The fixtures for the Kalinga Super Cup 2025 were announced on Monday, April 7, 2025.
The tournament, which will be played in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, from April 20 to May 3, will see participation from 16 clubs (13 from the Indian Super League and three from the I-League), in a single-elimination knock-out format. All matches will take place at the Kalinga Stadium.
The ISL teams were seeded for the round of 16 according to their final league position in the 2024-25 season. Three I-League teams confirmed their participation – Churchill Brothers FC Goa, Inter Kashi, and Gokulam Kerala FC. They will face the top three ISL teams (Mohun Bagan Super Giant, FC Goa and Bengaluru FC). These three match-ups will be decided by a draw on Wednesday, April 9.
The round of 16 will be played on April 20, 21, 23 and 24, the quarter-finals on April 26 and 27, the semi-finals on April 30, and the final on May 3. If the scores are level at the end of 90 minutes in the round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals, there will be no extra time, and a penalty shoot-out will determine the winner. If the scores are level at the end of 90 minutes in the final, there will be extra time, followed by a penalty shoot-out to determine the champion.
The winners of the Kalinga Super Cup 2025 will qualify for the 2025-26 AFC Champions League Two Preliminary Round. East Bengal FC are the defending champions, having beaten Odisha FC in the 2024 final in Bhubaneswar. Odisha FC (2023), FC Goa (2019) and Bengaluru FC (2018) have been the past champions of the Super Cup.
KALINGA SUPER CUP 2025 FIXTURES
Round of 16 (seeds in bracket): Sunday, April 20 (16:30) — Kerala Blasters FC (8) vs East Bengal FC (9) Sunday, April 20 (20:00) — Mohun Bagan SG (1) vs I-League Club - TBC Monday, April 21 (16:30) — FC Goa (2) vs I-League Club - TBC Monday, April 21 (20:00) — Odisha FC (7) vs Punjab FC (10) Wednesday, April 23 (16:30) — Bengaluru FC (3) vs I-League Club - TBC Wednesday, April 23 (20:00) — Mumbai City FC (6) vs Chennaiyin FC (11) Thursday, April 24 (16:30) — NorthEast United FC (4) vs Mohammedan Sporting Club (13) Friday, April 24 (20:00) — Jamshedpur FC (5) vs Hyderabad FC (12)
Quarter-finals: QF1 - Saturday, April 26 (16:30) — KBFC/EBFC vs MBSG/I-League QF2 - Saturday, April 26 (20:00) — FCG/I-League vs OFC/PFC QF3 - Sunday, April 27 (16:30) — BFC/I-League vs MCFC/CFC QF4 - Sunday, April 27 (20:00) — NEUFC/MSC vs JFC/HFC
Semi-finals: SF1 - Wednesday, April 30 (16:30) — Winner QF1 vs Winner QF2 SF2 - Wednesday, April 30 (20:00) — Winner QF3 vs Winner QF4
Final: Saturday, May 3 (Time TBC) - Winner SF1 vs Winner SF2
Kerala Blasters got their Super Cup 2025 campaign off to a flying start with a convincing 2-0 victory over East Bengal in the tournament opener. David Catala’s men booked their place in the quarterfinals, where they will face Mohun Bagan Super Giant, who were given a bye in the first round.
Big farce, this tournament. Nobody is interested, not the clubs, not the supporters, not even AIFF. Even IFN doesn't have a dedicated thread for this farce , because clubs are giving it a pass faster than the progress of this tournament (difficult to make thread under this circumstances).
I don't know what are the gains hosting this tournament.
No end in sight for Indian football in a free fall
Indian football has had a mighty fall, and for all of us concerned, it is hurting bad.
The fans are out there highly disheartened and disillusioned, club owners are wondering if it’s worth investing crores into the Indian game every year, and CEOs are speaking out against a “rotten system” where “everything moves on influence, favours, and fragile egos.”
