On 19 February 2018, the All India Football Federation announced the creation of the Super Cup as a reformedFederation Cup, India's main knockout football tournament.[5][3] 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.[5]Bengaluru emerged as the winners of the inaugural edition of the recherished tournament. They defeatedEast Bengal 4–1 in the final.[6]
From 2020 to 2022, the competition was suspended due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. From the 2024 edition the competition is known as theKalinga Super Cup, as part of the title sponsorship agreement with theGovernment of Odisha.[8] In the 2025–26 edition, it was held in the initial phase of the season as a season opener after theDurand Cup unlike previous editions.[9]
Until 2019, the competition proper was a 16-teamknockout tournament. In the event of a match being drawn after the group stage, theextra time was played, followed by apenalty shoot-out if required. In 2024, the competition comprised 16 clubs in group stage. All clubs in the top tier Indian Super League entered the group stage, and the I-League clubs played qualifiers for the four remaining spots. During the group stage, clubs were divided into four groups of four, playing against each other in a singleround-robin format. At the end of the group stage, the club with the most points qualified to the semi-finals. The competition then culminated with the final to determine the champions, presented with the trophy and a spot in theAFC Champions League Two qualifiers.
The title sponsor for the Super Cup wasHero MotoCorp until the 2023 edition.[10] Hero MotoCorp was also the title sponsor for the Indian Super League and I-League, the leagues which comprise Super Cup participants.[11][12] The next title sponsor was theGovernment of Odisha with the tournament being known as Kalinga Super Cup.[13][14]
Star Sports was the official broadcaster for the AIFF Super Cup, with all matches being broadcast on the channel, andDisney+ Hotstar was the official online streaming partner of the tournament.[15] Since 2023,Sony Sports and FanCode became the official media partners.
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2025–26
Sunil Chhetri (6)
Coro (5)
Wilmar Jordán (7)
Cleiton Silva (5)
Ansumana Kromah
Miku
Dimitrios Diamantakos