AIFF Super Cup 2025-26: Kolkata Derby Headlines Group Stage Draw

The AIFF Super Cup 2025-26 is set to begin from October 25, 2025, with matches scheduled across two venues in Goa, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Margao and GMC Athletic Stadium in Bambolim. The tournament will go on till November 22, 2025, featuring a group stage format followed by semi finals and final. The competition features 16 teams divided into four groups of four each, with only the group winners advancing to the semi finals. The tournament holds significant continental value as the winner will secure a playoff spot in the 2026-27 AFC Champions League Two.

Group A presents the most anticipated clash as fierce rivals Mohun Bagan Super Giant and East Bengal FC have been drawn together alongside Chennaiyin FC and Real Kashmir FC. The Kolkata derby encounter is scheduled for October 31, when Mohun Bagan SG faces East Bengal FC. This marks another chapter in one of Indian football's most storied rivalries, adding extra intensity to the group stage proceedings. Earlier in the 134th edition of the Durand Cup and the Calcutta Football League 2025-26 season, East Bengal FC managed to get the better of Mohun Bagan Super Giant.

Both Mohun Bagan Super Giant and FC Goa are currently engaged in their respective AFC Champions League Two 2025-26 campaigns, which could significantly impact their Super Cup preparations and squad rotation. Mohun Bagan Super Giant, suffered a 0-1 defeat to Turkmenistan's Ahal FC in their opener on September 16. Their continental fixtures continue through December 23, 2025, with matches against Sepahan SC scheduled for September 30 which is an away match and December 23 which they will play at home. FC Goa, competing in Group D, also suffered a 0-2 defeat in their opening match against Iraq's Al Zawraa SC. Their upcoming fixtures include high profile encounters against FC Istiklol and Al Nassr FC featuring Cristiano Ronaldo on October 22 at home and November 5 when they visit Al Awwal Park in Riyadh. The demanding continental schedule may force both clubs to manage squad rotation carefully, potentially affecting their domestic cup campaign intensity and team selection strategies.

The tournament will feature 12 ISL clubs after Odisha FC opted out citing uncertainty surrounding the ISL 2025-26 season and financial sustainability concerns. Four I-League clubs who will participate are Inter Kashi, Real Kashmir FC, Gokulam Kerala FC, and Rajasthan United FC. Notably absent is Churchill Brothers FC, who were controversially stripped of their I-League title earlier this year. Despite initially being declared champions by the AIFF Appeals Committee in April 2025, Inter Kashi successfully challenged the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which later overturned the verdict. The dispute centered on a contested yellow card ruling involving an allegedly ineligible player fielded by Namdhari FC, creating one of Indian football's most contentious title controversies.

The group stage will get over by November 6, followed by an international break before the knockout rounds determine India's first continental representatives for the 2026-27 season.