Kolkata is still buzzing. Honestly, if you watched the final weeks of the indian super league standings 2024 season (which technically wrapped its league phase in early 2025), you know it wasn't just about football. It was about drama. Mohun Bagan Super Giant didn't just win; they essentially rewrote the record books of Indian football.
They finished with 56 points. Fifty-six.
That is the highest ever in ISL history. Jose Molina’s men were a machine, winning 17 of their 24 matches. They managed to pull off a "double," securing both the League Winners' Shield and the ISL Cup. It’s rare. Actually, only Mumbai City had done it before back in 2021. But let’s look at how the table actually shook out because the middle of the pack was a total mess—in the best way possible.
Breaking Down the Indian Super League Standings 2024
Most people expected a tight race, but Mohun Bagan basically ran away with it toward the end. They ended up 8 points clear of second place. Behind them, FC Goa clinched the second spot with 48 points. This was massive for Manolo Marquez because it gave them a direct ticket to the semi-finals and a spot in the AFC Champions League Two preliminary stage.
Then it got weird.
Look at positions three through five. Bengaluru FC, NorthEast United, and Jamshedpur FC all finished on exactly 38 points. It’s kinda wild. To separate them, we had to look at head-to-head records. Bengaluru took third because they were slightly better in those specific matchups (7 points in the mini-table), while NorthEast United settled for fourth. Jamshedpur, despite a valiant effort, took fifth.
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Mumbai City, the defending Cup champions from the previous year, barely scraped into the final playoff spot. They finished sixth with 36 points. It was a stressful year for the Islanders, but they made the cut.
The Mid-Table Heartbreak
If you're an Odisha FC fan, the indian super league standings 2024 probably still hurts. They finished 7th with 33 points. Just one more win would have changed everything. Instead, they’re looking at a long off-season wondering "what if."
Kerala Blasters finished 8th with 29 points. Their season was a rollercoaster. Mikael Stahre was sacked in December, and the team never really found that consistent rhythm the Manjappada craves.
Further down, the gap was noticeable:
- East Bengal FC: 9th place (28 points).
- Punjab FC: 10th place (28 points).
- Chennaiyin FC: 11th place (27 points).
- Hyderabad FC: 12th place (18 points).
- Mohammedan SC: 13th place (13 points).
Mohammedan SC’s debut season was rough. Thirteen points from 24 games is a tough pill to swallow, but they’re in the big leagues now. The learning curve is steep.
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Why the Numbers Don't Tell the Whole Story
Stats are great, but they don't show the grit. Take NorthEast United, for example. They had a goal difference of +17, which was actually the second-best in the entire league. Better than Goa! Yet, they finished fourth. That tells you they were blowing teams out but perhaps losing the tight, 1-0 grinders.
Then there’s Mohun Bagan’s defense. Vishal Kaith kept 15 clean sheets. That’s basically saying "don't bother" to half the league. When you have a keeper in that kind of form, your position in the indian super league standings 2024 is almost guaranteed to be at the top.
Tactical Shifts and Managerial Chaos
This season felt like a game of Musical Chairs. We saw seven managerial changes. Seven!
East Bengal started poorly, Carles Cuadrat resigned, and Oscar Bruzon came in. Kerala Blasters moved on from Ivan Vukomanovic only to sack his successor, Mikael Stahre, mid-season. It’s hard to build a winning culture when the boss changes every few months.
On the flip side, Jose Molina at Mohun Bagan stayed the course. He inherited a talented squad and just fine-tuned it. They played a brand of football that was less about "possession for the sake of it" and more about "hurt them on the transition."
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Actionable Insights for the 2025-26 Season
If you are following the league now, the 2024 standings give us a clear roadmap of what to look for next.
First, keep an eye on the "Head-to-Head" rules. As we saw with the 3rd-5th place tie, goal difference doesn't always save you in the ISL. You have to beat your direct rivals. Second, the league is expanding. With Inter Kashi expected to join soon, the schedule is getting more congested. Depth is no longer a luxury; it's a requirement.
What to do now:
- Track the AFC coefficients: Mohun Bagan’s performance in Asia directly affects how many spots India gets in the future.
- Watch the transfer window: Teams like Odisha and Kerala Blasters are already clearing house. Expect big-name signings to fix those mid-table gaps.
- Monitor the injury lists: Several top scorers, including Dimitrios Diamantakos, struggled with fitness toward the end of the 2024 cycle. Their recovery will dictate the early 2025-26 standings.
The 2024 season proved that the gap between the "Elite" and the "Rest" is widening, but the scramble for those playoff spots is tighter than ever. If your team isn't in the top six, the pressure is officially on.