On 19 February 2018, the All India Football Federation announced the creation of the Super Cup as a reformed Federation Cup, India's main knockout football tournament.[4][2] The qualifiers for the inaugural recherished tournament were held between 15–16 March. The tournament proper then commenced on 31 March and concluded with the final on 20 April 2018.[4]Bengaluru emerged as the winners of the inaugural edition of the recherished tournament. They defeated East Bengal 4–1 in the final.[5]
From 2020 to 2022, the competition was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
From the 2024 season onwards the Super Cup is renamed as the Kalinga Super Cup. Inaugural edition was played between 9 and 28 January.[7]
Competition format
Until 2019, the competition proper was a 16-team knockout tournament. In the event of a match being drawn after the completion of 90 minutes after the group stage, extra time is played, followed by a penalty shoot-out if required.
The competition currently comprises 16 clubs in group stage. All clubs in the top tier Indian Super League enter the group stage, and I-League clubs play qualifiers for the four remaining spots. During the group stage, clubs are divided into four groups of four, playing against each other in a single round-robin format. At the end of the group stage, the team with the most points qualify to the semi-finals. The competition then culminates with the final to determine the champions who are presented with the super cup trophy and a spot in the AFC Champions League Two.
The title sponsor for the Super Cup was Hero MotoCorp until the 2023 edition.[8] Hero MotoCorp was also the title sponsor for the Indian Super League and I-League, the leagues which comprise Super Cup participants.[9][10] The current title sponsor is the Government of Odisha with the tournament being known as Kalinga Super Cup.[11][12]
Star Sports was the official broadcaster for the AIFF Super Cup, with all matches being broadcast on the channel, and Disney+ Hotstar was the official online streaming partner of the tournament.[13] Since 2023, Sony Sports and FanCode became the official media partners.