Federation Cup to return as India's premier cup competition from 2023-24

The All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) Executive Committee announced after a meeting in Bengaluru on Monday that the Federation Cup is going to be reinstated as the premier cup competition from the 2023/24 Indian football season.

"The Committee, in line with AIFF’s long-term plan, Vision 2047, felt it would be prudent to revive a legacy competition like the Federation Cup. To that extent, it decided that the Federation Cup will be the premier cup competition in India from the 2023-24 season onwards," the AIFF said in a release shortly later.

An annual knockout football competition which started in 1977, the Federation Cup was the most prestigious national level club football tournament in India before the I-League was started in 1997 (then called NFL). Until 2017, it was the most important club tournament after the I-League. Winner of the Federation Cup was given direct entry into the AFC Cup.

It had been paused to avoid scheduling clashes with the ISL and the I-League.

AIFF President Mr Kalyan Chaubey said in his opening address, “Despite two teams from outside the SAFF region, who are regarded as considerably stronger sides, playing in the current SAFF Championship, India made the final and are going for the 9th title. This is ample testimony of India's growing footballing strength... Indian Football is moving in the right direction."

Meanwhile, all five entities which had placed their respective bids for corporate entries into the Hero I-League – YMS Finance Pvt Ltd (Varanasi, UP), Namdhari Seeds Pvt Ltd (Bhaini Sahib Village, Punjab), Nimida United Sports Development Pvt Ltd (Bengaluru, Karnataka), Concatenate Advest Advisory Pvt Ltd (Delhi), and Bunkerhill Pvt Ltd (Ambala, Haryana) - were accommodated into the Hero I-League, with the vision of expanding the competition to a stronger league.