131st edition of Durand Cup will start from 16th August and the final will be played on 18th September. In this edition 10 teams are participating at the oldest football tournament in Asia.
The tournament will kick-off with Kolkata Derby – East Bengal vs ATK Mohun Bagan. The match will be played at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan.
20 teams have been divided in four groups. 16 times Champions East Bengal is clubbed with ATK Mohun Bagan, Indian Navy, Mumbai City FC and Rajasthan United in Group B. Group A will have teams like Bengaluru FC, FC Goa, Indian Air Force, Jamshedpur FC and Mohammedan Sporting Club. Chennaiyin FC is clubbed with Army Red, Hyderabad FC, NEROCA FC and TRAU FC in Group C while in Group D the five teams are Army Green, Odisha FC, Kerala Blasters FC, NorthEast United FC and Sudeva Delhi FC.
The organising committee of the Durand Cup on Saturday announced that the football tournament will enter Assam and Manipur for the first time.
Besides Kolkata, Guwahati and Imphal will be the host cities for the tournament beginning on August 16.
The Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan will host the final on September 18.
The number of teams have increased from 16 to 20.
Kolkata to host a total of 10 Durand Cup matches, including the opening derby between ATK Mohun Bagan and East Bengal on August 16, as well as all seven knockout games. Guwahati and Imphal will host one of the four groups and a total of 10 games each.
The Indira Gandhi Athletic stadium in Guwahati and Imphal’s Khuman Lampak stadium will be the newest tournament hosts alongside the Kishore Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata and the Naihati Stadium in North 24-Paraganas district of West Bengal.
This edition will also see the return of spectators for the entire length of the tournament for the first time post the COVID-19 pandemic.
