The COVID crisis in the country and the extravaganza of the Indian Premier League has ensured that Indian football club FC Goa's AFC Champions League 2021 campaign has been well and truly been deprived of the spotlight. Having played their quota of 6 group stage matches, FC Goa managed to claim 3 draws and face defeat as many numbers of times, which meant that they ended 3^rd in their group, in the process failing to achieve qualification for the following round.

Indian Football Club FC Goa in AFC Champions League 2021

The fact that the table-toppers of the Indian Super League 2019/20 faced a group stage exit does not tell the whole story. FC Goa became the first ever Indian team to secure a point in the AFC Champions League after battling it out against former French World Cup winner Laurent Blanc's side, Qatar's Al Rayyan. Despite Al Rayyan seeming more dominant right from kick-off at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, the Gaurs, coached by Juan Ferrando, kept a clean sheet, with goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem proving to be a standout performer.  

Read Also: Premier League top scorers in the last ten seasons

FC Goa played out two more stalemates, against Al Wahda and Al Rayyan (the return leg) to go with their three losses. The Gaurs could have had at least 5 more points, for they took the lead on two occasions, but were unable to hold on to it.

The first instance was against Iran's Persepolis F.C. on the 20^th of April, where an Edu Bedia header from a Brandon Fernandes free kick 14 minutes in got his side ahead, only for them to concede a penalty, and subsequently the equaliser four minutes later. Some careless defending ensured that they went behind in the 24^th minute, as Jalal Hossaini, unmarked, leapt up and headed the Iran-based club back in front from a cross from Mehdi Torabi.

Read Also: ISL 2021-22: Full fixture and schedule

If the game against Persepolis wasn't agonising enough, FC Goa's return leg against Al Rayyan six days later turned out to be a gut-wrenching affair. With both sides competing in a dead rubber, having been mathematically eliminated already, Goa had the lead inside 3 minutes, thanks to Jorge Ortiz's untidy yet effective finish. They were a minute of regulation time away from securing the first ever win by an Indian club in the competition, when goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh, who had done exceptionally well to keep his side in the game until then, was unable to latch on to an attempted pass from the right, and Ali Ferydoon levelled for Al Rayyan.

For the Indian football fraternity, the biggest takeaway out of this campaign was Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem. The shot-stopper from Manipur made 26 saves in the 5 appearances that he made, the most in the West Zone group league stage.

"Dheeraj Singh certainly made a name for himself on his continental debut, pulling off a tournament-leading 26 saves in just five games, among them a number of memorable efforts that earned high praise from impressed observers," the AFC said on its website about Dheeraj, who rose to fame following the U17 World Cup in 2017.

5 memorable performances from Indian football teams in Asian competitions

Inspired by FC Goa's campaign, we look at 5 memorable performances from Indian football teams in Asian competitions.

#1 Mysore State, Asian Champion Club Tournament 1969 Semi-Finalists

By virtue of lifting the Santosh Trophy earlier that year, defeating West Bengal in the replay of the final by a goal to nil after the first leg ended in a goalless draw, the Karnataka football team, known as Mysore State back then, sealed a spot in the premier football competition of Asia, then known as the Asian Champion Club Tournament. While the inaugural edition of the tournament, held two years ago, had a straight knockout format, group stages were added to it from the following edition. A total of 10 teams competed over 24 matches in the 16-day affair in Thailand.

Read Also: ISL stats: Players with most assists in ISL history

Mysore State, allotted in Group A alongside Yangzee, Bangkok Bank, Vietnam Police and Manila Lions, got off to the worst possible start to the campaign, conceding 5 against South Korea-based Yangzee FC. A 1-1 draw against Bangkok Bank somewhat redeemed their morale, which they used to the best effect by defeating both Vietnam Police and Manila Lions by 2 goals to 1. The two wins and the draw helped them earn a total of 5 points, which ensured their promotion to the semi-finals.

