The 135th edition of the Durand Cup, Asia’s oldest football event, will take place from July 25 to August 23, 2026. It includes 24 clubs from the Indian Super League (ISL), the Indian Football League (I-League), the Armed Forces, and Sri Lanka’s Defenders FC. The tournament begins in Kolkata, with a historic match between Mohun Bagan SG and East Bengal FC.
The Durand Football Tournament Society hosts the competition in collaboration with the AIFF, the Indian Army’s Eastern Command, and the Government of West Bengal, with assistance from the governments of Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, and Jharkhand. The teams are divided into six groups of four, with each team playing the others in its group once in a single round-robin format during the group stage. The six group winners and the two best second-placed teams across all groups will advance to the quarter-finals.
The reigning champions, NorthEast United, beat Diamond Harbour in the 2025 final.
The 2026 event will be held across multiple venues in West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur and Jharkhand, with Ranchi making its debut as a host city. The competition will follow a league-cum-knockout format, with teams competing in the group stage before progressing to the knockout rounds.
TV and Streaming details:
The event can be watched on India’s top premium sports broadcasting network, Sony Sports Network. Fans can also catch the tournament live on Sony’s OTT network, SonyLIV.
