Indian football season set to begin with Durand Cup in Kolkata

Durand Cup, the world's third oldest football tournament, is finally back after getting canceled last year due to COVID-19. The tournament is set to entertain fans as 16 of the best teams from India will vie for the title in a three-week-long competition scheduled to be held from September 5 to October 3.

The 130th edition of the Durand Cup will have four teams from the armed forces. The remaining spots will be filled by the top clubs from the ISL and I-League.

📆 Durand Cup 2021 will be held at Kolkata from September 5 to October 3. With the support of the AIFF, IFA and the Government of West Bengal. 🇮🇳🏆 #IndianFootball #DurandCup https://t.co/nHI4GmuOSg

— Sevens Football (@sevensftbl) August 12, 2021

The 2019 Durand Cup was held in Kolkata, where Gokulam Kerala defeated Mohan Bagan 2-1 to be crowned champions. This year, once again, the tournament will be played in Kolkata. Kalyani Stadium, Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Howrah Stadium and East Bengal Ground are set to host this legendary football tournament.

Check out: "I was taught not to clear the ball for the sake of clearing it" - Indian Football Team defender Chinglensana Singh

---

Teams participating in the Durand Cup 2021

ISL

Hyderabad FC, FC Goa, Kerala Blasters, Mumbai City FC, NorthEast United

I-League

Gokulam Kerala, Real Kashmir, TRAU, Mohammedan, Churchill Brothers, Punjab FC

Armed Forces Teams

Indian Air Force, Army Green, Army Red, Indian Navy

---

The winner of the Durand Cup receives three trophies — the President's Cup, the Durand Cup, which is the original trophy and the Shimla trophy. The latter was first presented by the residents of Shimla in 1903 before becoming a rolling trophy in 1965.

The two legendary clubs from Kolkata - East Bengal and Mohan Bagan - are the most successful teams in the competition. Both clubs have 16 Durand Cup trophies to their name.

Kolkata will host the Durand Cup 2021. The tournament is scheduled to be held between September 5th and October 3rd. 16 teams including 4 from services are expected to participate. [@PIB_India] 🇮🇳🏆#DurandCup #IndianFootball #Champions pic.twitter.com/8WBMA7D59d

— 90ndstoppage (@90ndstoppage) August 12, 2021

History of the Durand Cup

The Durand Cup was started by Sir Mortimer Durand at Shimla in 1888 and was initially only open to the armed forces. The tournament moved from Shimla to Delhi in 1940.

After India's independence, the tournament was hosted by the Indian Armed Forces. However, in 2006, the armed forces handed over the organization to the Durand Football Tournament Society (DFTS).

Army X1 in 2005 and Army Green in 2016 are the only two teams from the army that have been able to win the competition since 2000.