A crushing 6-1 defeat to Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv in the 1^st semi-final diminished hopes of Asian glory for Mysore. Subsequently, the 4-time Santosh Trophy champions gave away the bronze spot to Japanese club Togo Kogyo, losing 2 goals to nil. To date, Mysore State's 1969 Asian Champion Club Tournament campaign remains the most successful for an Indian football side in Asia's premier football competition.

#2 Dempo Sports Club, AFC Cup 2008 Semi-Finalists

Once regarded as one of India's footballing giants, Dempo Sports Club earned a ticket to the AFC Cup in 2008 after finishing on top of the National League table (the then top competition in Indian football) the year before. They set off their campaign on home soil with a resounding 3-1 win over Lebanese opponents Al-Ansar, thanks to a brace from Ranti Martins and a goal from fellow forward Chidi Edeh. An unsuccessful visit to Oman to play Sur Sports Club, followed by a 4-0 defeat against Bahrain's Al-Muharraq meant that they had to pull off something special to go through, and so they did.

A second Ranti Martins brace at the Bahrain National Stadium, followed by a 1-1 draw at Beirut meant that they needed a win in their final group game, against Sur Sports Club to safely advance to the knockouts. They made light work of the job, smashing 5 past the Omani club's defence and conceding only 2 in return late in the game. Martins struck his third brace of the tournament, Chidi scored two as well, and Climax Lawrence wrapped things up with a goal of his own.   

Read Also: Top Ten highest paid footballers in the world

Dempo finished 2^nd in the group, and 3^rd in the best group runners-up chart, 3 points clear of Jordanian clubs Al-Wahdat and Shabab Al-Ordon. They faced group D winners Lion City Sailors FC (Home United) of Singapore in the Quarter-Final over two legs, which took place at the start of the following football season. Mboyo Iyomi, brought in from Churchill Brothers to replace Chidi Edeh, who had departed for Mahindra United, equalized late in the day to keep his side in the tie going to the second leg.

A 7-goal thriller ensured that Dempo went through to the semis. In a match that can be described as a classic in Indian football folklore, Iyomi opened the scoring for Dempo at the Jalan Besar Stadium a minute into the game. Roberto Mendes thumped the Goanese side back in the lead in the 23^rd minute after Peres De Oliviera's equalised 10 minutes ago. Indra Sahdhan then scored twice in quick time to get the hosts in front for the first time in the game, only for Climax Lawrence to equalize with a captain's goal right at the cusp of half-time.

With his side already ahead on away goals, Mendes scored his second and Dempo's 4th in the dying minutes of the game to kill the tie off. Their fantastic run in the tournament came to an end when they faced off against Safa Sporting Club from Beirut in the semis. Unable to score away from home and a goal behind from the first leg, Dempo's spirits were crushed after they went 2-nil down in the second leg at home, as Mohammad Kassas struck twice for the Wata El-Museitbeh-based team. Although Iyomi provided a consolation goal earlier in the second half, Safa Sporting piled on the misery with two more late strikes from super-sub Hussain Tahan.

ALSO READ: Football Facts: Son-Father Football Pair Who Played For Same Club

#3 East Bengal, AFC Cup 2013 Semi-Finalists

The Red and Gold Brigade made doubly sure of their qualification in the tournament, their 7^th appearance, by winning the Federation Cup the previous year to go along with the I-League runners-up medal. Having topped group H with a total of 14 points in 6 games, they cruised to the last 16 stages. Chidi Edeh, Lalrindika Ralte and Penn Orji scored three goals each in the group stage, with Edeh going on to be the top-scorer for his side in the tournament with 6 goals.

East Bengal put 5 past Burmese side Yangon United's defence in the one-off round of 16 encounter, which was played between the group winners and group runners-up from the same zone. While Orji opened the scoring in the 2^nd minute in front of a moderate Salt Lake Stadium crowd in Kolkata, Chidi scored a striker's hat-trick with some tidy finishing to send the Red & Gold Brigade supporters into a frenzy. Mehtab Hossain was the third goal-scorer for the hosts, sending them 3 up right at the start of the second half. Cesar Augusto's goal late in the day provided some consolation for the visitors.

