Durand Cup 2026: Teams, Full Schedule, How to Watch

by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath

image Durand Cup 2026: Teams, Full Schedule, How to Watch
The schedule for the 135th edition of the Durand Cup, Asia’s oldest football tournament and the third-oldest across the globe, has now been confirmed. This year’s tournament will feature 24 teams, including two foreign sides, competing across five cities in India.
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Durand Cup to Mark the Start of 2026 Indian Domestic Season 

Less than a week after the 2026 World Cup concludes, our attention will switch to India for the start of the 135th edition of the Durand Cup. The tournament has now been confirmed to kick off on July 25 with a blockbuster Kolkata Derby between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, which we will be covering in our football predictions. 

Widely regarded as the traditional opener to India’s domestic football season, the Durand Cup remains the country’s oldest football competition, and MBSG enter the tournament as the most successful club with 17 titles, one ahead of arch-rivals East Bengal on 16. 

A total of 24 teams from the Indian Super League, the Indian Football League, I-League 2, the Armed Forces, and Sri Lanka’s Defenders FC will compete in the upcoming edition. The teams have been drawn into six groups of four, and each side will play the other in the group stage once. 

The six teams to win their groups, along with the two best second-placed teams, will earn entry to the quarter-finals, which are scheduled to get underway on August 16. NorthEast United enter as the defending champions after beating Diamond Harbour in last year’s final. 

Durand Cup 2026: Participating Teams and Groups:

  • Group A: Mohun Bagan SG, East Bengal FC, South United FC, CISF Protectors
  • Group B: Mohammedan SC, Indian Army FT, Baghpat FC, Samaleswari Sporting
  • Group C: Jamshedpur FC, SC Delhi, Indian Air Force FT, Defenders FC
  • Group D: TRAU FC, NEROCA FC, FC Raengdai, Indian Navy FT
  • Group E: Shillong Lajong FC, Langsning FC, Nongkseh SS&CC, Mumbai FC
  • Group F: NorthEast United FC, Bodoland FC, FC1, Karbi Anglong Morning Star FC

Durand Cup 2026: Confirmed Venues

  • Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (Kolkata)
  • Kishore Bharati Krirangan (Kolkata)
  • Birsa Munda Stadium (Ranchi)
  • Khuman Lampak Stadium (Imphal)
  • Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (Shillong)
  • Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium (Guwahati) 

How To Watch the Durand Cup 2026

The 2026 Durand Cup will be broadcast live in India on the Sony Sports Network. You can also stay up to the minute with all the action via our football livescores.