The Super Cup, known as the Kalinga Super Cup from 2024, became the annual main cup competition for men’s club football since it kicked off in 2018. It has normally been a post-ISL season competition, except for the 2024 edition, when it was played mid-season. The Super Cup winners started receiving a continental spot from 2023, a place in the AFC Champions League 2 preliminary round, raising the bar. Both ISL and I-League teams have been included in the contest since its inauguration. Six clubs have made it to the Super Cup final, with four able to win it. There have been five editions of the competition played so far. The tournament was suspended from 2020 to 2022 due to the pandemic.
Here are all the winners of the Kalinga Super Cup:
2018 Kalinga Super Cup - Bengaluru FC
Final: Bengaluru FC 4-1 East Bengal (2018)
There was a lot of excitement around the inaugural edition of the Super Cup as it was the first time clubs from the I-League and the ISL would face each other in a competitive sense in a single knockout competition. It became another tournament for the Federation Cup winners and the dominating side in that period, Bengaluru FC, to leave a mark. The Blues reached the ISL final in their debut campaign but faced disappointment, motivating the side further to go for this silverware. The Sunil Chhetri-led team made a sensational run to reach the first Super Cup final, defeating I-League counterparts Gokulam Kerala and Neroca FC before coming from behind to eliminate Mohun Bagan 4-2 in the semifinals.
On the other hand, East Bengal were also looking to come out on top after a long wait for trophies, with a chance to be remembered as the inaugural winners of a new tournament. East Bengal played brightly in that tournament, beating Mumbai City, Aizawl FC and one of the top ISL sides, FC Goa, to reach the showpiece. The Red and Gold also had reasons to cheer when Ansumana Kromah gave them the lead in the final from Katsumi Yusa’s corner. The Blues were rocked and supposedly having bad dreams of losing back-to-back finals. However, the side stood strong this time with an ex-East Bengal player, Rahul Bheke, similarly levelling the score from a corner, just minutes before half-time.
Then, a chaotic moment in the game threw the game away from East Bengal as Samad Ali Mallick received a straight red card after elbowing Subhasish Bose. Bengaluru FC capitalised on the opposition going down to 10 men in the second half, applying constant pressure that led to a penalty, which captain Chhetri converted smoothly. From then on, the Red and Gold’s faith was sealed as striker Miku unleashed a powerful strike to make it 3-1. The icing on the cake was made by the skipper, who also won the Golden Boot, completing a brace with his header from scorer turned provider Bheke’s cross. Bengaluru FC crowned themselves the inaugural winners of the Super Cup by lifting a fifth title on the trot since its inception in 2013.
2019 Kalinga Super Cup - FC Goa
Final: Goa 2-1 Chennaiyin FC (2019)
The second edition of the Super Cup was disorganised, so to speak, with most I-League clubs participating in the tournament withdrawing. However, the then I-League champions Chennai City and all the ISL clubs remained, giving enough teams to conduct the tournament properly. The edition also produced the best final meeting after the inaugural showpiece, as two top sides from ISL met at the summit, FC Goa and Chennaiyin FC, in a repeat of the 2015 ISL final. The Gaurs entered the tournament to salvage their ISL final loss against inaugural Super Cup winners Bengaluru FC that year. Meanwhile, the Marina Machans wished to quickly forget their worst ISL campaign of finishing bottom in the league table.
Led by the expert Sergio Lobera, FC Goa produced a strong performance, brushing past Indian Arrows, winning a 4-3 thriller against Jamshedpur FC in the quarterfinals and defeating the I-League winners 3-0 to reach the final. On the other hand, Chennaiyin FC, under John Gregory, showed a different side of themselves in the cup competition, beating Mumbai City, NorthEast United and ATK on their way to the showpiece, by scoring two goals in each game and conceding just once against the Highlanders. This was a valiant effort from the side that was not given much of a chance to progress deep into the competition, let alone reach the final, owing to their poor defence of the ISL trophy. Despite that, Goa were heavy favourites for their lethal attack and a strong cohesion in the squad.