Read Also: ISL Stats: Players with the most goals in ISL history

East Bengal travelled to Indonesia with a 1-0 lead from the first leg against Semen Padang, thanks to a clinical hit by substitute Ryuji Sueoka from outside the box in the 70^th minute. An ordinary bit of distribution from keeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu was pouched on to and capitalized by Edward Wilson, giving the then Indonesian Premier League champions the lead on the day. Semen Padang was dominant for the best part of the game, but an immaculate cross from Baljit Sahni towards the far post was headed into the back of the net by James Moga in the 78^th minute, which sealed a semi-finals spot for the 100-year-old club from Bengal.

Despite conceding 4 pedestrian goals against Al-Kuwait in the first leg of the semis, East Bengal still had the belief of being in the tie going into the return fixture, for they had two vital away goals, one headed in by Uga Okpara from a corner in the 65^th minute, the other being a splendid finish from Lalrindika Ralte in the 87^th. East Bengal was well and truly in the hunt in the return fixture, before Al-Kuwait struck twice in two minutes, right on the cusp of halftime, and the contest was over.

An own-goal from Abhishek Das in the dying stages summed things up for the hosts, as they crashed out of the tournament, unable to break the barrier of an Indian team being able to play the summit clash in an Asian football tournament, a feat that was achieved 3 years later.

ALSO READ: Top 10: Most Free-kick Goals In Football History

#4 Bengaluru FC, AFC Cup 2016 Runners-Up

The AFC Cup Final in 2016 had a few firsts. Finalists Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya and Bengaluru FC made their first AFC Cup Final appearance, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya (Translates to Air Force Athletic Club in English) did so in their first ever AFC Cup appearance, and The Blues reached heights no other Indian football team had scaled before, becoming the first ever football team from the country to play in the final of an Asian football tournament.

Both Bengaluru FC and Mohun Bagan made it to the last 16, with Mohun Bagan topping their group. While the Mariners were unable to make further progress, agonizingly conceding the winning goal against Singapore-based Tampines Rovers FC with 4 minutes left to extra-time, Bengaluru FC, despite going behind to Hong Kong club Kitchee in the 7^th minute, got themselves back in front thanks to a brace from skipper and talisman Sunil Chhetri. Daniel Lalhlimpuia added a third in the 51^st minute to reclaim the lead for the Blues after Jordi Tarres levelled for the hosts.

A defensive lapse from Tampines Rovers in the quarter-final was capitalized upon by the finalists, as CK Vineeth netted the only goal of the tie. A week after the tie against the Rovers, Eugeneson Lyngdoh gave The Blues a goal worth of gold, both in terms of quality and context, in the first leg of the semi-final against Johor Darul Ta'zim at Malaysia. He defied the lack of space and fired in a shot from over 20 yards into the bottom right corner, four minutes after the hosts took the lead courtesy of a header from Jorge Diaz in the second half.

Safiq Rahim nullified the away goal factor for The Blues 11 minutes into the second leg by heading in the rebound off Amrinder Singh's gloves as the keeper only managed a weak punch against a shot from Safee Sali. It took a brace from talisman Sunil Chhetri to push the hosts back in front, the first one headed into the bottom left corner from a Eugeneson Lyngdoh corner kick, and the second one a world class strike from outside the box after making space for himself by skipping past a couple of JDT players after controlling the pass. A header from Juan Antonio capped off a historic night for Bengaluru FC and for Indian football, as The Blues sealed a first ever finals spot in an AFC competition.

Due to the fact that Iraqi teams were not allowed to host their home matches in their country, the final took place at the Suheim Bin Hamad Stadium in Qatar. Amidst vociferous support despite playing at a neutral venue, Air Force Club created a bulk of chances before a clever piece of play saw them take the lead in the 70^th minute.

