The Indian Football Association (IFA) Shield final between Kolkata’s two football giants will be played on Thursday at the Salt Lake Stadium, with kick-off scheduled for 6.15 pm.

The officially announced the schedule on Tuesday, while also confirming that tickets for the derby will be available exclusively online.

The IFA has fixed the ticket prices between Rs 100 and Rs 1,250, with tickets also available at Rs 150, Rs 200, Rs 250, Rs 350 and Rs 650. Tickets are expected to go on sale through the District app from Wednesday morning.

IFA secretary Anirban Dutta confirmed that there will be no offline sale of tickets for the much-anticipated clash.

‘Our aim is to give football fans from all sections of society an opportunity to watch the derby. Keeping that in mind, we have kept the lowest ticket price at Rs 100. However, all tickets will be available online. The online platform through which the tickets will be sold is working on it. If it is not possible on Tuesday night, tickets will be available on the online app from Wednesday,’ Dutta said.

Tight schedule forces IFA to stage final on Thursday

The decision to hold the Shield final on Thursday comes amid a packed schedule for both Kolkata clubs. The Indian Super League (ISL) is scheduled to begin on October 10, just two days after the Shield final.

Neither East Bengal nor Mohun Bagan are scheduled to play on the opening day of the ISL.

East Bengal will then have an AFC Champions League fixture at home on October 13, leaving the IFA with limited scope to schedule the Shield final.

The fixture list has also been complicated by India's two FIFA friendly matches against Russia's women's team in Kolkata. The first of those matches is scheduled for October 8.

The India-Russia fixture was initially scheduled to be held at Kishore Bharati Krirangan. There was subsequently an attempt to shift the match to the Salt Lake Stadium, but the fixture was eventually moved back to Kishore Bharati.

That has cleared the way for the IFA Shield final to be played at the Salt Lake Stadium. Preparations at the venue for the derby have already begun.

Online-only tickets for high-profile derby

With the final expected to draw a large crowd, the IFA has opted for an entirely online ticketing system. Fans will be able to purchase tickets through the District app, with the lowest-priced ticket costing Rs 100.

The IFA has deliberately kept an affordable entry-level price, with Dutta stressing that the objective is to make the derby accessible to fans across different sections of society.

Tickets will be available in multiple price categories, ranging from Rs 100 to Rs 1,250. The other slabs are Rs 150, Rs 200, Rs 250, Rs 350 and Rs 650.

The IFA expects the online sale to begin from Wednesday morning. Dutta said the platform was working on the arrangements and that tickets could potentially become available on Tuesday night if the technical preparations were completed in time.

With the derby also serving as the Shield final, the Thursday clash promises to be a major football event in Kolkata, coming just two days before the start of the ISL season.