Durand Cup, Asia's Oldest Football Tournament, To Return After A Year

For the first time ever, Durand Cup was first held in Dagshai (Himachal Pradesh) in 1888 and was named after Mortimer Durand, who was the foreign secretary in charge of India at the time.

New Delhi: World's third oldest and Asia's oldest football tournament, the Durand Cup, is set to make a comeback after a year-long hiatus due to the dreaded Coronavirus pandemic. 

The capital city of West Bengal, Kolkata, will host the four-week-long tournament scheduled to take place between September 5 and October 3, with matches to be played at various venues in and around the city.

As many as 16 teams from across the nation will be participating in the 130th Edition of the Durand Cup, including four teams from the Services. All the teams will aim to bring a true competitive spirit and sportsman spirit to win the coveted trophies.

Durand Cup was shifted from Delhi to Kolkata in 2019, in which Gokulam Kerala defeated Mohun Bagan 2-1 to win the final. The prestigious tournament is all set to become a historic event with dynamic support from Government of West Bengal, All India Football Federation (AIFF) and IFA (West Bengal).

For the first time ever, Durand Cup was first held in Dagshai (Himachal Pradesh) in 1888 and was named after Mortimer Durand, who was the foreign secretary in charge of India at the time.

The tournament was initially a conscious way of maintaining health and fitness among British soldiers, but was later opened to civilians and is currently one of the world's major sporting events. Mohun Bagan and East Bengal are the most successful teams in the history of Durand Cup having won it sixteen times.