New Delhi: The Durand Cup will begin on July 22 and stretch till August 23, marking the beginning of the 2025-26 Indian football season, with Imphal making a return after two years to be one the five match-centres.
As reported by News9Sports last Monday, the All India Football Federation had given a slot between July 15 and August 25 after initially exploring the option of pushing it towards the end of the season in April 26.
Organised by the Indian Army, the Durand Cup has been the season opener in the last few seasons. But as the AIFF is keen to revive the Federation Cup and stage it in the early part of the season to maximise eyeballs technically and commercially, the Durand Cup was initially slotted for an end-of-season affair.
But organisers of Asia’s oldest football tournament announced on Sunday that its 134th edition will be hosted in five states for the first time. Matches will be held in Kokrajhar (Assam) for the third consecutive year while Jamshedpur in Jharkhand and Shillong in Meghalaya will continue to remain as hosts for the second straight year.
Traditionally held in Delhi, Durand shifted base to Kolkata in 2019 and will continue to hold that status for the sixth successive edition in two venues (Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan and Kishore Bharti Krirangan).
Founded in 1888, the tournament has also expanded from 16 to 24 teams divided into six groups and played in a round-robin plus knockout format.
“Organised by the Eastern Command of the Indian Army on behalf of the three Services, the tournament is unique in the sense that it pits Services teams against India’s best football clubs and over the past couple of editions, has also seen foreign participation with Army teams from neighbouring nations.
“The Indian Army’s stated vision of expanding the reach of the historic tournament throughout the East and North-East is also now fully reflected with the choice of host cities this year,” the organisers said in a statement.
North East United FC are the defending champions, having beaten record title-holders Mohun Bagan (17) on penalties in the final last season for their maiden major domestic title.
The AIFF had given a slot between July 15 and August 25 for staging of the Durand Cup after initially exploring the idea of pushing it towards the end of the 2025-26 season. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
