AIFF adapts FA Cup style for Super Cup; Durand Cup from 26 July

NEW DELHI: The Super Cup, India’s premier knock-out football tournament and which also offers a spot in the AFC Champions League 2, is set to adopt a new format in the 2024-25 season, similar to England’s FA Cup.

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) in its calendar for the upcoming season has slotted the Super Cup in the October 1, 2024 to May 15, 2025 window.

The Super Cup, which replaced the country’s top knock-out tournament Federation Cup in 2018, normally has duration of less than a month.

“The AIFF wants the Super Cup in FA Cup (of England) style from this season. That is why it has a window of more than seven months,” an AIFF source told media.

The Super Cup will run almost concurrently with the top-tier Indian Super League (ISL) and the second tier I-League in the 2024-25 season. The details of the tournament, including the exact format, will be announced later.

The Football Association Cup of England is an annual knockout domestic competition. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competition in the world.

The FA Cup is open to all clubs from 10 tiers of the footballing pyramid in England, including the Premier League (PL) sides.

The competition starts with qualifying rounds featuring the lower division teams, with the higher ranked clubs slotting in at the advanced stages based on league hierarchy.

The Super Cup, organised by the AIFF, is open to all ISL and I-League clubs, the top two division of the domestic league system.

The last Super Cup was held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, in January, with 16 clubs competing in the group stage.

All the ISL clubs directly entered in the group stage while the I-League sides played the qualifiers for the four remaining spots.

The champion team gets a spot in the AFC Champions League 2, the second tier of the Asian club competition system, just like FA Cup winning side books a berth in the UEFA Europa League.

The AIFF also announced that the 11th edition of the ISL will kick off on September 14 and will run till April 30, 2025, while the I-League will be played between October 19 to April 30.

The senior competition calendar for the 2024-25 season will begin with the Duran Cup, Asia’s oldest tournament, scheduled from July 26 to August 31.

The 78th National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy will be held from November 5 to 15 (Group Stage) and December 1 to 15 (Final Round).

The 29th Senior Women’s National Football Championship will take place in September (Group Stage) and October (Final Round).

The Indian Women’s League will be held from October 25, 2023-April 30, 2024.