History and legacy of Durand Cup: India's oldest football tournament

The Durand Cup 2024 kick starts from July 2024.

The Durand Cup is one of the oldest football competitions in the world, with origins dating back to 1888. This will be the 133rd edition of the Durand Cup, organized by the Kolkata-based Eastern Command of the Indian Army on behalf of the three Services and under the aegis of the Durand Football Tournament Society.

This year’s tournament, the 133rd IndianOil Durand Cup is being held in as many as four states- Assam, Jharkhand, Meghalaya and West Bengal, for the first time.

All Indian Super League (ISL) teams are mandated to participate as the Durand Cup today is part of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) calendar of matches as the official season-opener of the Indian footballing season.

Besides the ISL teams, teams from the I-League, invitational teams, those representing the armed forces, and services teams from friendly neighboring countries participate in this prestigious competition.

The Durand Legacy

The Durand Cup was established by Sir Henry Mortimer Durand, the then-British Foreign Secretary in India, during his recovery from illness in the picturesque city of Shimla.

The tournament was initiated to keep the armed forces units engaged in physical activity and promote fitness. The Durand Cup catered primarily to the British Armed Forces in the early years. The inaugural edition of the tournament featured only three teams.

The tournament from Shimla was transferred to Delhi in 1940 where Mohammedan Sporting became the first Indian club to win the Durand Cup. After India gained independence in 1947, the then defense secretary H.M. Patel, established the Durand Football Tournament Society, a registered society in Delhi, overseen by the Chief of Defense Staff and chaired by the three Service Chiefs of the Indian Armed Forces, to organize the tournament.

Secretary Patel ensured that the tournament remained in India as the Pakistan Army had laid claim to the tournament, and stored the trophy in the State Bank of India. In the first Durand Cup tournament post-independence, Hyderabad City Police emerged victorious, defeating Mohun Bagan to lift the trophy.

133rd Durand Cup

The prestigious 133rd IndianOil Durand Cup will see 24 teams competing for glory, hosted across four cities: Kolkata, Jamshedpur, Shillong, and Kokrajhar, with Shillong and Jamshedpur, hosting the tournament for the first time. Fans can catch all the exhilarating action and stunning goals from the Durand Cup starting on 27th July, exclusively on the Sony Sports Network.

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