The 2023 Super Cup was the third edition of the Super Cup and the 41st season of the national knockout football competition in India. The competition was sponsored by Hero MotoCorp and known as the Hero Super Cup for sponsorship purposes.[1][2][3]
The tournament was being organised after a gap of four years due to various scheduling issues, with the latest edition being played in 2019.[4] This was the first time the Super Cup champions to had a spot allotted in the AFC competitions.[5]Odisha were crowned champions after defeating Bengaluru 2–1 in the final, their first-ever major title,[6] and qualified for the qualifier for 2023–24 AFC Cup group stage.
Format
The 2023 edition of Super Cup was played across two cities of Kerala, Kozhikode and Manjeri, selected by the AIFF in a comprehensive and inclusive manner. The competition consisted of the qualifying play-offs, the group stage, the semi-finals and the final.[2]
The tournament proper featured 16 top clubs across the top two divisions of Indian football. All 11 clubs from the ISL and the 2022–23 I-League champions directly qualified to the group stage. The teams placed 2nd to 10th in the 2022–23 I-League competed for the four remaining spots in the qualifying round that featured single-leg ties.
The 16 qualified clubs were drawn into four groups of four each, competing in a single round-robin format, with group winners making it through to the semi-finals.[7]
Locations of the Indian Super Cup Group Stage teams
Schedule
Phase
Round
Match dates
Qualification round
First qualifying round
3 April 2023
Second qualifying round
5–6 April 2023
Main tournament
Group stage
8–19 April 2023
Semi-finals
21–22 April 2023
Final
25 April 2023
Venues
A total of 32 matches were played across 2 cities, Kozhikode and Manjeri. 18 matches were played in Manjeri, including the qualifying play-offs, and 14 matches in Kozhikode.