The 2018 Super Cup (also known as the 2018 Hero Super Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the inaugural edition of the Super Cup and the 39th season of the national knockoutfootball competition in India. The competition was sponsored by Hero MotoCorp. The Super Cup replaced the Federation Cup as the national knockout competition.[1][2] The competition began with the qualifiers on 15 March 2018 and concluded with the final on 20 April 2018.[3] The entire tournament took place in the Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar.[3]
The competition featured teams from both the I-League and the Indian Super League.[4] Both leagues contain 10 teams each; the top six teams from both qualified for the tournament automatically, while the bottom four sides contested in the qualifiers.[4]
A total of 16 teams are participating in the competition proper.[4] The top six teams from both the I-League and Indian Super League qualified for the Super Cup automatically while the bottom four sides have participated in the qualifiers.[4]
On 12 March 2018, the All India Football Federation announced the schedule and full format of the tournament.[5] Due to the participation of Aizawl and Bengaluru in the AFC Cup, the schedule for the quarter-finals shall be decided at a later date.[5]
The dates for the quarter-final matches were scheduled to be announced at a later date to accommodate AFC Cup commitments of Aizawl and Bengaluru.[7] After Aizawl and Bengaluru advanced to the quarter-finals, the following fixtures were confirmed for the quarter-finals.[8] During the game between Jamshedpur FC and FC Goa, six players (three each from both the teams) were sent off at the half-time for violent conduct.[9] In the games against NEROCA F.C., Sunil Chhetri scored the first hat-trick of the tournament.
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