130th Edition of the Iconic Durand Cup Football tournament to kickstart next month

Guwahati, August 23 (NKTV): Five Indian Super League (ISL) franchises and three I-League teams will be among 16 teams vying for the iconic Durand Cup Football tournament, that is all set attract fans in and around Kolkata between September 05 – October 03, 2021.

It may be mentioned here that the tournament is now in its 130th edition.

Traditionally organized by the Indian Army on behalf of the Armed Forces, the World’s third oldest and Asia’s oldest football tournament will this year also see the Government of West Bengal as joint hosts.

Besides top ISL franchises of FC Goa and Bengaluru FC, other clubs from India’s top division to join the event would be Kerala Blasters, Jamshedpur FC and Hyderabad FC. Challenging them would be the century old Mohammedan Sporting of Kolkata, who were the first Indian winners of the Cup in 1940 and who would be leading a troika of I-League challengers including defending champions Gokulam Kerala and Sudeva FC of Delhi.

FC Bengaluru United and Delhi FC will represent the second division of Indian football whereas two Indian Army teams (Red and Green), a team from Indian Air Force and Indian Navy, CRPF and the Assam Rifles will round-off the 16.

Three leading football venues of the state have been identified for the 130th Durand Cup, namely the Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan (VYBK) and the Mohun Bagan Club Ground in Kolkata as well as the Kalyani Municipal Stadium Ground, which has been regularly hosting national level football matches over the past few years.

The winners are awarded three trophies with two rolling ones, the Durand Cup and the Shimla Trophy, and the President’s Cup for permanent keeping.

A symbol of India’s football history and culture, the Durand Cup is Asia’s oldest and the world’s third oldest football tournament, held between 16 top Indian football clubs across divisions. Organized by the Indian Armed Forces, the Durand Cup has been the breeding ground for India’s best footballing talent, over the years.

The inaugural edition was held in Shimla in 1888, when it started off as an Army Cup, open only to the British Indian Army troops in India. However, it soon opened up to civilian teams.

Named after its founder, Sir Mortimer Durand, Foreign Secretary of British India from 1884 to 1894, the iconic tournament has reached its 130th edition in 2021.

Mohun Bagan and East Bengal have been the most successful teams, winning the tournament 16 times each.