16 teams across four groups will challenge for one of the oldest honours in Indian football to be played in and around Kolkata from 5th September to 3rd October.
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The groups and fixtures for the 130th edition of the Durand Cup, Asia’s oldest football tournament, have been announced. Sixteen teams across four groups will challenge for one of the oldest honours in Indian football to be played in and around Kolkata from 5th September till 3rd October. It will be from 3 PM onwards on all days till the quarter-final stage, except the opening match which starts at 4:15 PM. The timings for the semi-finals and the final match will be confirmed later. The tournament is jointly organised by the Indian Armed Forces and the government of West Bengal.
The draw has resulted in interesting Indian Super League (ISL) franchise versus I-League club encounters. It also pitted the biggest names from Indian football’s premier division against some of Durand Cup’s stalwarts. Kolkata giants Mohammedan Sporting Club – the first Indian winners of the Durand Cup have been drawn into Group A, alongside Bengaluru United, the Indian Air Force Football Team, and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). The Group A fixture between Indian Air Force Football Team and Mohammedan SC will be the opening match of the tournament.
Group B has all the ingredients for a potential “Group of Death”, featuring Indian Super League (ISL) sides FC Goa and Jamshedpur FC, alongside I-League side Sudeva Delhi FC and 2016 Durand Cup winners Army Green Football Team. Bengaluru Football Club and Kerala Blasters Football Club are drawn into Group C, pitting the two ISL sides against Delhi FC and the Indian Navy football team. For the Blasters, this tournament would also mark their Durand Cup debut.
The fourth and final group will see Assam Rifles Football Team and Army Red Football Team locking horns with Hyderabad FC from the ISL and the reigning Durand Cup and I-League Champions, Gokulam Kerala Football Club. The top two from each group would advance to the quarter-finals.
The two semi-finals are scheduled for 27th and 29th September. The final will take place on 3rd October. The Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK), Kalyani Municipality Stadium and Mohun Bagan Club Ground will serve as the three venues for this year’s tournament.
Meanwhile, Gaurav Manchanda, the owner of Bengaluru United said that it was a great honor for him and for the club to be participating in what he termed a “marquee event”. “It’s a great honour for FC Bengaluru United to be invited to participate in the Durand Cup and we couldn’t be more delighted,” he said.
“The Durand Cup is a marquee event in the Indian footballing calendar, and we are proud to be part of it. It is also a testimony to the growing potential of FC Bengaluru United. We have been on the ascendancy over the last three years and being part of such a prestigious tournament can only help propel us forward on our growth journey,” Manchanda added.