Amjed Radhi, pretending to pass the ball to Hammadi Ahmed who was standing in an offside position, dribbled past the Bengaluru defence into the box as Ahmed merely stepped aside. He then tapped the ball back to Ahmed past keeper Lalthuamawia Ralte, who was in goal in place of the suspended Amrinder Singh, and Ahmed, by then well and truly onside, completed the formalities. Bengaluru fought and fought till the end, throwing everything into the game in the last 20 minutes, but it was not meant to be. And so, the wait for an Indian football team to achieve Asian glory continues to this date.

#5 Bengaluru FC, AFC Cup 2017 Zonal playoff finalists

Attaining a group stage spot by lifting the I-League Trophy in 2015/16, Bengaluru FC were keen to go one better than last time, having been slotted alongside Mohun Bagan, Maldives' Maziya and Bangladesh's Abahani Limited. They began their campaign with a 2-1 victory against national rivals Mohun Bagan, thanks to goals from Sandesh Jhingan, on loan from Kerala Blasters, and Sunil Chhetri.

A stoppage-time winner from James Johnson against Maziya on the 4^th of April, the only goal of the match, gave The Blues a further three points, an encounter which turned out to be decisive eventually. Bengaluru FC then played Abahani Limited home and away and came off with a win and a loss respectively, the scoreline being 2-0 on both occasions. A second successive defeat followed, this time against the Mariners, and Bengaluru were left with the task of defeating Maziya in their final group game to qualify for the Inter-zone semi-finals spot.

Once again, it was the skipper, Sunil Chhetri, who stepped up to the plate. The highest Indian goal-scorer in International football curled a free kick from the edge of the box past the wall and into the top left corner to send his side through to the knockouts. Despite being level on points with their Maldivian opposition, Bengaluru went through on account of the head-to-head results in the group fixtures.

Chhetri opened the scoring for The Blues in the semi-finals as well. Facing off against North Korean club April 25 Sports Club at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore, the skipper gave the hosts the lead by chipping a penalty past keeper Ri Kang, who was guilty of giving the penalty away by fouling Udanta Singh inside the box. Udanta doubled the lead, capitalizing on a mis-pass from the North Korean outfit's defence. He then charged down the right and placed the ball into the bottom corner, without giving Ri Kang a chance.

Chhetri was instrumental in the third goal as well, as he made a 50-yard dash down the left flank before squaring it to Lenny Rodrigues, who slid over the muddy penalty box to complete the job. After the two teams played out a goalless draw in the return leg, Bengaluru FC went through to the playoff final where they'd face Tajikistan's FC Istiklol.

A flying header from Dmitry Barkov meant that The Blues, despite having a major chance to equalize in the latter stages, had to return home trailing by a goal to nil. The second leg started off with Nuriddin Davronov doubling Istiklol's lead on aggregate by converting from the spot after Gurpreet Sandhu tripped Fatkhullo Fatkhulloev inside the box.

An inch-perfect header from Rahul Bheke in the 24^th minute just about kept the hosts in the game, but Bengaluru was dealt with another setback right before the half-time whistle as Harmanjot Khabra was sent off after receiving a second yellow for a dreadful challenge. Some shambolic defending ensured that Istiklol got their second goal of the night, and despite Chhetri's successful penalty kick in the 65^th minute, The Blues were unable to progress, having lost the tie 2 goals to 3.

The Indian national football team will take the field against Maldives in a FIFA International Friendly match on 19 March 2025, scheduled to take place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong.

Before the Asian Cup 2027 Qualifying campaigns begin next week, India and the Maldives will face each other to prepare for their respective matches in the third qualifying round.

The teams will meet for the first time after October 2021, when India defeated Maldives 3-1 in the 2021 SAFF Championship group stage. Currently, India is ranked 126th in the FIFA International Men's Ranking, whereas Maldives is positioned 162nd.

