0 win over [Bengaluru FC](https://www.edgepedia.org/bengaluru-fc). In the one-legged knockout it then lost 5-0 to the same opponent. The season was marked by the departure of key players, including joint top scorer [Jorge Pereyra Díaz](https://www.edgepedia.org/jorge-pereyra-diaz), captain Rahul Bheke, and foreign players Greg Stewart and Rostyn Griffiths. New signing Nikolaos Karelis scored 10 goals, and the defense kept 10 clean sheets, the joint-second highest tally in the league, but the attack's 29 goals fell well short of the 42 scored the previous season.[14](https://www.indiansuperleague.com/features/isl-2024-25-mumbai-city-fc-season-review-struggles-setbacks-and-a-search-for-answers)
**2025-26.** Under head coach Petr Kratky, in a condensed 13-match league, the club finished third with 25 points and conceded only nine goals, the joint-best defensive record of the season. Captain [Lallianzuala Chhangte](https://www.edgepedia.org/lallianzuala-chhangte) was the club's top scorer with four goals, and goalkeeper Phurba Lachenpa registered five clean sheets. The season exposed the lack of a clinical center-forward, with Jorge Pereyra Díaz limited to six appearances and one goal through injury and loss of form.[15](https://khelnow.com/football/indian-football-isl-2025-26-mumbai-city-fc-season-review-202606)
## Home ground and community
The club plays at Mumbai Football Arena in the Andheri Sports Complex, one of the few dedicated football stadiums in India, with a listed capacity of 6,600 seats in one account and 8,000 in CFG's acquisition announcement.[4](https://fifacies.pimsr.ac.in/event/visit-to-mumbai-football-arena-andheri/) • [5](https://www.cityfootballgroup.com/post/cfg-acquires-majority-stake-in-indian-super-league-s-mumbai-city-fc) The club's registered office is at Arun Chambers, Tardeo, Mumbai.[1](https://www.the-aiff.com/club/mumbai-city-fc-8987)
Community work has included planting 5 trees in Goa for every goal scored during the bubble season of 2020-21, 200 trees in total from 40 goals, and, with water technology partner Xylem, a water-awareness festival for over 200 children in Dharavi on [Children's Day](https://www.edgepedia.org/childrens-day) in November 2022 and the installation of a hand-washing station at the same school in July 2023.[10](https://www.mumbaicityfc.com/community)
## References
1. [Mumbai City FC, All India Football Federation club page](https://www.the-aiff.com/club/mumbai-city-fc-8987)
2. [Year in review 2021, Mumbai City FC: A tale of glory and dominance, Indian Super League](https://www.indiansuperleague.com/features/year-in-review-2021-mumbai-city-fc-a-tale-of-glory-and-dominance)
3. [AFC Champions League 2022 Official Media Guide, Asian Football Confederation](https://assets.the-afc.com/ACL_2022/Downloads/AFC-Champions-League%E2%84%A2-2022-Official-Media-Guide.pdf)
4. [Visit to Mumbai Football Arena, Andheri, PILLAI/FIFA/CIES International Programme in Sports Management](https://fifacies.pimsr.ac.in/event/visit-to-mumbai-football-arena-andheri/)
5. [CFG acquires majority stake in Indian Super League's Mumbai City FC, City Football Group](https://www.cityfootballgroup.com/post/cfg-acquires-majority-stake-in-indian-super-league-s-mumbai-city-fc)
6. [Ownership Update, Mumbai City FC, 26 December 2025](https://www.mumbaicityfc.com/news/ownership-update)
7. [Proud Lobera credits team-work for Mumbai City FC's maiden Hero ISL trophy, Indian Super League](https://www.indiansuperleague.com/news/proud-lobera-credits-team-work-for-mumbai-city-fcs-maiden-hero-isl-trophy)
8. [A Study on impact of strategic tie ups between Indian vs Foreign Football Clubs, NKC College AQAR 2023-24](https://nkc.ac.in/AQAR-23-24/AQAR_2023-24_TYBMS_Sports_Management_P_10.pdf)
9. [New era under Buckingham: Will Mumbai City FC defend the League Winners' Shield and the ISL trophy?, Indian Super League](https://www.indiansuperleague.com/news/new-era-under-buckingham-will-mumbai-city-fc-defend-the-league-winners-shield-and-the-isl-trophy)
10. [Community, Mumbai City FC official website](https://www.mumbaicityfc.com/community)
11. [Hero ISL 2022-23 Playoffs: A detailed look at Mumbai City FC, Indian Super League](https://www.indiansuperleague.com/features/hero-isl-2022-23-playoffs-a-detailed-look-at-mumbai-city-fc)
12. [ISL 2023-24 Playoffs: A detailed look at Mumbai City FC, Indian Super League](https://www.indiansuperleague.com/news/isl-2023-24-playoffs-a-detailed-look-at-mumbai-city-fc)
13. [El colapso del fútbol indio expulsa al City Group, AS](https://as.com/futbol/internacional/el-colapso-del-futbol-indio-expulsa-al-city-group-f202512-n/)
14. [ISL 2024-25, Mumbai City FC season review: Struggles, setbacks and a search for answers, Indian Super League](https://www.indiansuperleague.com/features/isl-2024-25-mumbai-city-fc-season-review-struggles-setbacks-and-a-search-for-answers)
15. [ISL 2025-26: Mumbai City FC season review, Khel Now](https://khelnow.com/football/indian-football-isl-2025-26-mumbai-city-fc-season-review-202606)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › Teams and sporting organizations › Football clubs of Asia and Oceania › South, Southeast Asia, and Oceania clubs*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license