Five Indian Super League (ISL) franchises and three League I teams will join 16 teams competing for the prestigious Durand Cup football tournament, which will take place in and around Kolkata from September 5 to October 3, 2021. The tournament, now in its 130th edition, took place in the Mecca of Indian football (Kolkata) for the first time in 2019 after moving from its long venue in Delhi.
Traditionally organized by the Indian Army on behalf of our armed forces, this year’s third and oldest football tournament in the world will also see the Government of West Bengal as the joint hosts, who have provided commendable support in all aspects of the organization.
Currently, Gokulam Kerala is the holder of the Durand Cup. Gokulam won the inaugural title under coach Fernando Santiago Varela by defeating Mohun Bagan AC 2-1 in Kolkata on August 24, 2019.
Apart from top ISL franchises FC Goa and Bengaluru FC, the other clubs in India’s first division will be Kerala Blasters, Jamshedpur FC and Hyderabad FC. This challenge will be a century-old Mohammedan Sporting from Kolkata, who were the first Indian Cup winners since 1940 and will lead a trio of League I challengers, including defending champions Gokulam Kerala and Delhi’s Sudeva FC.
FC Bengaluru United and Delhi FC will represent the second division of Indian football, while two teams from the Indian Army, the Indian Air Force, and the Indian Navy, CRPF, and one team from the Assam Rifles finished 16th.
Three state-run football venues 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, which regularly hosts national football matches. . Last year. The Durand Cup is unique in that the winners are awarded three trophies with two rollers (Durand Cup and Shimla Trophy) and the President’s Cup for permanent storage.