To get a measure of just how far behind Indian football has fallen, look no further than Jordan. Less than seven years ago, India faced Jordan in Amman and were competitive, despite missing out on seven players who were stranded at the Kuwait International Airport for over 32 hours due to rough weather and flooding of the tarmac. India lost 2-1 with the Jordan goalkeeper Amer Shafi getting on the scoresheet, his long ball misjudged by Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
Since then, Jordan have played the final of the AFC Asian Cup 2023 and have now punched their ticket to the FIFA World Cup 2026 -- quite some progress for a side with an average ranking of 96 and worst of 152.
India? Currently an unflattering 133 in the latest rankings, just two spots away from their worst-ever – 135 -- in the last 10 years.
“This is completely unacceptable, just not good enough under any circumstances,” said Bengaluru FC owner Parth Jindal, in the aftermath of the team’s defeat Tuesday to Hong Kong that left India at the bottom of their group in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.
The defeat left coach Manolo Marquez with just one win from eight matches in-charge of the national team, and India with just one victory in the last 18 months.
“If an experienced coach like Manolo, with his record of developing players in India, cannot obtain results, then it should make us think,” said India’s most successful domestic coach Armando Colaco, who also had a brief stint with the national team.
Coaches have hardly got a decent run with most appointments being either temporary or arbitrary. Not many inspire confidence. The senior team has had two coaches; third likely for the next round of games, four have taken charge of the women’s team and two for the U-17 and U-23 teams.
“Coaching changes at the national team level is just rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic,” said Odisha FC owner Rohan Sharma, who called for institutional changes like building fields for free use, subsidising costs for coaches who want Pro License and grants to academies.
“Deep introspection is needed by the AIFF. This is not what all of us, lovers and backers of Indian football, have spent our hard-earned money and effort on. Get a manager and a system that works, it’s high time. There is too much effort to see a result like this,” said Jindal.
It is not just the senior national team that has little or nothing to show. The women’s team flopped at the SAFF Championships, the under-20 team turned in multiple disappointing results, under-23 stumbled in the Olympic qualifiers and the under-17s, India’s big hopes, didn’t go far either, failing to make it to the final round of the Asian championships.
“How much time do the coaches get with the team?” asked Colaco, referring to the performance against Hong Kong, “If players miss (easy) chances, there’s little anyone can do. The players have to gel together and play as a team. For that to happen, maybe AIFF can explore fielding a team like the Arrows.
”There is also the largely unspoken issue of senior player nexus that is affecting transition in the team.
FC Goa CEO Ravi Puskur hauled players for India’s poor performances, blaming them for lack of ambition. “We act shocked when these players fall flat on the international stage,” he said, pointing to an inflated Indian football market where clubs have marked out disproportionate player salaries. “It’s not just about big contracts anymore, it’s about players losing hunger. There’s too much focus on earning, too little on evolving,” he said on Wednesday.
If the seniors are too comfortable, the problem is even more acute at the youth level.
Players lap up long-term contracts with wealthy clubs, knowing they won’t get game time. It’s something under-23 coach Naushad Moosa seemed worried about; a system where everyone focuses on short-term gains, without being concerned about long-term losses.
When the new set of federation officials were elected in 2022, the AIFF set lofty goals with its strategic roadmap, Vision 2047, aiming to make it to the top 10 in Asia by 2026. “It is our right to dream and our duty to do everything it takes to fulfil that dream, and together, we can aspire to take Indian football to peaks never scaled before,” the document read.
India are now ranked 24th among 46 teams in Asia. Forget hitting peak, Indian football is spiralling down like never before.
Till the age of 15 our teams if given some level of training remain competitive. So technically we are there. Tactically we need to put them through enough games.
and sad state of AIFF no golden baby leagues, we do not have a u-13, u-15 sides. Even singapore or other island countries are fielding their under age teams in tournaments. We should be ashamed that a nation of 1.4 billion does not have under age teams playing actively. And even if we make sides where are they playing competitive games?
I also don't like the ISL clubs playing victim as if AIFF is the only one to blame. How many of you guys have a team from u-9 all the way to senior football? How many of you let the kids play in competitions like Mina or other youth cups? These ISL clubs should be ruthless and release players if they don't perform. They should atleast loan the players with zero game time to I-League clubs. I-league clubs should not have any foreign players. I have been screaming for this rule for years now. I have no hate towards I-League. I do not like the state of both leagues to be honest.
