The AIFF Super Cup (officially known as the Kalinga Super Cup for sponsorship reasons) is an annual football competition and the premier cup competition in men's domestic football in India. It was founded on February 19, 2018 as a replacement for Federation Cup.[2] Organised by the All India Football Federation (AIFF),[3] the competition is open to all clubs in the Indian Super League and the I-League, the top two division of the Indian football league system respectively.
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| Organising body | AIFF |
|---|---|
| Founded | February 19, 2018 (succeeded the Federation Cup) |
| Region | India |
| Number of teams | 16 (group stage)[1] |
| Qualifier for | AFC Champions League Two |
| Current champions | East Bengal (1st title) |
| Most successful club(s) | Bengaluru Goa Odisha East Bengal (1 title each) |
| Television broadcasters | JioCinema
|
| Website | Super Cup |
 2024 Super Cup | |
History
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]
In the second edition, seven I-League clubs, namely Minerva Punjab, East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, NEROCA, Gokulam Kerala, Aizwal and Churchill Brothers withdrew from the competition citing "unfair treatment to I-League clubs by the AIFF."[6]
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.
Winners
Super Cup finals
| Season | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Venue | Top scorer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Bengaluru | 4–1 | East Bengal | Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar |  Sunil Chhetri (6) |
| 2019 | Goa | 2–1 | Chennaiyin | Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar |  Coro (5) |
| 2020–2022 | Tournament suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Indian National Team's international fixtures | ||||
| 2023 | Odisha | 2–1 | Bengaluru | EMS Stadium, Kozhikode |  Wilmar Jordán (7) |
| 2024 | East Bengal | 3–2 | Odisha | Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar |  Cleiton Silva (5) |
Performance by club
| Club | Wins | Runners-up | Winning years | Total finals appearances |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bengaluru | 1 | 1 | 2018 | 2 |
| Odisha | 1 | 1 | 2023 | 2 |
| East Bengal | 1 | 1 | 2024 | 2 |
| Goa | 1 | 0 | 2019 | 1 |
List of winning coaches
| Season | Winning Head coach | Club | Runner-up Head coach | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Albert Roca | Bengaluru | Khalid Jamil | East Bengal |
| 2019 | Sergio Lobera | Goa |  John Gregory | Chennaiyin |
| 2023 | Clifford Miranda | Odisha | Simon Grayson | Bengaluru |
| 2024 | Carles Cuadrat | East Bengal | Sergio Lobera | Odisha |
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Goals | Apps | Years | Club(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sunil Chhetri | 9 | 10 | 2018–2023 | Bengaluru |
| 2 | Wilmar Jordán | 8 | 7 | 2023–2024 | NorthEast United, Punjab |
| Diego Maurício | 8 | 10 | 2023–2024 | Odisha | |
| 4 | Coro | 7 | 7 | 2018–2019 | Goa |
| Nandhakumar Sekar | 7 | 14 | 2023–2024 | Odisha, East Bengal | |
| 6 |  Ansumana Kromah | 6 | 8 | 2018–2023 | East Bengal, Churchill Brothers |
| 7 |  Miku | 5 | 5 | 2018–2019 | Bengaluru |
 Dimitrios Diamantakos | 5 | 6 | 2023–2024 | Kerala Blasters | |
| Cleiton Silva | 5 | 8 | 2023–2024 | East Bengal |
Sponsorship and media coverage
Sponsoring
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]
| Period | Sponsor | Tournament |
|---|---|---|
| 2018–2023 | Hero MotoCorp | Hero Super Cup |
| 2023–present | Government of Odisha & Odisha Tourism | Kalinga Super Cup |
Media coverage
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.
| Period | Broadcaster | Region |
|---|---|---|
| 2018–2019 | Disney+ Hotstar | Worldwide |
| 2023 | FanCode | India |
| 2024– | JioCinema | India |