Kalinga Super Cup to kick off on January 9

The Kalinga Super Cup will be organised in Odisha starting from January 9, 2024, the All India Football Federation announced on Wednesday, November 29, 2023. The matches are planned to be held in two different venues in Odisha.

New Delhi:The Kalinga Super Cup, to be played at two venues in Odisha from January 9, will feature both the ISL and I-League teams with the winners being nominated to play in the AFC Champions League 2 Preliminary Stage.

"The format of the tournament will consist of four groups of four teams each, who will play single-leg matches amongst themselves. The group winners will qualify for the semifinals followed by the final to be played on January 28," said All India Football Federation in a statement on Wednesday.

The I-League teams will play the qualifiers to get into the group stage of the Kalinga Super Cup where four slots have been reserved for them in the group stage. "The Champions of Kalinga Super Cup will be nominated to play in the ACL 2 Preliminary Stage of AFC 2023-24 season," said the AIFF.

AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey said, "As per the decision we took earlier, the annual Super Cup tournament will now be organised in a bigger and broader perspective.

"The tournament will now be known as Kalinga Super Cup and will be played in Odisha in January 2024. "This is a positive development for Indian domestic football. I am confident the Kalinga Super Cup will be a huge hit both in terms of organization and spectator interest," he added.