Can the Super Cup boost Indian football?

Eliminated in both the Asian Cup and World Cup qualifiers, the men’s national football team finds itself in a nightmare that no footballing nation should find itself in.

Add to that the uncertainty surrounding the future of the Indian Super League, and it becomes clear that Indian football is in a crisis of its own making.

But survival precedes resurrection. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) hopes that the 2025-2026 Super Cup is, after all, that faint ray of light at the end of a long, dark tunnel.

«Football is a matter of national importance. Individuals may change but the game must go on,» AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey said.

Since replacing the Federation Cup in 2018, the Super Cup has been central to Odisha’s long-standing ambitions to become the sporting capital of India – with all but one edition held in Bhubaneswar.

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Yet the shine has worn thinner with each passing year, and the voices of coaches and players have echoed off the concrete instead of being met with cheering stands. The AIFF has now decided to make it the highlight this season instead of the last act and is pitching its tent in Goa.

Choppy waters

In the year 2025, through October, the AIFF and Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) – the body that ran the ISL until the 2024-2025 season – were locked in a tug-of-war, with their relationship set to end in two months. A full season without top-flight football, India’s poor international performances and Mohun Bagan Super Giant’s successive withdrawals from the AFC Champions League Two (ACL 2) threaten to dent India’s AFC coefficient rankings.

In the past, the same metric has seen India’s slots reduced to zero in the AFC Champions League Elite – and history can still rhyme if you’re not careful.

In such times, the Super Cup offers a last chance to save continental berths for Indian clubs. The winner of the Super Cup secures a place in the preliminary round of ACL 2.

Yet familiar cracks remain: the format of the tournament has changed more often than the tactics of a losing team.

The 2025-2026 Super Cup will consist of 16 teams, divided into four groups of four, with the group winners qualifying for the semi-finals.

The tournament broadcast tells the story of two cities: all matches in Fatorda are broadcast or streamed, while those in Bambolim are played off-camera (at the time of writing).

That four of the 16 teams – FC Goa, Bengaluru FC, Mohun Bagan Super Giant and Mumbai City FC – have been spared travel and have guaranteed broadcasts for all their group stage matches also raises the age-old question: are all clubs truly equal before the federation?

Reshuffling of the selection

The uncertainty surrounding the ISL has affected the transfers, sponsorship and finances of several clubs – most notably Odisha FC, which will not be participating in the Super Cup for the first time.

The club won the tournament in 2023 and reached the final in 2024. Meanwhile, Churchill Brothers – the 2013/14 Federation Cup champions – withdrew from last season’s Super Cup and have also opted out of this edition.

However, there are reasons for excitement among fans. Three-time national champions Dempo Sports Club are entering the Super Cup for the first time, replacing Real Kashmir and reviving a touch of nostalgia for vintage Goan football.

SCHEDULE | Supercup 2025-26

The Golden Eagles have struggled to gain prominence since their withdrawal from the I-League in 2016.

After back-to-back promotions to the I-League in 2024, Dempo finished in the top half last season and will be hoping to continue his rise in the Super Cup.

Hyderabad FC, the 2021-2022 ISL champions, will play its first reborn tournament as Sporting Club Delhi under coach Tomasz Tchórz.

The tournament pits Bagan and East Bengal – one of the few embers still burning brightly – against each other in the group stage, for a fourth Kolkata derby this season. East Bengal have won the first two, while Bagan claimed the last on October 18 by lifting the IFA Shield. The Red and Gold Brigade ended a 12-year drought of domestic trophies with the Super Cup in 2024 and will look to add another under new coach Oscar Bruzon.

Defending champions FC Goa will be looking for an early Christmas on home soil, with coach Manolo Marquez rejoining the side after a nightmarish spell as India coach.

He has won three trophies in India – two of them, the Bandodkar Trophy and Super Cup, with the Gaurs – and will be keen to win a fourth, thanks to local support.

The last dance?

The 2025-2026 Super Cup could also be a potential swan song for India’s record goalscorer Sunil Chhetri.

The striker came out of international retirement in March but has not found the net in competitive matches since.

Chhetri turns 42 next year, and with no clarity on the next ISL season, the Bengaluru FC forward could end it all with one final flourish in the Super Cup.

This could also prove to be the last waltz for Chaubey, with elections looming in September next year.

Looking inward and rebuilding the domestic structure has always been the basis for the revival in football countries.

The Super Cup could well serve as a catalyst for this, a reminder that even in times of turmoil, hope remains for those willing to look in the right direction.

Published on October 24, 2025