NorthEast United represents the 8 states of North East India, consisting of Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura and Mizoram.

[5] On 13 April 2014, it was announced that the Bollywood actor John Abraham and Shillong Lajong Football Club had won the bidding for the franchise.

On 16 July 2014, the club signed Joan Capdevila, a European Championship and World Cup winning defender with Spain, as its marquee player.

[7] On 13 October 2014, the team won their first ISL match at the Indira Gandhi Stadium, with Spaniard Koke scoring the only goal of the game to defeat Kerala Blasters.

[12] The club entered the top-four for semi-finals by the end of the season but lost their position to Chennaiyin, who defeated Pune City to gain 3 points and secure the spot.

[citation needed] On 17 July 2017, in hope for a great season NorthEast United signed the young Portuguese manager Joao Carlos Pires de Deus.

The game ended in a draw with neither side managing to find the back of the net despite NorthEast playing against a 10 men Jamshedpur in the last 20 minutes.

The first goal of the match came from Marcinho in the 17th minute, when a cross by Halicharan Narzary from the left flank found him unmarked inside the box.

In the Super Cup, the team reached quarter-finals after fellow northeastern club NEROCA didn't play the match in round of 16 hence, giving them a walkover.

The club appointed Robert Jarni, as their head coach and also signed the Ghanaian legend Asamoah Gyan and Indian U17 youngsters Ninthoi Meetei and Lalengmawia.

The club appointed Gerard Nus, a Spanish manager as their head coach and also signed the Mauritanian international Khassa Camara, Ghanaian striker Kwesi Appiah and Belgian defender Benjamin Lambot.

[30] Under his guidance, NorthEast began its 2021–22 Indian Super League campaign on 20 November with a 4–2 loss to Bengaluru FC.

The ISL's first ever Indian head coach Khalid Jamil failed to live up to everyone's expectations as the Highlanders finished 10th on the league standings.

[32] NorthEast United appointed Paul Groves and Floyd Pinto as their assistant manager for the upcoming season.

[33][34] On 8 December 2022, Vincenzo Alberto Annese joined NorthEast United as the new head coach after the club sacked Marco Balbul mid-season.

[35] On 22 May 2023, NorthEast United appointed Juan Pedro Benali as the team's Head Coach on a 1+1 year deal.

In a thrilling final against Mohun Bagan SG, the match was decided by a penalty shootout, with NorthEast United emerging victorious.

A standout performance was their commanding 5–0 victory over Jamshedpur FC on October 26, 2024, marking their biggest win in ISL history.

[citation needed] NorthEast United FC plays their home matches at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati.

The stadium saw the lowest attendance in the history of ISL when only 361 fans turned up to witness the match played between NorthEast United and FC Goa on 15 January 2023.

Before the fourth season of the Indian Super League, keeping an eye on the occasion, a major chunk of the group members decided to meet and attempt to do something big.

To ensure that the football culture remains proactive in the city, the brigade plans to indulge in more fan activities in the future as well.

[45] Even after a lacklustre fourth season for the club, the Highlander Brigade could be seen cheering them on with the red-white-black flags and banners thumping down the beats.

[50] The consortium that bid for the franchise also included then Meghalaya based I-League club Shillong Lajong FC and their owner Larsingh Ming Sawyan, and Guwahati-based businessman Sanjiv Narain.

NorthEast United FC hosted a series of qualifying games for all the participants wanting to represent the club in eISL.