AIFF confirms Super Cup that is being held for the Indian Super League

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has decided to raise the Super Cup to the September -December window because the future of the Indian Super League (ISL) remains uncertain. With the lock originally reserved for the opening round of the ISL now empty, the cup tournament will take its place.

The AIFF President has recently a meeting with Isl Club Chiefs and has completed plans for the tournament, whose winner will earn a place in the AFC Champions League Two forerunners.

«We expect that (Super Cup) should be in the second or third week of September. Some teams need 6-8 weeks to complete the preparation and bring players back. In our next meeting we will announce the kick-off date,» said Kalyan Chaubey, the AIFF president.

The ISL, the best men’s football competition in India, is organized by Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) under a Master Rights Agreement (MRA) with the AIFF.

With the MRA that ends in December and the Supreme Court stops further negotiations until it rules the AIFF -Constitution, conversations about a new deal are bound.

The resulting uncertainty has disrupted the primary income flow for clubs. Various teams – including Bengaluru FC, Chennaiyin FC and Odisha FC – have temporarily suspended operations.

«It is the club’s decision to pay their players or staff. We cannot intervene, so all top competitions work,» Chaubey added.

In response, the AIFF decided, after consultation with the clubs, to organize the Super Cup as a stop-gap measure. Introduced in 2018 to replace the Federation Cup, the tournament was usually held at the Kalinga Stadium of Bhubaneswar, with only the 2023 edition organized in Kerala.

FC Goa, under former India coach Manolo Marquez, won the most recent edition and defeated Khalid Jamil’s Jamshedpur FC in the final.