In a major step towards getting Indian football back on track, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has announced key decisions, including the dates for the prestigious Super Cup tournament.
The AIFF’s executive committee, meeting virtually, gave the green light to a Request for Quotation (RFQ) process. This is a crucial move to find a new agency that will manage and award the commercial rights for Indian football. This comes after the previous Masters Rights Agreement with the AIFF’s former partners fell through.
To ensure this tender process is completely fair and transparent, a powerful three-member Bid Evaluation Committee (BEC) has been formed. This committee will be chaired by former Supreme Court judge, Justice L. Nageswara Rao. He will be joined by Kalyan Chaubey, the president of the AIFF, and Kesavaran Murugasu, a member of the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) Audit & Compliance Committee.
In very welcome news for fans and clubs, the AIFF also officially confirmed the schedule for the upcoming Super Cup. The tournament is now set to kick off on October 25, 2025, and will run until November 22, 2025.
This announcement provides much-needed clarity for football clubs across India, allowing them to finally begin their pre-season preparations. The confirmation of the Super Cup dates is seen as a direct move to follow the Supreme Court’s recent order for the AIFF to ensure the Indian football calendar starts on time.
The hope is that the successful conclusion of the new tender process will allow the top-tier Indian Super League (ISL) to begin soon after the Super Cup concludes, bringing a full season of exciting football back to the country.