Last time out against Maldives 🔙🇲🇻
🏆 SAFF Championship 2021

⚽️⚽️ @chetrisunil11
⚽️ @manvir_singh07

5️⃣ days to go for #INDMDV 🇮🇳🆚🇲🇻 in Shillong!
🎫 Tickets coming soon on https://t.co/m3nmyLyj2h 🔜#BlueTigers #IndianFootball pic.twitter.com/xCcjcEgCHP

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) March 14, 2025

From possible starting XIs to team news and head-to-head stats, here is everything you need to know about India vs Maldives FIFA International Friendly match in the March 2025 FIFA int'l window.

Match Details

Match: India vs Maldives

Date: 19 March 2025

Time: 7:00 PM IST

Venue: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, (Polo Ground), Shillong

Broadcasting and Streaming Details  

Indian football fans can watch the India vs Maldives friendly match streamed live on Star Sports Network. The match will also be streamed live on the JioHotstar App and the JioHotstar website.  

Head-to-head stats

Matches played: 21

India Wins: 15

Malaysia wins: 4

Draws: 2

Team News

India

It has been almost 18 months since India last experienced a victory in an international fixture, which came against Kuwait, beating them 1-0 away from home in the second round of World Cup Qualifiers.

India is yet to win a match under Igor Stimac's successor Manolo Marquez since his appointment in July 2024. India suffered a goalless draw against Mauritius in the Intercontinental Cup 2024, which was also the Spaniard's debut game in charge; and the Blue Tigers lost their second match by 0-3 against Syria.

During the international break in October, India was held to a 1-1 against Vietnam in a friendly, and again, shared the spoils against Malaysia in a 1-1 stalemate in November 2024.

Matchday minus 2️⃣🐯🇮🇳#BlueTigers #IndianFootball ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/tD2Kcnz2Xe

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) March 17, 2025

However, the Indian team will commence their journey in the Qualifiers to reach the third consecutive Asian Cup next week as they will face Bangladesh on March 25. Manolo will also leave his position at FC Goa at the end of the season to focus solely on the national side.

Manolo Márquez names the India squad for March FIFA Window 🇮🇳

🗣️ Márquez: "The qualification for the Asian Cup is very crucial for us. Given the importance of the tournament and the matches ahead, I discussed with Sunil Chhetri about making a comeback to strengthen the National… pic.twitter.com/TlwShiL7hb

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) March 6, 2025

Indian legend Sunil Chhetri has come out of retirement to play for India again, but star forward Lallianzuala Chhagte has been sidelined due to an injury. Defender Asish Rai has been ruled out as well and will be replaced by Tekcham Abhishek Singh, who got his maiden national call-up.

Last 5 matches: L D L D D

Maldives

Maldives has only played two friendlies in the last 18 months, both against Bangladesh in November 2024. The Red Snappers won the first one 1-0 but faced a 1-2 defeat in the following match.

However, after the controversial departure of former head coach Francesco Moriero in 2023, Ali Suzain was appointed as the new head coach, which marks his second spell at the helm. 

Suzain has picked up a relatively younger squad for the clash against India, which will help them to analyze the team better before they start their Asian Cup qualifying campaign in the next week as well. Maldives will face Philippines on 25 March to begin their quest to reach Asian Cup 2027.

Maldives has no current news of any concerning injury, as they will have their full squad fit and available for the encounter against India.

Last 5 matches: L D L W L

Predicted Line-ups

India

Vishal Kaith (GK); Naorem Roshan Singh, Sandesh Jhingan, Rahul Bheke, Subhasish Bose; Suresh Singh Wangjam, Apuia; Brandon Fernandes, Irfan Yadwad; Sunil Chhetri

Maldives

Hussain Shareef (GK); Hussain Sifaau, Samooh Ali, Mohamed Irufaan, Hassan Shifaz; Irfan, Ibrahim Mahudhee, Hussain Nihan, Ahmed Aiham, Mohamed Naim; Hassan Naiz, Ali Fasir

Following a tight contention in the league stage to seal passage into the Indian Super League 2024-25 knockout phase, six teams have secured their appearance for the playoffs.

