The third edition of the Hero Super Cup draw was held at the Football House in New Delhi on Tuesday, March 7, 2023. The competition returns after a two years break due to the pandemic. For the first time, it will be hosted by Kerala. The two venues are the EMS Stadium in Kozhikode and the Payyanad Stadium in Manjeri.
16 teams are set to participate in the Super Cup with the winner at the end of it will fight against last season’s Hero I-League champions Gokulam Kerala FC in a playoff to determine who will get an entry into the AFC Cup South Zone group. 11 teams from the Indian Super League (ISL) and 10 clubs from I-League will form the competition. All the clubs from ISL got a direct entry to the group stage along with the champions of this season’s I-League, RoundGlass Punjab.
Seven teams from the I-League ranked seventh to eighth will get involved in the playoff qualifiers while the team finishing ninth and 10th will play against each other in the qualifying playoffs with the winner joining the rest. Four winning teams from the qualifiers will enter the group stages of the Super Cup.
Qualifying Playoff
Monday, 3 April 2023
Rajasthan vs Neroca - 8:30 PM
Qualifier 1
Wednesday, 5 April 2023
Sreenidi Deccan vs Winner Qualifying Playoff - 5:00 PM
Qualifier 2
Wednesday, 5 April 2023
Gokulam Kerala vs Mohammedan FC - 8:30 PM
Qualifier 3
Thursday, 6 April 2023
TRAU vs Aizawl - 5:00 PM
Qualifier 4
Thursday, 6 April 2023
Real Kashmir vs Churchill Brother - 9:00 PM
The qualifying playoff and all the games of the qualifiers will be played in the Payyanad Stadium, Majeri.
Group A
Bengaluru FC
Kerala Blasters
RoundGlass Punjab
Winner of Qualifier 1
The walkout from the field in the ISL eliminator game against Bengaluru FC will not cause any problem for the participation of Kerala Blasters in the Super Cup. The Tuskers will face the Blues in the Southern derby once again in the Group A clash. I-League winners RoundGlass Punjab are also in the group with the winner of the qualifiers 1 between the second-ranked side in the league, Sreenidhi Deccan and the winner of the qualifying playoff joining them later. Group A is certainly the so-called ‘group of death’ of the competition.
Fixtures
Saturday, 8 April 2023
Bengaluru FC vs Winner Q1 - 5:00 PM
Kerala Blasters vs RoundGlass Punjab - 8:30 PM
Wednesday, 12 April 2023
Winner Q1 vs Kerala Blasters - 5:00 PM
RoundGlass Punjab vs Bengaluru FC - 8:30 PM
Sunday, 16 April 2023
RoundGlass Punjab vs Winner Q1 - 5:00 PM
Bengaluru FC vs Kerala Blasters - 8:30 PM
All the Group A games will be played in the EMS Stadium, Kozhikode
Group B
Hyderabad FC
Odisha FC
East Bengal
Winner of Qualifier 3
Hyderabad FC are paired with fellow ISL side Odisha FC and the Kolkata giants East Bengal in Group B and also the winners from the third qualifiers game between TRAU and Aizawl, the third and seventh-ranked I-League teams respectively. The Nizams are participating for the first time in the competition.
Fixtures
Sunday, 9 April 2023
Hyderabad FC vs Winner Q3 - 5:00 PM
Odisha FC vs East Bengal - 8:30 PM
Thursday, 13 April 2023
Winner Q3 vs Odisha FC - 5:00 PM
East Bengal vs Hyderabad FC - 8:30 PM
Sunday, 17 April 2023
East Bengal vs Winner Q3 - 5:00 PM
Hyderabad FC vs Odisha FC - 8:30 PM
All the Group B games will be played in the Payyanad Stadium, Manjeri.
Group C
ATK Mohun Bagan
FC Goa
Jamshedpur FC
Winner of Qualifier 2
ISL champions ATK Mohun Bagan, FC Goa and Jamshedpur FC are candidates for Group C with the winners of qualifiers 2 between Gokulam Kerala and Mohammedan FC. The Gaurs are the holders of the competition held back in 2019. This group is also exciting as it will have big-hitters of Indian football.
Fixtures
Monday, 10 April 2023
ATK Mohun Bagan vs Winner Q2 - 5:00 PM
FC Goa vs Jamshedpur FC - 8:30 PM
Friday, 14 April 2023
Winner Q2 vs FC Goa - 5:00 PM
Jamshedpur FC vs ATK Mohun Bagan - 8:30 PM
Tuesday, 18 April 2023
Jamshedpur FC vs Winner Q2 - 5:00 PM
ATK Mohun Bagan vs FC Goa - 8:30 PM
All the Group C games will be played in the EMS Stadium, Kozhikode
Group D
Mumbai City FC
Chennaiyin FC
NorthEast United FC
Winner of Qualifier 4
The final group of the Super Cup, Group D consists of the ISL Shield winners Mumbai City FC paired with fellow clubs from the league in Chennaiyin FC and NorthEast United and the winners between fifth and sixth-placed I-league side, Real Kashmir and Churchill Brother, in qualifier 4.
Fixtures
Tuesday, 11 April 2023
Mumbai City FC vs Winner Q4 - 5:00 PM
Chennaiyin FC vs NorthEast United FC - 8:30 PM
Saturday, 15 April 2023
Winner Q4 vs Chennaiyin FC - 5:00 PM
NorthEast United FC vs Mumbai City FC - 8:30 PM
Wednesday, 19 April 2023
NorthEast United FC vs Winner Q4 - 5:00 PM
Mumbai City FC vs Chennaiyin FC - 8:30 PM
All the Group B games will be played in the Payyanad Stadium, Manjeri.
Semi-finals
Friday, 21 April 2023
SF 1: Winner Group A vs Winner Group C - EMS Stadium, Kozhikode
Saturday, 22 April 2023
SF 2: Winner Group B vs Winner Group D - Payyanad Stadium, Manjeri
Final
Saturday, 25 April 2023
Winner Semi-final 1 vs Winner Semi-final 2 - EMS Stadium, Kozhikode
