Five teams with most Durand Cup titles

Bengaluru FC are the defending champions of Durand Cup.

The Durand Cup is all set to host the 132nd edition in its history to kick off the 2023-24 Indian Football scene. Starting on August 3, the tournament will be a 24-team affair and be held for a month across three separate venues.

Bengaluru FC head into the Durand Cup as the defending champions, having defeated Mumbai City FC in the final last season. For most teams, especially the Indian Super League (ISL) heavyweights, this has become a pre-season tournament where players look to pick up their fitness levels.

But in terms of reputation, there isn’t any tournament more historically prestigious than the Durand Cup in Indian football. It is the oldest football tournament in Asia and has created uncountable memories over the last century.

Some teams have been extremely dominant in the Durand Cup, especially some iconic ones from Kolkata. With that being said, let's look at the five teams with the most titles in Durand Cup history.

5. Black Watch

The football team of the Black Watch, 3rd Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland had talented footballers in the first few decades of the Durand Cup. Black Watch’s team consisted of British soldiers that were a part of that particular Battalion and they dominated the 1890s decade. Black Watch won the Durand Cup thrice in a row from 1897-1899 – defeating Shimla Rifles, North Staffordshire Regiment and Yorkshire Regiment in the finals. After a 12-year drought, they won it again in 1911 – in the repeat of the final.

Their final Durand Cup win would come in 1920, which marked the return of the competition after a six-year period due to World War I. Black Watch ended up winning the competition five times and finishing as runners-up twice. This also marks the best performance by a British team in the Durand Cup in its history, with no other team winning more or reaching more finals than them.

4. JCT

The relatively younger Indian football fans who started following the beautiful game in the country in 2012 might not have even heard of JCT. Jagatjit Cotton & Textile Football Club was founded by the company of the same name and formed in Punjab at a time when there was a need for a major club in the state in 1971.

They would go on to have a memorable stint, and were especially impressive at the Durand Cup. Their first-ever Durand Cup success came in 1976, when they shared the trophy with BSF. JCT won their first Durand Cup trophy outright in 1983, defeating a Mohun Bagan side that had won three of the last four editions before it in the ‘repeat’ of the final.

This would turn out to be ‘fifth time lucky' for the Punjabi side that lost in four Durand Cup finals before that. They went onto defeat the Mariners in the final again in 1987, before clinching their third title in 1992 with a narrow win over Mohammedan Sporting in the final.

JCT made a bit of Durand Cup history in 1996, becoming the first-Indian side to defeat a foreign club in Iraq club Al-Naft in the final after the Durand Cup was refurbished after the Independence. JCT won five Durand Cup titles and finished as runners-up seven times, with their last final appearance coming in 2010 – a year before the club folded up due to financial issues.

3. Border Security Force

A member club for the Indian Armed Forces, Border Security Force (BSF) has represented them really well in the post-Independence era. The first time that BSF won the title was in 1968, defeating the mighty East Bengal side in the final. They would go on to repeat the heroics in 1971, ousting Leaders Cup in the ‘repeat’ of the final – before clinching it again in 1973. With former Indian national team captain Sukhwinder Singh in their ranks from 1974-78, they won the tournament in successive years in 1974 and 1975 (joint winner with JCT).

They went through some tough years after that, but recovered to win it again in 1981. BSF’s last Durand Cup title was in 1988 when they defeated East Bengal in a thrilling five-goal final. The Armed Forces team has fallen into hard times in the last three decades, not even being able to reach the final since 1991. Irrespective of that, BSF is the most successful Armed Forces team in the Durand Cup – having won seven titles!

2. East Bengal

East Bengal has a rich history in the Durand Cup and shares a lot of wonderful memories in the competition. The Red & Gold Brigade started playing in the competition in the post-independence era and won their first title in 1951 – ousting the Rajasthan Armed Constabulary in the repeat of the final.

They defended their title successfully in 1952 with a win over a powerful Hyderabad City Police side. East Bengal won another title in 1956, before winning it twice in the 1960s decade. The Red & Gold Brigade won it three times in the 1970s too, defeating Mohun Bagan on all three occasions to win bragging rights for their fans.

After 1978, however, they had an 11-year wait before winning the Durand Cup in 1989 - in fitting fashion against Mohun Bagan in the final. Their most successful period in the competition was from 1989 to 1995, winning the title in five of the seven editions. East Bengal have won the tournament twice in the 21st century, in 2002 and 2004. They haven’t even reached the Durand Cup final since their last title win in 2004. With that being said, the Red & Gold Brigade’s deeply rich history in the tournament has seen them win 16 Durand Cup titles and finish as runners-up on 10 occasions.

1. Mohun Bagan

Mohun Bagan are technically the most decorated team in Durand Cup history, but not by the biggest margins! The first time that the Mariners actually won the competition was in 1953, when they defeated the National Defence Academy in the final. Their only other win in the 1950s was in 1959 with a win over Mohammedan Sporting in the repeat of the finale.

The Mariners won it three times in a row from 1963-65 to maintain their dominance, but went through a rough patch for nine years after that. However, from 1974-1986, Mohun Bagan were a dominant force and won the trophy eight times!

After that, they won it in 1994 with a narrow win over East Bengal. Their previous-most Durand Cup win was back in 2000, thanks to a win over Mahindra United in the final. Since then, the Mariners have reached the final three times but have not been able to win it. 

The Kolkata giants have won the Durand Cup 16 times and finished as runners-up 12 times. They hold the record for most consecutive Durand Cup wins, and most appearances in a final. Having won the Durand Cup last in 2000, the Mariners will be desperate to bring the trophy back to the club as they head into the tournament with a star-studded line-up.