The Federation Cup (also known as
Hero
A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ...
Federation Cup for sponsorship reasons) was an annual
knockout
A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
competition in
Indian football which started in 1977. From its inception, until
I-League
The I-League (known as Hero I-League for sponsorship ties with Hero MotoCorp) is the second-tier men's professional football competition of the Indian football league system. It is currently contested by 12 clubs across the country with the w ...
was started in 1997 (then called
NFL), it was the most prestigious national level club football tournament in India. Until 2017, it was the most important club tournament after the I-League, to which it became a ''de facto'' League Cup. Winner of the Federation Cup was given direct entry in the
AFC Cup
The AFC Cup is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Under its current rules, the competition is played primarily between clubs from nations that did not receive direct qualifying s ...
.
The holders of the 2017 Federation Cup were
Bengaluru
Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
who beat
Mohun Bagan
Mohun Bagan Athletic Club is an Indian professional sports club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. Founded in 1889, its football section is one of the oldest in India and Asia. The club is most notable for its victory over East Yorkshire Regiment ...
2–0 in the
2017 final held in
Cuttack
Cuttack (, or officially Kataka ) in Odia is the former capital and the second largest city in the Indian state of Odisha. It is the headquarters of the Cuttack district. The name of the city is an anglicised form of ''Kataka'' which literall ...
,
Odisha
Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...
.
All India Football Federation
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is the national governing body of football in India. It is a member of FIFA, the international governing body of football and affiliated to Asian Football Confederation.
It is affiliated to Ministry o ...
announced that Federation Cup will be put on hold to avoid scheduling conflict with
Indian Super League
The Indian Super League (ISL) is an Indian professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Indian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Organised by the All India Football Federat ...
and
I-League
The I-League (known as Hero I-League for sponsorship ties with Hero MotoCorp) is the second-tier men's professional football competition of the Indian football league system. It is currently contested by 12 clubs across the country with the w ...
, but after
Asian Football Confederation
The Asian Football Confederation is the governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal in some countries/territories in Asia and Oceania. It has 47 member countries most of which are located in Asia. Australia, formerly in ...
mandated that a club must play at least 18 matches in the season, AIFF decided to revive the tournament under new format.
Venues
Matches during the Federation Cup were usually held at neutral venues around India. The final was also held in a neutral venue. From 2015–16 season matches were played as two legged (home and away) knockout format.
Results
Past winners and runners-up
*''a.e.t.'': after extra time
*''pen.'': score in penalty shootout
Teams reaching final
*''*'' : shared
*''#'' :There were two federation cups in 1996
Overall top goalscorers
(''Note. * Includes 7 goals scored in Eastern Zone Qualifiers at Sibsagar – 1990 Federation Cup'')
See also
*
IFA Shield
The IFA Shield is an annual football competition organized by the Indian Football Association. The IFA is the governing body of football in the state of West Bengal, came into existence in 1893. Named after the association, the IFA Shield tourn ...
*
Durand Cup
The Durand Football Tournament, commonly known as Durand Cup, is an annual domestic football competition in India which was first held in 1888 in Shimla. Hosted by the Durand Football Tournament Society (DFTS) and All India Football Federation ...
*
Rovers Cup
The Rovers Cup was an annual football tournament held in India, organized by the Western India Football Association. It was the second oldest tournament in India after Durand Cup.
History
Rovers Cup was incorporated by some British football e ...
*
List of football clubs in India
There are roughly 50 thousand football clubs and academies operating in India. This is a list of professional football clubs located in India, with leagues and states they play in.
This is the list of AIFF approved clubs under every state foot ...
References
{{Football in India
Football cup competitions in India
National association football cups
Recurring sporting events established in 1977
1977 establishments in India
Defunct football competitions in India