Mohun Bagan and East Bengal have always plied their trade at the top tier of Indian football since the National Football League (NFL) was established back in 1996.
But with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) all set to grant the winners of the Indian Super League (ISL) a slot in Asian Football Confederations (AFC) Champions League preliminary qualifiers from the next season, the two legacy clubs will not be a part of the national first division for the first time since the inception of a structured domestic league in India.