The All India Football Federation announced on Wednesday that the Super Cup 2025, India’s annual premier football cup competition, will take place in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, beginning April 21.
The 16-team elite club competition will be played in a knockout style, as opposed to prior years when it was divided into a group stage and then knockouts. The fifth edition of the event will feature all 13 Indian Super League (ISL) clubs as well as three I-League teams.
The winner formerly qualified for the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) Cup, but will now have the opportunity to compete in the 2025-26 AFC Champions League 2 (ACL2) Playoffs, allowing Indian clubs to make their impact on the continental arena.
The Super Cup replaced the Federation Cup in 2018, and three of its previous four editions have taken place in Bhubaneswar. Bengaluru FC won the first edition in 2018, followed by FC Goa the next year. Odisha FC won the championship after a three-year break in 2023.
East Bengal ended a 12-year drought in the 2024 Kalinga Super Cup by defeating Odisha FC 3-2 after extra time at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.
With only two game weeks remaining in the 2024-25 ISL season, the Super Cup will take place following the playoffs in India’s premier domestic league.
The promoters faced widespread criticism over the delay in announcing whether or not the tournament would go place. Manolo Marquez, India and FC Goa’s head coach, believes the country needs to develop in this area.
“This is the one area in which India must improve. We need the schedule, calendar, and fixtures so you can plan how to train, when to rest, and when to push the players (to train harder). It’s vital to know because of the athletes’ physical condition and health,” Manolo remarked.
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