Fresh from winning the ISL Cup Final and retaining the ISL League Shield — the two biggest honours in Indian football — Mohun Bagan Super Giant now shift their focus to the Super Cup 2025, slated to begin on April 20th in Bhubaneswar. However, the Mariners are unlikely to travel to the Temple City with a full-strength squad after a gruelling ISL campaign.
According to sources close to the club, head coach Jose Molina met with the management a day after the ISL Cup triumph and is scheduled to have another meeting on Monday to finalise plans for the Super Cup. The current plan is to field a squad comprising players who didn’t get much game time in the ISL, along with young talents from the Mohun Bagan’s Emerging Reserve Squad — a team that has already secured a spot in the RFDL Final, where they will face Manipur-based Classic FA in their pursuit of silverware.
Unlike last year, when the Super Cup was held mid-season during the January international break for the AFC Asian Cup, this year’s edition will wrap up the football calendar. With the 2025–26 season expected to begin as early as the end of July, the management is keen on giving rest to their regular first-team players to avoid fatigue and injuries.
The winner of the Super Cup 2025 will earn a spot in the AFC Champions League 2 qualifiers. However, since Mohun Bagan SG have already secured qualification, their participation is more about providing opportunities than chasing a continental berth.
All six foreign players who featured in the ISL are likely to skip the tournament. Instead, the spotlight could be on Portuguese defender Nuno Reis, who joined as the club’s seventh foreigner, but is yet to make an appearance. The former Melbourne City FC defender is expected to finally don the green and maroon jersey in this tournament, offering fans a glimpse of his capabilities.
Mohun Bagan was initially scheduled to kick-off their Super Cup campaign against Churchill Brothers on the opening day of the 16-team knockout competition. However, Churchill Brothers announced their withdrawal from the tournament on Saturday, expressing their discontent over what they termed as the AIFF’s “unfair and opaque” seeding process.
In a letter addressed to AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey, Churchill Brothers stated:
“While the ISL standings were followed for seeding, the same wasn’t done for the I-League. As the top-ranked team in the 2024–25 I-League, Churchill Brothers FC should have been the 14th seed. However, AIFF ignored the standings and instead awarded the seed to Inter Kashi FC through an opaque draw of lots.”
An official confirmation is still awaited regarding the implications of Churchill’s withdrawal. If their exit is upheld, Mohun Bagan could receive a bye in the first round and advance directly to the quarter-finals — where they would face the winner of the East Bengal versus Kerala Blasters clash.
Despite the ongoing controversy and uncertainty, Mohun Bagan remain unfazed. With the club having already etched their name into the history books by completing their first-ever ISL double, preparations for the Super Cup 2025 are set to begin on April 17th — once the squad is finalised.
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