Bengaluru FC to take on a qualifier in Super Cup

Bengaluru, March 12: Bengaluru FC will take on the winners of the qualifier between Gokulam FC Kerala and NorthEast United in their opening match of the inaugural Super Cup at Bhubaneswar on April 1.

The Super Cup, which replaces the erstwhile Federation Cup, has a qualifying round and a final round played on a league-cum-knockout format. Both the rounds will be held at the Kalinga Stadium, which has already hosted one match in the Indian Super League (ISL) - the league game between Jamshedpur FC and Bengaluru FC.

Final round of Hero Super Cup to kick-off on March 31.

Read: https://t.co/iBgZBPudNB#BackTheBlue #HeroSuperCup pic.twitter.com/mEHIZm9zCg

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) March 12, 2018

Bearing in mind the extreme summer heat, matches will be held in the late evenings under lights.

The top six teams from the ISL and I-League directly qualify for the tournament. The remaining four spots will be decided by play-offs among the other eight other bottom-placed teams from both the leagues. This round will be held on March 15 and 16.

The draw for the final round of the tournament was held at the All India Football Federation (AIFF) headquarters on Monday. It was conducted by AIFF Senior Vice President Subrata Dutta, General Secretary Kushal Das, FIFA Development Officer Prince Rufus and Delhi Soccer Association President Shaji Prabhakaran.

Speaking at the draw, Dutta said: "The Super Cup was formatted to include Indian Super League teams in a tournament along with the I-League clubs. This tournament will enhance the growth of football in India."

Bengaluru FC, FC Goa, Mohun Bagan and East Bengal are the teams which are drawn against the four qualifiers.

The final of the Super Cup has been tentatively scheduled for April 20. However, keeping in mind the AFC Cup commitments of Bengaluru FC and Aizawl FC, the dates for the quarterfinals will be announced later.

(Source: AIFF Media)

THE DRAW

March 31: Chennaiyin FC vs Aizawl FC.

April 1: Bengaluru FC vs Qualifier 2 (Winner of NorthEast United vs Gokulam Kerala FC).

April 1: Qualifier 1 (Winner of Delhi Dynamos vs Churchill Brothers) vs Mohun Bagan.

April 2: Minerva Punjab FC vs Jamshedpur FC .

April 3: FC Goa vs Qualifier 4 (Winner of ATK vs Chennai City FC)

April 4: FC Pune City vs Shillong Lajong.

April 5: Kingfisher East Bengal vs Qualifier 3 (Winner of Mumbai City FC vs Indian Arrows).

April 6: NEROCA FC vs Kerala Blasters.

Quarterfinals: To be announced later.

April 16: Semifinal 1.

April 17: Semifinal 2.

April 20: Final