Federation Cup (India)
Football tournament in India
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Federation Cup is a knockout football competition in men's domestic Indian football league system.[1] Established in 1977, it is organized by the All India Football Federation (AIFF).[2] The Federation Cup was temporarily replaced by the Super Cup from 2017–18.[3]
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Indian Football League
| |
| Organiser(s) | All India Football Federation |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1977 |
| Region | India |
| Related competitions | Indian Super League Indian Football League |
| Domestic cup | Durand Cup |
| Most championships | Mohun Bagan (14 titles) |
| Motto | Where Pride Meets Passion |
 2027 | |
History
In 1977, the All India Football Federation started the Federation Cup as the first club based national tournament in the country. Inaugural champion of the competition was the ITI (Indian Telephone Industries) who defeated Mohun Bagan in the final.[4] In 2015, the All India Football Federation announced that the Federation Cup will be put on hold to avoid scheduling conflict with the Indian Super League and the I-League.[5] After the Asian Football Confederation mandated that a club must play at least 18 matches in the season, the AIFF decided to revive the tournament under new format.[6] On 19 February 2018, the AIFF fully abolished the competition and formed the Super Cup as a replacement. In July 2023, the AIFF has decided again to revive the competition, but later it was postponed.[2] On 2 March 2026, the AIFF released an RFP for commercial rights which included the Federation Cup, indicating a possible revival of the competition.[7][8]
Venues
Matches during the Federation Cup are usually held at neutral venues. From 2015, matches were played as two legged knockout format.
Results
Federation Cup finals
- a.e.t.: After extra time
- pen.: Score in penalty shootout
Finalists
| Club | Final appearances |
Winner | Winning years | Runners-up | Runners-up years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohun Bagan | 20 | 14 | 1978*, 1980*, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1998, 2001, 2006, 2008, 2015–16 | 6 | 1977, 1983, 1985, 2004, 2010, 2016–17 |
| East Bengal | 16 | 8 | 1978*, 1980*, 1985, 1996, 2007, 2009-10, 2010, 2012 | 8 | 1984, 1986, 1992, 1995, 1996–97, 1997, 1998, 2011 |
| Salgaocar | 7 | 4 | 1988, 1989, 1997, 2011 | 3 | 1987, 1990, 1994 |
| Dempo | 6 | 1 | 2004 | 5 | 1996#, 2001, 2008, 2012, 2014–15 |
| Mohammedan | 5 | 2 | 1983, 1984 | 3 | 1981, 1989, 2003 |
| Mahindra United | 5 | 2 | 2003, 2005 | 3 | 1991, 1993, 2007 |
| Sporting Goa | 3 | 0 | - | 3 | 2005, 2006, 2013–14 |
| Bengaluru | 2 | 2 | 2014–15, 2016–17 | 0 | - |
| JCT Mills | 2 | 2 | 1995, 1995-96 | 0 | - |
| Kerala Police | 2 | 2 | 1990, 1991[9] | 0 | - |
| Border Security Force | 2 | 1 | 1979 | 1 | 1988 |
| Indian Telephone Industries | 1 | 1 | 1977 | 0 | - |
| Churchill Brothers | 1 | 1 | 2013–14 | 0 | - |
| Shillong Lajong | 1 | 0 | - | 1 | 2009 |
| Aizawl | 1 | 0 | - | 1 | 2015–16 |
- *: Shared
- #: There were two federation cups in 1996
Super Cup finals
| Season | Winners | Score | Runners-up | Venue | Top scorer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Bengaluru | 4–1 | East Bengal | Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar |  Sunil Chhetri (6) |
| 2019 | Goa | 2–1 | Chennaiyin |  Coro (5) | |
| 2020–2022 | Suspended due to the COVID-19 and India's international fixtures | ||||
| 2023 | Odisha | 2–1 | Bengaluru | EMS Stadium, Kozhikode |  Wilmar Jordán (7) |
| 2024 | East Bengal | 3–2 | Odisha | Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar |  Cleiton Silva (5) |
| 2025 | Goa | 3–0 | Jamshedpur | Iker Guarrotxena (4) Borja Herrera (4) | |
| 2025–26 | 0–0 (6–5 p) |
East Bengal | Fatorda Stadium, Fatorda | Koldo Obieta (3) | |
Top goalscorers
- As of 10 January 2015[10]
| Rank | Player | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jose Ramirez Barreto |
27 |
| 2 |  Chima Okorie |
26* |
| 3 | Bhaichung Bhutia |
25 |
| 4 | Chidi Edeh |
23 |
| 5 | Ranti Martins |
18 |
| 6 | I. M. Vijayan |
17 |
| Odafa Onyeka Okolie | ||
(*: Includes 7 goals scored in Eastern Zone qualifiers at Sibsagar – 1990 Federation Cup)