The 133rd Durand Cup, the oldest and most prestigious football tournament organized by the Indian Army, had its curtain-raiser on Thursday at Fort William in Kolkata. The Durand Cup, which begins in an Olympic atmosphere, is set to commence its 133rd season. The tournament, known as Asia’s oldest football competition, will feature several entertaining matches.
A total of 43 matches will be played across six groups. Indian Super League (ISL) teams, I-League teams, foreign clubs, and armed forces teams will all participate in the football extravaganza. The winner of each group and the top two runners-up will qualify for the knockout stages. Kolkata’s mega derby, between Mohun Bagan Super Giants and East Bengal FC, will be a highlight of the tournament.
Additionally, the involvement of Bengaluru FC and other ISL clubs is expected to draw more attention. This year is particularly exciting as former India captain Sunil Chhetri may appear in the Durand Cup after retiring from the Indian football team.
The first all-India tournament of the upcoming season, the Durand Cup, will start on July 27 and continue until August 31. Mohun Bagan SG and Emami East Bengal are in the same group, and their derby match will take place on August 18.
Twenty-four teams are participating in this year’s Durand Cup namely Mohun Bagan SG, Bengaluru FC, Kerala Blasters FC, Jamshedpur FC, Odisha FC, FC Goa, East Bengal FC, Inter Kashi, Mumbai City FC, Chennaiyin FC, NorthEast United FC, Hyderabad FC, Indian Air Force FT, Indian Navy FT, Punjab FC, Indian Army FT, Bodoland FC, Shillong Lajong FC, Downtown Heroes FC, Mohammedan SC, CISF, Protectors FT, Bangladesh Army FT.
Groups A, B, and C will play their matches at the Yuva Bharati Stadium and Kishore Bharati Stadium in Kolkata. Group D matches will be held in Jamshedpur, Group E matches in Kokrajhar (Assam), and Group F matches in Shillong.
Prize Money set at INR 1 Crore
West Bengal Sports Minister Arup Biswas, Bengal MoS for Sports Manoj Tiwari, Durand Cup Organizing Committee Chairman Lieutenant General RC Srikanth, VSM, Durand Cup Organizing Committee Vice Chairman Major General RA Moge, and Sports Department Principal Secretary Shri Rajesh Sinha were present at the press conference. All the matches of the competition will be telecasted live on TV.
This year, the prize money is set at â¹1 crore. The champion team will receive â¹60 lakhs, the runner-up team will get â¹30 lakhs, and the remaining â¹10 lakhs will be awarded as individual prizes.