The prestigious Durand Cup, acting as the curtain-raiser for the Indian football season, began on 25 July this year. The Durand Cup is the oldest football tournament in Asia, having first been played in 1888. This tournament was named after Henry Mortimer Durand, who was England’s then-foreign secretary in charge of their Indian colony.
Now, it is the 135th edition of the Durand Cup. For the first time in its history, the Durand Cup is being staged across five cities: Kolkata, Guwahati, Shillong, Imphal and Ranchi. This tournament is organised by the Indian Armed Forces, upholding a tradition from the days it used to be a mainstream fixture under the British colonialists.
NorthEast United FC are the defending champions of the Durand Cup, after they defeated Diamond Harbour FC in the final of the 2025 edition. Interestingly, only five Indian Super League (ISL) teams are participating in this campaign: NorthEast United, Jamshedpur FC, Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and SC Delhi. Another notable instance is that four out of these five clubs hail from the eastern part of India, where the Durand Cup has traditionally always been, and continues to be, held.
The other teams in this tournament are from the Indian Football League (IFL), Indian Football League 2 (IFL 2) and the Indian Armed Forces. A Sri Lankan club, Defenders FC, have also been invited this year. This edition of the tournament will feature 43 matches in total, with the quarterfinals scheduled for August 16 and 17. The semifinals will be played on August 19 and 20. The all-important final is scheduled for August 23 at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, also known as the Mecca of Indian football.
Durand Cup 2026 Scores and Results
- July 25, Saturday: East Bengal FC 0-1 Mohun Bagan Super Giant (Group A) – Kolkata
- July 26, Sunday: Jamshedpur FC 5-0 Defenders FC (Group C) – Jamshedpur
- July 26, Sunday: Indian Army FT 1-0 Samaleswari Sporting (Group B) – Kolkata
- July 27, Monday: Mohammedan SC 4-0 Baghpat FC (Group B) – Kolkata
- July 28, Tuesday: TRAU FC 0-0 NEROCA FC (Group D) – Imphal
- July 28, Tuesday: South United FC 2-0 CISF Protectors (Group A) – Kolkata
- July 29, Wednesday: Indian Air Force FT 2-1 Defenders FC (Group C) – Jamshedpur
- July 30, Thursday: FC Raengdai 1-0 Indian Navy FT (Group D) – Imphal
- July 30, Thursday: Samaleswari Sporting 4-1 Baghpat FC (Group B) – Kolkata
- July 31, Friday: Shillong Lajong FC 2-0 Nongkseh SS&CC (Group E) – Shillong
- July 31, Friday: East Bengal FC 8-0 CISF Protectors (Group A) – Kolkata
- August 1, Saturday: NorthEast United FC 6-0 Bodoland FC (Group F) – Guwahati
- August 2, Sunday: Mohammedan SC 2-3 Samaleswari Sporting (Group B) – Kolkata
- August 3, Monday: TRAU FC 3-4 FC Raengdai (Group D) – Imphal
- August 3, Monday: Karbi Anglong Morning Star FC 1-2 FC 1 (Group F) – Guwahati
- August 3, Monday: Langsning FC 5-0 Mumbay FC (Group E) – Shillong
- August 4, Tuesday: Jamshedpur FC 1-2 SC Delhi (Group C) – Jamshedpur
- August 4, Tuesday: Mohun Bagan Super Giant 8-0 South United FC (Group A) – Kolkata
- August 5, Wednesday: NEROCA FC 0-2 Indian Navy FT (Group D) – Imphal
- August 5, Wednesday: Indian Army FT 4-0 Baghpat FC (Group B) – Kolkata
- August 6, Thursday: Bodoland FC 3-0 FC 1 (Group F) – Guwahati
- August 6, Thursday: Nongkseh SS&CC 2-2 Langsning FC (Group E) – Shillong
- August 7, Friday: SC Delhi 7-0 Defenders FC (Group C) – Jamshedpur
- August 7, Friday: East Bengal FC 5-0 South United FC (Group A) – Kolkata
- August 8, Saturday: Shillong Lajong FC 5-0 Mumbay FC (Group E) – Shillong
- August 8, Saturday: NorthEast United FC 4-1 Karbi Anglong Morning Star FC (Group F) – Guwahati
- August 9, Sunday: TRAU FC 2-1 Indian Navy FT (Group D) – Imphal
- August 10, Monday: Mohun Bagan Super Giant 6-0 CISF Protectors (Group A) – Kolkata
- August 10, Monday: SC Delhi 7-1 Indian Air Force FT (Group C) – Jamshedpur
- August 11, Tuesday: NorthEast United FC 3-1 FC 1 (Group F) – Guwahati
