Super Cup 2025: Captivating contest for a ticket to Asia

With ISL done and dusted, big guns of Indian football have another chance to qualify for continental competition

- STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE

The fifth instalment of the Kalinga Super Cup will kick off on Sunday as 15 teams battle it out for the trophy and a slot in next season's AFC Champions League Two.

Unlike the last two years, where the tournament witnessed a group stage followed by semi-finals, this season will purely be in a knockout format like 2018 and 2019, meaning every game is 'do or die'.

The Kalinga Super Cup's special connection with Bhubaneswar goes without saying. Three of the four editions, since the first in 2018, were hosted at the Kalinga Stadium, and the only time the tournament was held outside Odisha — 2023 in Kozhikode — the trophy was won by Odisha FC and brought to Bhubaneswar.

Last year, East Bengal FC snatched the silverware, defeating the Juggernauts 3-2 after a thrilling period of extra-time in the final. The Red and Gold Brigade ended their 12-year wait for a national trophy, and are out to defend their crown on the same pitch. East Bengal are no strangers to defending cup titles, having won back-to-back Federation Cups in 2009-10 and 2010.

The Kolkata side's quest for a second Kalinga Super Cup begins in the Round of 16 on 20 April against Kerala Blasters FC, a side hunting their first-ever trophy at the national level. Both sides had underwhelming ISL campaigns, ending in ninth and eighth place, respectively, and this tournament presents them with a shot at glory.

The winner of this clash, on 26 April, will face Mohun Bagan Super Giant, who received a bye after Churchill Brothers' withdrawal, in the first quarter-final.