The last time Kannur Warriors and Thrissur Magic met, a trophy changed hands. Asier Gomes converted an 18th-minute penalty. Kannur then lost a defender to a red card before half-time. Still, more than 25,000 fans watched the hosts hold on for a 1-0 win. That was December 19. On September 25, they return to the same ground, Kannur’s Jawahar Municipal Stadium, to open Super League Kerala 2026. The third season runs until December 12, and it arrives with a twist: no match will end level. Instead, tied games go to penalties after 90 minutes. A regulation win earns three points, a shootout win two and a shootout defeat one. The semi-finals, meanwhile, become two-legged, home-and-away ties. Expansion, however, must wait. “As during the previous season, six teams will compete this year also,” managing director Firoz Meeran told Malayala Manorama. Kasaragod and Palakkad are expected to join next year.
Super League Kerala 2026 Squads: Kannur Warriors and Malappuram FC Set the Pace
Kannur Warriors have changed the man in the dugout but kept their spine. Andrey Chernyshov, who guided Thrissur to last season’s final, now coaches the champions. Captain Ernestine Lavsamba, Gomes and Muhammed Sinan, last season’s best young player, all stay. In addition, Spanish forward Gerard Artigas, once of Barcelona’s youth system, arrives with compatriot Varo Alvarez. Ghanaian midfielders Frederick Ansah Botchway and Muhammed Musharaf also join. Nijo Gilbert, Umashankar M and Faslu Rahman, meanwhile, add domestic depth. Malappuram FC, co-owned by cricketer Sanju Samson, have been equally busy. Moroccan coach Karim Bencherifa takes charge, and his headline recruit is Bongani Zungu. The 33-year-old South African midfielder has played for Rangers, Amiens and Mamelodi Sundowns. Brazilian striker Paulo Victor, Gabonese midfielder Grace Adieu Youmou, defender Mashoor Shereef and forward Daniel Lalhlimpuia have signed too. Abdul Hakku and Akbar Sidhique remain from last year’s semi-finalists.
Calicut FC and Forca Kochi: Argentine Flair, Belgian Experience
Calicut FC, winners of the first edition, have kept faith in Argentine coach Ever Demaldé despite last season’s semi-final exit. Their headline arrival is his compatriot Maximiliano Urruti, a seasoned Major League Soccer forward. Gani Ahammed Nigam also returns to the club where he won the 2024 title. Besides them, midfielder Emil Benny, I-League winner Girik Khosla and under-20 prospect Calwin Thomas have joined. Captain Prashant K stays on. Forca Kochi, however, have the most to repair. The club co-owned by actor Prithviraj Sukumaran lost seven matches in a row last season. Their answer is Vital Borkelmans, 63, who played for Belgium at two World Cups. He later took Jordan to the last 16 of the 2019 Asian Cup. Goalkeeper Debjit Majumder and Brazilian defender Renan Araujo are the reported early arrivals. Home games, meanwhile, are set to return to Kaloor’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
Thiruvananthapuram Kombans and Thrissur Magic: Late Movers in Super League Kerala 2026
Thiruvananthapuram Kombans missed the semi-finals by a single point last season. This time, the capital club, whose chief patron is Shashi Tharoor, have hired a proven winner. Ian Gillan coached Calicut to the first title, and he arrives with firm views on Indian football’s reliance on imports. “This hinders the development of Indian players,” he told the media on Monday, according to The Hindu. Thrissur Magic, meanwhile, have replaced Chernyshov with Spaniard David Caneda. Both clubs were slow off the mark in the market. In fact, neither had announced a signing when Khel Now updated its transfer tracker on September 1. The league’s own release, however, promises familiar Indian Super League names, including Roy Krishna, Mailson Alves, Ishan Pandita, Lenny Rodrigues, Rafael Augusto and Michael Soosairaj. Since every tied game now ends in a shootout, goalkeepers and penalty takers could well decide Super League Kerala 2026.
