Super Cup To Begin From March That Could See ATK Face Kolkata Giants Mohun Bagan And East Bengal

Kolkata Giants could possibly fight against ATK this season. The 16-team Super Cup, which would be happening in March-April might include all three teams from Kolkata if ATK manages to qualify to play the competition through qualifiers, as they are languishing at the bottom of the points table in the ISL at present.

The Committee decided on the schedule of the inaugural Super Cup. The qualifiers for the Super Cup are to be played between March 12, 2018 and March 31, 2018 while the final round will be held between March 31, 2018 to April 22, 2018.

The schedule will be finalised keeping in mind the AFC Cup commitments of Aizawl FC and JSW Bengaluru FC (provided they qualify for the Group Stage) and the venue is to be decided between Cuttack and Kochi after AIFF inspections.

The number of foreign players to be registered for the Super Cup was discussed and a final decision will be taken after a final discussion with all stakeholders.

The tournament will be played on a knock-out basis among 16 teams. The top six teams of the Hero I-League and the Hero Indian Super League would be granted a direct entry into the round of 16, while the bottom-placed teams from both the leagues would be playing a play-off to decide on the remaining 4 spots.

2ND DIVISION LEAGUE: Meanwhile, the 2nd division league will be divided into two phases – the preliminary and the final. In the preliminary stage, 18 teams will be divided into three groups where all matches would be played on a home and away basis.

The winners of each group plus the best second-placed team would qualify for the final round. However, if reserve teams of ISL clubs finish as winners or runners-up in any group, the position will be passed on onto the next non-ISL team. The final round will be played at a central venue, the winners of which would be promoted to the next tier of Indian Football.

Each club can register maximum 3 foreign players for the 2nd division league out of which one player has to be a national of an AFC Member Association Country.