The Indian Football calendar is set to take another stride forward, with the Super Cup set to take place in April 2023. The Hero Super Cup 2023 is an upcoming football tournament in India that will see 16 teams from the Indian Super League (ISL) and the I-League compete against each other for the top spot.
This is the third edition of the Super Cup, and for the first time ever, it will be held in Kerala. The tournament is scheduled to take place from April 3 to 25, 2023, and the winners will not only claim the coveted Super Cup trophy but also get a chance to play at the continental level.
With the fixtures having been announced,
Let’s have a look at Everything you need to know about the Hero Super Cup 2023
Format of the Tournament
The tournament will feature sixteen teams, including eleven from the Indian Super League and ten from the I-League. The eleven Hero ISL teams and the winners of the I-League will directly qualify for the group stage. Meanwhile, the teams ranked second to eighth in the I-League will compete in playoff qualifiers. Additionally, the teams ranked ninth and tenth will have to compete in a qualifying playoff to secure a place in the qualifiers.
Group Stages
The 16 teams will be divided into four groups of four teams each. The fixtures for the group stage have been announced and are as follows:
Group A: Bengaluru FC, Kerala Blasters FC, RoundGlass Punjab FC, Sreenidi Deccan
Group B: Hyderabad FC, Odisha FC, East Bengal FC, Aizawl FC
Group C: ATK Mohun Bagan, Jamshedpur FC, FC Goa, Gokulam Kerala
Group D: Mumbai City FC, Chennaiyin FC, North East United FC, Churchill Brothers
Schedule of the Tournament: Hero Super Cup 2023
The Hero Super Cup 2023 will kick off on 8th April with a match between Bengaluru FC and Sreenidi Deccan, while Kerala Blasters FC will face off against RoundGlass Punjab FC. The group stage fixtures will continue until April 19 with matches taking place every day at 5:00 pm and 8:30 pm.
The semi-finals will take place on April 21 and 22 at 8:30 pm with the final scheduled for April 25 at 8:30 pm.
AFC Cup Qualification
The winners of the Hero Super Cup 2023 will get a chance to compete at the continental level. The champions of the Super Cup will fight it out in a play-off against the last season’s I-League champions, Gokulam Kerala FC, to determine who will get an entry into the AFC Cup South Zone group.
Venue: Hero Super Cup 2023
The tournament is scheduled to be held in two cities in Kerala, with matches to be played at the EMS Corporation Stadium in Kozhikode and the Payyanad Stadium in Manjeri.
The Hero Super Cup 2023 promises to be an exciting tournament, with the winners getting a chance to compete at the continental level. With Kerala playing hosts to the tournament, football fans in the state are in for a treat. Stay tuned for more updates on the tournament as we get closer to kickoff!
Do check out: Hero Super Cup 2023: When and How to Watch the Super Cup 2023 matches LIVE?
