The annual knockout club football tournament in India is back! Hero Federation Cup is considered the most important Club Tournament in India after the Hero I-League. The winner of the Federation Cup gets a chance to compete in the AFC Cup. The current holders of the Cup are Bangalore FC, also the recently crowned Hero I-League Champions will be the Team to beat during this edition. The top eight teams as per the standings of the Hero I-League will be playing in the knock-out format on a Home and Away basis including the semifinals, with the Final match scheduled for a Neutral Venue.
As per the regulations of the Hero Federation Cup, the lower ranked Teams are to play their home-match first. Round One is scheduled to be played from April 30 to May 2; while Round 2 will be played on May 3 and 4, 2016. The first round of the semifinals is to be played on May 7 and May 8 with the return legs scheduled for May 14 and 15. The Final of the Tournament is supposed to be played on May 21.
The following Teams have managed to Qualify for the Tournament:
Bengaluru FC (defending Champions), Mohun Bagan (13-time champions), East Bengal (8-time champions), Sporting Goa, Mumbai FC, Shillong Lajong FC, Salgaokar(4-time champions), Aizawl FC
The Schedule for the Federation Cup Tournament in India as follows:
| First Leg Date | Fixture | Timing | Score | Second Leg Date | Fixture | Timing | Aggregate |
| 30/04/2016 | Aizawl FC vs Bengaluru FC | 16:30 | 2-1 | 03/05/2016 | Bengaluru FC vs Aizawl FC | 19:00 | 3-5 |
| 01/05/2016 | Lajong FC vs East Bengal | 16:30 | 2-1 | 04/05/2016 | East Bengal vs Lajong FC | 16:30 | 3-4 |
| 01/05/2016 | Mumbai FC vs Sporting Goa | 16:30 | 0-1 | 04/05/2016 | Sporting Goa vs Mumbai FC | 16:30 | 0-2 |
| 02/05/2016 | Salgaocar vs Mohun Bagan | 16:30 | 2-3 | 05/05/2016 | Mohun Bagan vs Salgaocar | 19:00 | 7-2 |
| 08/05/2016 | Mohun Bagan vs Shillong Lajong | 19:00 | 5-0 | 14/05/2016 | Shillong Lajong vs Mohun Bagan | 17:00 | TBD |
| 10/05/2016 | Aizawl vs Sporting Goa | 15:00 | TBD | 15/05/2016 | Sporting Goa vs Aizawl | 16:30 | TBD |
Final: 21/05/2016
*TBD- To be decided
