The schedule and groups for the Super Cup, set to happen in Kerala in April, were announced by the AIFF in Delhi on Tuesday.
The tournament will see participation from 11 teams from the Indian Super League and ten teams from the I-League. The eleven teams of the ISL and the winners of the I-League get a direct entry into the group stage of the competition.
Seven teams from the I-League (those ranked from second to eighth) will have a set of playoff qualifiers to get into the group stage of the tournament. Furthermore, the teams ranked ninth and the tenth will play in a qualifying playoff and the winners will get a place in the qualifiers.
An added incentive to the tournament will be that its winner will fight it out in a play-off against last season’s I-League champions Gokulam Kerala FC, to determine who will get an entry into the AFC Cup South Zone group.
“A vibrant cup competition is one of the missing parts of the Indian football landscape. With the Hero Super Cup, we are trying to bridge that gap and this season’s Super Cup gains all the more important as the winners will have the chance to compete in the AFC Cup next season,” said AIFF Secretary General Shaji Prabhakaran.
Kerala Blasters and Bengaluru FC, who were involved in a controversial playoff recently, have been slotted in Group A, alongside newly-crowned I-League champion RoundGlass Punjab.
Defending champion Hyderabad FC headlines Group B, while ATK Mohunn Bagan is the top seed in the Group C.
Recently-anointed ISL Shield winner Mumbai City heads Group D.
SUPER CUP SCHEDULE
Qualifying playoff
April 3: Hero I-League 9 vs Hero I-League 10, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode
Qualifiers
April 5: Q1, Hero I-League 2 vs Winners of Qualifying playoff, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode
April 5: Q2, Hero I-League 3 vs Hero I-League 8, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode
April 6: Q3, Hero I-League 4 vs Hero I-League 7, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode
April 6: Q4, Hero I-League 5 vs Hero I-League 6, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode
Group A
April 8: Bengaluru FC vs Winners Q1, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode
April 8: Kerala Blasters FC vs RoundGlass Punjab FC, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode
April 12: Winners Q1 vs Kerala Blasters FC, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode
April 12: RoundGlass Punjab vs Bengaluru FC, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode
April 16: RoundGlass Punjab vs Winners Q1, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode
April 16: Bengaluru FC vs Kerala Blasters FC, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode
Group B
April 9: Hyderabad FC vs Winners Q3, Payyanad Stadium, Manjeri
April 9: Odisha FC vs East Bengal FC, Payyanad Stadium, Manjeri
April 13: Winners Q3 vs Odisha FC, Payyanad Stadium, Manjeri
April 13: East Bengal FC vs Hyderabad FC, Payyanad Stadium, Manjeri
April 17: East Bengal vs Winners Q3, Payyanad Stadium, Manjeri
April 17: Hyderabad FC vs Odisha FC, Payyanad Stadium, Manjeri
Group C
April 10: ATK Mohun Bagan vs Winners Q2, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode
April 10: FC Goa vs Jamshedpur FC, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode
April 14: Winners Q2 vs FC Goa, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode
April 14: Jamshedpur FC vs ATK Mohun Bagan, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode
April 18: Jamshedpur FC vs Winners Q2, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode
April 18: ATK Mohun Bagan vs FC Goa, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode
Group D
April 11: Mumbai City FC vs Winners Q4, Payyanad Stadium, Manjeri
April 11: Chennaiyin FC vs NorthEast United FC, Payyanad Stadium, Manjeri
April 15: Winners Q4 vs Chennaiyin FC, Payyanad Stadium, Manjeri
April 15: NorthEast FC vs Mumbai City FC, Payyanad Stadium, Manjeri
April 19: NorthEast United FC vs Winners Q4, Payyanad Stadium, Manjeri
April 19: Mumbai City FC vs Chennaiyin FC, Payyanad Stadium, Manjeri
SEMI FINALS
April 21: Winners Group A vs Winners Group C, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode
April 22: Winners Group B vs Winners Group D, Payyanad Stadium, Manjeri
FINAL
April 25: Winners Semi Final 1 vs Winners Semi Final 2, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode.