Since its inception in 2018, the AIFF Super Cup has steadily carved out a unique identity within Indian football. Designed as a pure knockout competition, the tournament tests qualities that league football often does not tactical adaptability, nerve under pressure, and the ability to deliver results without the cushion of long-term consistency.
More than just domestic silverware, the Super Cup carries continental relevance, offering its winner a route into the AFC Champions League Two, making it one of the most strategically important trophies in the Indian calendar .
The Super Cup emerged as the successor to the Federation Cup, with the aim of creating a streamlined national knockout competition featuring clubs from India’s top professional tiers. Its inaugural final in 2018 set a clear benchmark. Bengaluru FC, then at the peak of their domestic dominance, dismantled East Bengal 4–1 at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, with Sunil Chhetri finishing as the tournament’s leading scorer. The result established Bengaluru FC as early specialists in knockout football while underlining East Bengal’s enduring ability to reach the biggest stages .
A year later, FC Goa claimed their first Super Cup title by defeating Chennaiyin FC 2–1 in the 2019 final, also held in Bhubaneswar. That victory proved significant in the club’s broader narrative. While league titles continued to elude them, Goa demonstrated an emerging efficiency in elimination football, with Coro’s five-goal campaign anchoring their aggressive but controlled approach to knockout matches.
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The tournament then entered an unusual phase. Between 2020 and 2022, the Super Cup was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic and scheduling conflicts involving the national team. This three-year gap effectively split the competition into two eras. When the tournament returned in 2023, it did so with a reset competitive landscape, shaped by new squads, coaches, and tactical philosophies.
Odisha FC capitalized immediately, edging Bengaluru FC 2–1 in the final in Kozhikode to become the third different champion in as many editions, with Wilmar Jordán leading the scoring charts.
The post-hiatus era also marked East Bengal’s resurgence. After years of near misses, they finally lifted the Super Cup in 2024, overcoming defending champions Odisha FC 3–2 in a high-scoring final at the Kalinga Stadium. It remains the most goal-heavy regulation-time final in the competition’s history, signalling East Bengal’s attacking confidence under pressure.
Cleiton Silva finished as the tournament’s top scorer, though the result also highlighted a trend that would become more pronounced in later editions championships no longer depended solely on one prolific scorer.
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That evolution was most clearly embodied by FC Goa. In 2025, they returned to the summit with a dominant 3–0 win over first-time finalists Jamshedpur FC. The margin matched the largest in Super Cup final history, but what stood out even more was Goa’s defensive control. They conceded no goals in the final, reinforcing their reputation for efficiency in winner-takes-all matches. The following season, Goa completed an unprecedented title defence, defeating East Bengal in a tense 2025–26 final decided by penalties after a goalless draw .
That shootout victory, sealed at the Fatorda Stadium, made FC Goa the most successful club in Super Cup history with three titles from three final appearances a perfect conversion rate. Across 300 minutes of Super Cup finals, Goa have conceded just once, a statistic that defines their era.
Their achievement is particularly revealing given their absence from the list of ISL Cup winners. The contrast underlines a deeper truth: Goa are specialists in short-format, high-pressure football, built for knockout scenarios rather than long league campaigns .
Other contenders tell a different story. East Bengal have reached three finals but lifted the trophy only once, pointing to a recurring challenge in decisive moments. Bengaluru FC and Odisha FC each hold one win and one runners-up finish, reflecting competitive peaks followed by regression rather than sustained dominance. Meanwhile, Chennaiyin FC and Jamshedpur FC have experienced the final without lifting the trophy, reinforcing how unforgiving knockout football can be .
Individually, Sunil Chhetri remains the Super Cup’s most influential performer with 11 goals across appearances for Bengaluru FC, while recent editions have seen scoring contributions become more distributed. This shift away from striker-dependence towards structural solidity mirrors global knockout trends and explains FC Goa’s sustained success .
As the Super Cup moves forward, its narrative is clear. Once a balanced battleground, it now has a benchmark dynasty. For challengers, the task is no longer just reaching the final it is solving the problem FC Goa have come to represent.
