Football: 2025-26 AIFF Super Cup semi-finals take centre stage in Fatorda
Semi-final 1: East Bengal vs. Punjab FC (16:00 IST)
With the Indian Super League still in limbo for the foreseeable future, the resumption of the AIFF Super Cup is a welcome sight for Indian football fans, and Wednesday brings us back-to-back action at the Fatorda Stadium in Goa.
Kicking off the final four battle is East Bengal taking on Punjab FC at 16:00 IST. The Red and Yellow Brigade won this competition in 2024, while The Shers are eyeing their first title, and you can check out our East Bengal vs Punjab FC prediction for all the key insights in this clash.
East Bengal navigated a tricky Group A by earning a 2-2 draw against Dempo SC before beating Chennaiyin FC 4-0. The key result came in their final match, where they held Mohun Bagan to a goalless draw to clinch top spot in the group at the ISL champions' expense.
Punjab, on the other hand, kicked off Group C with a 3-0 win against Gokulam FC, followed by a victory over Mohammedan by the same scoreline. The Shers then secured their spot in the final four by defeating Bengaluru FC 5-4 on penalties after their match ended in a 0-0 draw.
The Bengal Brigade beat this opponent home and away in the ISL last season. Notably, both those games were high-scoring encounters, with a total of 10 goals being produced, including seven for East Bengal and three for Punjab.
Semi-final 2: FC Goa vs. Mumbai City (20:00 IST)
A couple of hours after the first finalist in the 2025-26 AIFF Super Cup is confirmed, FC Goa will look to take a step closer to their title defence when they face off against Mumbai City, who are aiming for their first title in this competition.
The Gaurs were drawn in Group B in this competition and notched up back-to-back victories in their first two games, beating Jamshedpur and Inter Kashi 2-0 and 3-0, respectively, before suffering a 2-1 defeat to North East United in their final fixture.
In Group D, Mumbai City notched up 4-1 and 1-0 victories against SC Delhi and the Kerala Blasters, either side of a shock 1-0 loss to Rajasthan United. You can check out our football predictions for our expert’s thoughts on this semi-final matchup.
Notably, FC Goa have home advantage and are likely to be more match-prepared, having featured in the AFC Champions League 2 during the ISL’s stoppage. However, the Islanders have only lost one of the last 10 matches against the Gaurs in all competitions (W7 D2).