Chennaiyin FC was the most threatening side early on and if not for the defensive pillar Mourtada Fall and efficient shot-stopper Mohammad Nawaz, the final score could have been different. Gradually, the Gaurs grew into the game and struck first early in the second half through their all-timer Ferran Corominas on the rebound of Hugo Boumous’s saved shot by Karanjit Singh. However, Gregory's side did not wait long to find the equaliser with their talisman Raphael Augusto pouncing on a loose ball to score with a deflected strike past Nawaz only minutes later. That did not derail the Gaur’s spirit to win the final as their beloved Coro again created the difference by making an assist this time, releasing a spectacular through ball for Brandon Fernandes to finish elegantly. Despite Corominas’s brilliant show, Nawaz was awarded the player of the match, showing his immense contribution in handing his side their first silverware in history.
2023 Kalinga Super Cup - Odisha FC
Final: Odisha FC 2-1 Bengaluru FC (2023)
While the first two editions of the Super Cup were all about teams living up to their favourites tag for the tournament, the next two competitions were about fairytales. The 2023 Super Cup was special and different at the same time, as the competition resumed after a three-year suspension due to the pandemic and was played across two cities in Kerala, shifting base from Orissa for the first time. This was also the first time that winning the trophy offered a continental spot, a place in the AFC competition, which were the qualifiers of the AFC Cup in that edition, raising the stakes of the trophy.
Among their aspirants were the unlikely Odisha FC, under an Indian coach, Clifford Miranda, who had never won a trophy before, even after their brand change or made it to the playoffs. The side finished sixth in the ISL table, four points behind the top four, but Miranda refreshed the team so much that they instantly changed to a proper competitor. Played in a group stage and knockout format, the Kalinga Warriors topped their group above Hyderabad FC, East Bengal and Aizawl FC, staying unbeaten to qualify for the semifinals, where they struck down Northeast United against most odds to create history to reach a first-ever final of a major competition.
While their incredible feat was undeniable, Odisha FC entered the showpiece as underdogs as they locked horns with recent ISL finalist Bengaluru FC, appearing in their third straight major final across competitions that season. The Blues also had previous winning experience in the competition, but even though everything was pointing at them coming up triumphs, the success for Miranda’s men was woven for their grit and determination to seize the opportunity presented to them. Thanks to their efficient goal machine, Diego Mauricio, whose first-half brace sent his side to dreamland as the inaugural winners were left wondering what could have been, with Sunil Chhetri’s 85th-minute penalty not enough to prevent Odisha FC from winning their first trophy and making their debut on the continental stage.
2024 Kalinga Super Cup - East Bengal FC
Final: East Bengal 3-2 Odisha FC (2024)
The 2024 Super Cup was bound to be intense, with the rule of including all six foreigners in the starting eleven made from this edition. For the first time, the competition was played midseason in January 2024 during the Asian Cup international break and not at the end of it, when players are burned out. With a trophy-winning chance to motivate them for the rest of the ISL campaign and a continental spot to play for, each battle became high stakes for clubs to prove themselves. It also offered the platform for legacy-driven clubs like East Bengal to recapture their lost glory and end their long hiatus for silverware. The Red and Gold's last major pan-India trophy, 12 years ago, was the Federation Cup, a cup competition triumph, which became a motivation here. The desire to fulfil their dream was further strengthened knowing they reached the Durand Cup final the year before.
East Bengal has been unsuccessful in the ISL since joining the league in 2020, not finding themselves in the top eight of the table each season and failing to get into the playoffs for obvious reasons. But the team has started to believe after ISL Cup-winning coach Carles Cuadrat joined the dugout and brought a sense of intent into the suffering team. The Super Cup was the best place to stage their redemption and they endorsed it, winning their group by defeating both Hyderabadian clubs, but most importantly, their arch-rivals, Mohun Bagan Super Giant, taking a sweet revenge for their Kolkata derby defeat in the Durand Cup final to reach the last four stage. Cuadrat’s side ensured not to slip at the crucial stage as they defeated an in-form Jamshedpur FC, led by ex-coach Khalid Jamil, to enter the final. However, the real challenge was only beginning.
