The Indian Super League (ISL) is set to resume on November 23 after an international break, with the league phase continuing unhindered until March 12, 2025. This is in contrast to last season, which was interrupted by national team engagements.
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is facing challenges in scheduling the cup competition, which was originally planned to run concurrently with the league season from October to mid-May. However, with the I-League yet to start and ISL fixtures released for the rest of the season, the cup competition may have to be postponed until April or even canceled this season.
The cup competition has been held after the ISL in recent years, leading to some franchises releasing foreign players. However, the winners of the cup competition are assured a berth in the Asian Champions League 2 qualifiers, which serves as motivation for teams.
The Super Cup was won by East Bengal in 2023-24 and was held during the Asian Cup finals with 16 teams, including four from the I-League. It was first held in 2018 as a tournament involving clubs from both the ISL and I-League, but ran into trouble in 2019 when several I-League clubs pulled out. It resumed in 2023 after the COVID-19 pandemic.