The league stage of 2024-25 ended with a dead-rubber game on Wednesday as Kerala Blasters and Hyderabad FC shared the spoils in a 1-1 stalemate.

Mumbai City FC triumphed 2-0 over Bengaluru on Tuesday in their final league stage encounter this season, becoming the sixth team to book their tickets to the playoffs.

AND THEN THERE WERE 6️⃣! ✅#TheIslanders complete the #ISLPlayoffs puzzle, securing back-to-back qualification under #PetrKratky! 💪🔥#BFCMCFC #ISL #LetsFootball #MumbaiCityFC | @JioHotstar @StarSportsIndia pic.twitter.com/61ZIAxs4J5

— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) March 11, 2025

This article offers you everything you need to know about the ISL 2024-25 Playoffs Fixtures and Format.

ISL 2024-25 Playoffs: Teams qualified

Mohun Bagan Super Giant became the first team to qualify for the ISL 2024-25 playoffs after achieving a 1-0 victory against Odisha FC at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium in Kolkata last month.

The Mariners successfully defended their ISL League Shield as well, becoming the first-ever team in ISL history to achieve this feat, having earned a record 56 points in 24 matches.

Read Also | ISL Stats: 6 records Mohun Bagan broke in ISL 2024-25 so far

FC Goa were the second team to qualify for the playoffs, securing their spot after a 2-0 win against Kerala Blasters last month. The Gaurs guaranteed the second place in the standings with 48 points in 24 games, ensuring their direct entry to the semi-finals.

Bengaluru FC were the third team to reach the playoffs, following a 1-0 victory over Chennaiyin FC in February. The Blues finished the regular season in third place, having gathered 38 points in 24 matches.

Jamshedpur FC and NorthEast United FC also booked their places in the playoffs. NorthEast United FC secured the fourth spot with 38 points in 24 games, whereas Jamshedpur FC finished in fifth place with the same points, but fell short in the goal difference.

The sixth and final playoff spot was clinched by Mumbai City FC, with 36 points in 24 games following a 2-0 victory against Bengaluru FC in the final match of the regular season.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐚 𝐰𝐫𝐚𝐩! 🎬

The #ISL 2024-25 League Stage comes to close as #Mariners takes the top spot! 🔥#LetsFootball | @JioHotstar @StarSportsIndia @eastbengal_fc @HydFCOfficial @MohammedanSC pic.twitter.com/4hFiQt7ZOS

— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) March 12, 2025

Bengaluru FC, NorthEast United FC and Jamshedpur FC all finished with 38 points after 24 games. For teams that have the same number of points, their head-to-head record is considered first. If their head-to-head results are tied at 1-1 or if they have drawn, then goal difference is taken into account. 

According to this rule, Bengaluru FC had a win and a draw against Northeast United FC, which is why they are ranked above. Jamshedpur FC also has the points as Bengaluru and NorthEast, but their head-to-head record is lower, which is why they are placed below the other two.

ISL Playoffs Format

The top six teams from the league stage qualify for the playoffs, with the top two teams ensuring a direct place in the two-legged semi-finals. 

Additionally, the team that finishes at the top of the table after the league stage wins the League Shield and secures a place in the group phase of the AFC Champions League Two. 

The four teams that finish in the third to sixth positions will compete for a spot in the semi-finals through a playoff round. Notably, the playoffs are decided in a single-legged knockout game which is played in the home ground of the team that finished higher on the leaderboard.

To award some deserving advantage to the third and fourth placed teams in the league stage, the third-placed team takes on the sixth-placed side, whereas the fourth-placed and fifth-placed team meet in the other playoff.

The winners of the play-offs will advance to the semi-finals and will compete against the first two teams for a place in the ISL 2024-25 Final.

ISL 2024-25 Playoffs Fixtures

Pending an official confirmation, ISL 2024-25 playoffs are likely to be played on March 29 and 30, whereas the semifinals are scheduled for the first week of April.

According to reports, the first legs of the semi-finals are supposed to be played on April 2 and 3; and the return legs will take place on April 6 and 7, respectively.