- August 11, Tuesday: Nongkseh SS&CC 7-0 Mumbay FC (Group E) – Shillong
- August 12, Wednesday: NEROCA FC 3-1 FC Raengdai (Group D) – Imphal
- August 12, Wednesday: Mohammedan SC 1-2 Indian Army FT (Group B) – Kolkata
- August 13, Thursday: Bodoland FC vs Karbi Anglong Morning Star FC (Group F) – Guwahati
- August 13, Thursday: Jamshedpur FC vs Indian Air Force FT (Group C) – Jamshedpur
- August 13, Thursday: Shillong Lajong FC vs Langsning FC (Group E) – Shillong
- August 16, Sunday: Winner Team 1 vs Winner Team 2 (QF1) – Jamshedpur
- August 16, Sunday: Winner Team 3 vs Winner Team 4 (QF2) – Kolkata
- August 17, Monday: Winner Team 5 vs Winner Team 6 (QF3) – Kolkata
- August 17, Monday: Winner Team 7 vs Winner Team 8 (QF4) – Shillong
- August 19, Wednesday: Winner QF 1 vs Winner QF 2 (SF1) – Kolkata
- August 20, Thursday: Winner QF 3 vs Winner QF 4 (SF2) – Shillong
- August 23, Sunday: Winner of SF 1 vs Winner of SF 2 (Final) – Kolkata
Durand Cup 2026 Standings and Table
Group A standings
Rank | Team | Played | Won | Draw | Lost | Points | GF | GA | GD |
1 | Mohun Bagan Super Giant | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 15 | 0 | 15 |
2 | East Bengal FC | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 13 | 1 | 12 |
3 | South United FC | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 13 | -12 |
4 | CISF Protectors | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 16 | -16 |
Group B standings
Rank | Team | Played | Won | Draw | Lost | Points | GF | GA | GD |
1 | Indian Army FT | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 6 |
2 | Samaleswari Sporting | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
3 | Mohammedan SC | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 2 |
4 | Baghpat FC | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 12 | -11 |
Group C standings
Rank | Team | Played | Won | Draw | Lost | Points | GF | GA | GD |
1 | SC Delhi | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 16 | 2 | 14 |
2 | Jamshedpur FC | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 4 |
3 | Indian Air Force FT | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 8 | -5 |
4 | Defenders FC | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 14 | -13 |
Group D standings
Rank | Team | Played | Won | Draw | Lost | Points | GF | GA | GD |
1 | Raengdai | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
2 | TRAU FC | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
3 | NEROCA FC | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
4 | Indian Navy FT | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
Group E standings
Rank | Team | Played | Won | Draw | Lost | Points | GF | GA | GD |
1 | Shillong Lajong FC | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
2 | Nongkseh SS&CC | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 5 |
3 | Langsning FC | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 5 |
4 | Mumbay FC | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 17 | -17 |
Group F standings
Rank | Team | Played | Won | Draw | Lost | Points | GF | GA | GD |
1 | NorthEast United FC | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 13 | 2 | 11 |
2 | Bodoland FC | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 | -3 |
3 | FC 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 7 | -4 |
4 | Morning Star FC | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | -4 |
Group runner-ups standings
Rank | Team | Played | Won | Draw | Lost | Points | GF | GA | GD |
1 | East Bengal FC | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 13 | 1 | 12 |
2 | Samaleswari Sporting | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
3 | Nongkseh SS&CC | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 5 |
4 | TRAU FC | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
5 | Jamshedpur FC | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 4 |
6 | Bodoland FC | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