I think relying on arrows or AIFF solely means we are setup for failure and will end up with the same problem of having less pool of players to pick from. We are talking the same issue over and over again.
Comments
The fixtures for the Kalinga Super Cup 2025 were announced on Monday, April 7, 2025.
The tournament, which will be played in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, from April 20 to May 3, will see participation from 16 clubs (13 from the Indian Super League and three from the I-League), in a single-elimination knock-out format. All matches will take place at the Kalinga Stadium.
The ISL teams were seeded for the round of 16 according to their final league position in the 2024-25 season. Three I-League teams confirmed their participation – Churchill Brothers FC Goa, Inter Kashi, and Gokulam Kerala FC. They will face the top three ISL teams (Mohun Bagan Super Giant, FC Goa and Bengaluru FC). These three match-ups will be decided by a draw on Wednesday, April 9.
The round of 16 will be played on April 20, 21, 23 and 24, the quarter-finals on April 26 and 27, the semi-finals on April 30, and the final on May 3. If the scores are level at the end of 90 minutes in the round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals, there will be no extra time, and a penalty shoot-out will determine the winner. If the scores are level at the end of 90 minutes in the final, there will be extra time, followed by a penalty shoot-out to determine the champion.
The winners of the Kalinga Super Cup 2025 will qualify for the 2025-26 AFC Champions League Two Preliminary Round. East Bengal FC are the defending champions, having beaten Odisha FC in the 2024 final in Bhubaneswar. Odisha FC (2023), FC Goa (2019) and Bengaluru FC (2018) have been the past champions of the Super Cup.
KALINGA SUPER CUP 2025 FIXTURES
Round of 16 (seeds in bracket):
Sunday, April 20 (16:30) — Kerala Blasters FC (8) vs East Bengal FC (9)
Sunday, April 20 (20:00) — Mohun Bagan SG (1) vs I-League Club - TBC
Monday, April 21 (16:30) — FC Goa (2) vs I-League Club - TBC
Monday, April 21 (20:00) — Odisha FC (7) vs Punjab FC (10)
Wednesday, April 23 (16:30) — Bengaluru FC (3) vs I-League Club - TBC
Wednesday, April 23 (20:00) — Mumbai City FC (6) vs Chennaiyin FC (11)
Thursday, April 24 (16:30) — NorthEast United FC (4) vs Mohammedan Sporting Club (13)
Friday, April 24 (20:00) — Jamshedpur FC (5) vs Hyderabad FC (12)
Quarter-finals:
QF1 - Saturday, April 26 (16:30) — KBFC/EBFC vs MBSG/I-League
QF2 - Saturday, April 26 (20:00) — FCG/I-League vs OFC/PFC
QF3 - Sunday, April 27 (16:30) — BFC/I-League vs MCFC/CFC
QF4 - Sunday, April 27 (20:00) — NEUFC/MSC vs JFC/HFC
Semi-finals:
SF1 - Wednesday, April 30 (16:30) — Winner QF1 vs Winner QF2
SF2 - Wednesday, April 30 (20:00) — Winner QF3 vs Winner QF4
Final:
Saturday, May 3 (Time TBC) - Winner SF1 vs Winner SF2
Venue: Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar
https://www.the-aiff.com/article/kalinga-super-cup-2025-fixtures-announced
Churchill are just being salty, that’s all. Inter truly deserved the I-League title.
No end in sight for Indian football in a free fall
Indian football has had a mighty fall, and for all of us concerned, it is hurting bad.The fans are out there highly disheartened and disillusioned, club owners are wondering if it’s worth investing crores into the Indian game every year, and CEOs are speaking out against a “rotten system” where “everything moves on influence, favours, and fragile egos.”
To get a measure of just how far behind Indian football has fallen, look no further than Jordan. Less than seven years ago, India faced Jordan in Amman and were competitive, despite missing out on seven players who were stranded at the Kuwait International Airport for over 32 hours due to rough weather and flooding of the tarmac. India lost 2-1 with the Jordan goalkeeper Amer Shafi getting on the scoresheet, his long ball misjudged by Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
Since then, Jordan have played the final of the AFC Asian Cup 2023 and have now punched their ticket to the FIFA World Cup 2026 -- quite some progress for a side with an average ranking of 96 and worst of 152.