However, here are the confirmed match-ups in the ISL 2024-25 Playoffs.

*pending further confirmation

Hello and welcome to another live coverage of Indian football as we continue bringing you all the live updates of the Indian Super League 2024-25. Tonight, we will bring you all the live updates, news, and live scores of the most crucial encounter of the last match-week between Bengaluru FC and Mumbai City FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.

Bengaluru FC have already qualified for the play-offs, currently positioned fourth with 38 points in 23 matches. On the other hand, Mumbai City FC need to earn a point tonight to secure their qualification, as they are in the seventh position, having accumulated 33 points in 23 matches.

Tonight, both teams will take the field for their last league stage outing for the 2024-25 season. So, sit back and enjoy the match as Sportz Point provides you with all the real-time updates, team news, live scores, and match commentary tonight.

This is Soumit Bhattacharya, who will bring you all the updates of the match from the web desk.

Moreover, you can follow us on Twitter for all the updates. Join our Telegram and WhatsApp channels to get all the news and scores

Hello and welcome to another live coverage of Indian football as we continue bringing you all the live updates of the Indian Super League 2024-25. This evening, we will bring you all the live updates, news, and live scores of the thrilling encounter between NorthEast United FC and East Bengal FC at the  Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong.

NorthEast United are currently positioned fifth on the leaderboard with 35 points in 23 games. On the total contrary, East Bengal are positioned eighth, having earned 28 points in 23 matches.

This evening, both teams will take the field for the last league stage game of the 2024-25 season. However, the Highlanders will look to progress on the league table, whereas the Red and Gold Brigade have nothing to lose, as they are already out of the qualification race.

 So, sit back and enjoy the match as Sportz Point provides you with all the real-time updates, team news, live scores, and match commentary tonight.

This is Soumit Bhattacharya, who will bring you all the updates of the match from the web desk.

Moreover, you can follow us on Twitter for all the updates. Join our Telegram and WhatsApp channels to get all the news and scores.

The 2025 edition of the AIFF Super Cup will be hosted at Bhubaneswar in Odisha, likely in the second week of April. The event is the premier annual Indian football cup tournament, and this will be the second consecutive Super Cup tournament in the state of Odisha.

AIFF have also announced the tentative dates for the competition to be planned between April 18 and 27, but the official confirmation is yet to arrive.

East Bengal FC are the defending champions, having defeated the hosts, Odisha FC, in the final of the 2024 edition. 

AIFF confirms the venue and tentative dates for Super Cup 2025

This will be the fifth edition of the tournament and is open to the two top divisions of Indian football, featuring the Indian Super League and the I-League, respectively.

The Super Cup replaced the Federation Cup in 2018, and three of the last four editions have taken place in Bhubaneswar.

In 2024, the tournament was a 16-team competition and featured all 12 teams from the Indian Super League and four teams from the I-League. It started with the group stage and progressed to a 4-team knockout tournament.

Although the format and the final dates of the 2025 edition of this tournament are yet to be announced, there are speculations of changing the format in the upcoming editions. The winner of this tournament will also qualify for the qualifiers of the 2025-26 AFC Champions League Two, the second division of the Asian club football competition.

⚽ The 2025 Super Cup is heading back to Bhubaneswar, Odisha! 🏆🔥

Reports suggest that India's premier club football tournament will take place in the second week of April, marking Odisha’s second consecutive year as host.

Can East Bengal FC defend their title, or will a new… pic.twitter.com/BBqblni4Gj

— Doordarshan Sports (@ddsportschannel) March 5, 2025

The winner of this competition will join Mohun Bagan Super Giant at the continental competition, who have already qualified for the group stage of the 2025-26 AFC Champions League, by winning the Indian Super League 2024-25 Shield.

Anilkumar Prabhakaran, the General Secretary of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), said the following to Sportstar:

Yes, the tournament will happen in Bhubaneswar, but the other details (exact dates and format) have not been decided yet. It will be finalised in the next few days