Asia’s oldest football tournament, the IndianOil Durand Cup, will be back with its 134th Edition and for the first time in its storied history, be hosted in as many as five states with Manipur’s capital Imphal, making a comeback after a two-year gap. The Durand Cup Organising Committee also announced the dates for this year’s tournament to be between July 22- August 23, 2025.
Kokrajhar in Assam will extend their status as Durand Cup hosts for the third consecutive year while Jamshedpur in Jharkhand and Shillong in Meghalaya were added as hosts last year. The century-old tournament shifted its home base to Kolkata – the Mecca of Indian Football, and the capital of West Bengal, from Delhi back in 2019, and, will also continue to hold that status for a sixth consecutive edition.
Since its transition to the East, the Durand Cup has reinstated itself as the country’s premiere competition, growing from 16 teams to 24 teams, including participation from all the Indian Super League (ISL) teams.
Organised by the Eastern Command of the Indian Army on behalf of the three Services, the tournament is unique in the sense that it pits Services teams against India’s best football clubs and over the past couple of editions, has also seen foreign participation with Army teams from neighbouring nations.
The Indian Army’s stated vision of expanding the reach of the historic tournament throughout the East and North-East is also now fully reflected with the choice of host cities this year.
All State Governments and local autonomous bodies have wholeheartedly pledged their support like always for the popular tournament which has captured the imagination of the football loving people of the region.
A total of six venues, two in Kolkata (Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan and Kishore Bharti Krirangan) and one each in Imphal (Khuman Lampak stadium), Ranchi (Morhabadi Stadium) or Jamshedpur (JRD Tata Sports Complex), Shillong (Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium) and Kokrajhar (SAI Stadium) have been earmarked for the 134th IndianOil Durand Cup edition.
North East United FC are the defending champions having overcome maximum title-holders Mohun Bagan, in a thrilling final last year to get their historic maiden title.
A symbol of India’s football history and culture, the Durand Cup is Asia’s oldest and the world’s third oldest football tournament. Organised by the Indian Army on behalf of the three Services, the Durand Cup has been the breeding ground for India’s best footballing talent, over the years.
The inaugural edition happened in Shimla in 1888 and then the tournament moved to New Delhi in 1940, where it was held till 2016.
In 2019, the tournament came under the aegis of the Eastern Command and moved to the eastern part of the country, with Kolkata, the Mecca of Indian football and the Eastern Command Headquarters, being the home base.
What makes the Durand Cup even more unique is that the winners get three trophies, two rotating (Durand Cup and Shimla Trophy) and one for permanent retention (President’s Cup).
As we embark on this exciting journey over the coming weeks, let us celebrate the beautiful game of football, honour the traditions of the Durand Cup, and look forward to witnessing moments of brilliance that will be etched in our memories forever.
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