India? Currently an unflattering 133 in the latest rankings, just two spots away from their worst-ever – 135 -- in the last 10 years.
“This is completely unacceptable, just not good enough under any circumstances,” said Bengaluru FC owner Parth Jindal, in the aftermath of the team’s defeat Tuesday to Hong Kong that left India at the bottom of their group in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.
“If an experienced coach like Manolo, with his record of developing players in India, cannot obtain results, then it should make us think,” said India’s most successful domestic coach Armando Colaco, who also had a brief stint with the national team.
Coaches have hardly got a decent run with most appointments being either temporary or arbitrary. Not many inspire confidence. The senior team has had two coaches; third likely for the next round of games, four have taken charge of the women’s team and two for the U-17 and U-23 teams.
“Coaching changes at the national team level is just rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic,” said Odisha FC owner Rohan Sharma, who called for institutional changes like building fields for free use, subsidising costs for coaches who want Pro License and grants to academies.
“Deep introspection is needed by the AIFF. This is not what all of us, lovers and backers of Indian football, have spent our hard-earned money and effort on. Get a manager and a system that works, it’s high time. There is too much effort to see a result like this,” said Jindal.
It is not just the senior national team that has little or nothing to show. The women’s team flopped at the SAFF Championships, the under-20 team turned in multiple disappointing results, under-23 stumbled in the Olympic qualifiers and the under-17s, India’s big hopes, didn’t go far either, failing to make it to the final round of the Asian championships.
“How much time do the coaches get with the team?” asked Colaco, referring to the performance against Hong Kong, “If players miss (easy) chances, there’s little anyone can do. The players have to gel together and play as a team. For that to happen, maybe AIFF can explore fielding a team like the Arrows.
”There is also the largely unspoken issue of senior player nexus that is affecting transition in the team.
FC Goa CEO Ravi Puskur hauled players for India’s poor performances, blaming them for lack of ambition. “We act shocked when these players fall flat on the international stage,” he said, pointing to an inflated Indian football market where clubs have marked out disproportionate player salaries. “It’s not just about big contracts anymore, it’s about players losing hunger. There’s too much focus on earning, too little on evolving,” he said on Wednesday.
If the seniors are too comfortable, the problem is even more acute at the youth level.
Players lap up long-term contracts with wealthy clubs, knowing they won’t get game time. It’s something under-23 coach Naushad Moosa seemed worried about; a system where everyone focuses on short-term gains, without being concerned about long-term losses.
When the new set of federation officials were elected in 2022, the AIFF set lofty goals with its strategic roadmap, Vision 2047, aiming to make it to the top 10 in Asia by 2026. “It is our right to dream and our duty to do everything it takes to fulfil that dream, and together, we can aspire to take Indian football to peaks never scaled before,” the document read.
India are now ranked 24th among 46 teams in Asia. Forget hitting peak, Indian football is spiralling down like never before.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/no-end-in-sight-for-indian-football-in-a-free-fall/articleshow/121810428.cms
and sad state of AIFF no golden baby leagues, we do not have a u-13, u-15 sides. Even singapore or other island countries are fielding their under age teams in tournaments. We should be ashamed that a nation of 1.4 billion does not have under age teams playing actively. And even if we make sides where are they playing competitive games?
I also don't like the ISL clubs playing victim as if AIFF is the only one to blame. How many of you guys have a team from u-9 all the way to senior football? How many of you let the kids play in competitions like Mina or other youth cups? These ISL clubs should be ruthless and release players if they don't perform. They should atleast loan the players with zero game time to I-League clubs. I-league clubs should not have any foreign players. I have been screaming for this rule for years now. I have no hate towards I-League. I do not like the state of both leagues to be honest.
I think relying on arrows or AIFF solely means we are setup for failure and will end up with the same problem of having less pool of players to pick from. We are talking the same issue over and over again.