On the other hand, a revamped Odisha FC reached the final, now as favourites under the tutelage of Sergio Lobera, who was looking to maintain his streak of winning trophies wherever he went. The side was willing to be the first in the competition to retain their title, having reached consecutive finals, this time in front of the roaring home fans. They also stormed through the group stage and beat then Shield holders Mumbai City FC, amid fielding a junior side, in the semifinals. However, the final was not a straight cut for either side as a thriller unfolded at the Kalinga Stadium. The Kalinga warriors showed their force well in the contest and deservedly went ahead with their marksman Diego Mauricio netting on the big stage again. East Bengal was on the edge of failing again like they did in the inaugural edition and needed a strong second half to respond amid the hostile atmosphere.
Whatever Cuadrat put into the ears of the players in the dressing room made the Red and Gold display a different character coming back onto the pitch. Former Odisha FC winger Nandhakumar equalised following a swift encounter five minutes after the restart. That brought aggression in their play, which resulted in another defining moment of the match, with East Bengal winning a penalty controversially. Mourtada Fall, playing in his second Super Cup final in a different shirt, made no contact with his sliding challenge in the box, but Borja Herrera’s calculated dive into the box tricked the official, pointing to the spot. Saul Crespo, another ex-player, converted the penalty to give his side the lead for the first time in the final. However, dissension did not end there, as Fall was then dismissed, contesting a header with Herrera, the Spaniard playing all the mind games to have the big man leave the pitch on the night.
As if the drama was not enough, Odisha FC won a penalty in the dying minutes of stoppage time after Mauricio was clipped inside the box by the opposition keeper Prabhsukhan Gill to be converted by Ahmed Jahouh. That forced the game into extra time for the first time in Super Cup final history, reinvigorating the home crowd. To add to the woes, Cuadrat’s men went down to 10 men early in extra-time with Souvick Chakraborty receiving a second yellow only seconds after hitting the crossbar. Yet, the Kolkata side was unfazed, even with odds stacked against them, with Gill being crucial in denying Odisha FC time to time to allow them to score the winner through their Golden Boot-winning captain, Cleiton Silva, who pounced onto a defensive blunder at the back. Odisha were shell-shocked and distorted, while it was jubilation for the other side, whose trophy drought was now over. The Red and Golds painted the city in their colours at least for one memorable night after confirming their spot in an AFC competition, ending a 10-year wait.
2025 Kalinga Super Cup - FC Goa
Final: FC Goa 3-0 Jamshedpur FC (2025)
Two sides, FC Goa and Jamshedpur FC, were chasing redemption in the 2025 Super Cup after coming close to appearing in the ISL Cup final in April. The Gaurs were disappointed again in the Shield race, twice beaten to the title by Mohun Bagan Super Giant, with consecutive semi-final elimination in the playoffs. This tournament was the only saving point of their campaign, with a place in the Asian competition coming as a reward for winning the trophy. Hence, Manolo Marquez’s side gave their all, although their journey to the second Super Cup final was a bumpy one. The team did not give up when they found themselves 1-0 down to Punjab FC with just minutes left on the clock in the quarterfinals, after thrashing Gokulam Kerala 3-0 in the first round in the straight knockout format in which the latest edition of the tournament was played. Borja Herrera levelled things up in the 89th minute before Mohamed Yasir smashed the winner in the fourth minute of stoppage time. The team also got past a tricky yet youngster-led Mohun Bagan to secure a place in the final.
On the contrary, Khalid Jamil’s Jamshedpur FC showed a class of solidity and precision in the competition after narrowly failing to get into the ISL Cup final to reach the summit here. The Men of Steel defeated Hyderabad FC 2-0, then went through a nervy penalty shootout against NorthEast United following a goalless draw before breaking their Super Cup semi-final curse, having suffered a third straight elimination at this stage, by beating Mumbai City to reach a first major final in their history. Jamil has never failed to impress with underdogs, but once again, the big stage eluded them as Goa made a meal out of their solidity with an incredible 3-0 victory. Borja Herrera was the curator of the triumph, striking a brace, jointly sharing the Golden Boot with fellow teammate Iker Guarrotxena, while Drazic put the icing on the cake in the 72nd minute. FC Goa became the first side to win the Super Cup for the second time and are set to play in an AFC competition for the second time in their history.
