Top five favourites to win Durand Cup 2024

These teams will be strong candidates to lift the Durand Cup 2024 trophy.

The 2024 Durand Cup just commenced on 27 July 2024, kickstarting the 2024-25 football season. Teams from the Indian Super League (ISL), I-League and the states and armed forces (domestic and foreign) will clash to win the 133rd edition of the tournament. The oldest football tournament in Asia attracts a lot of spectators who will be attending the game and catching the action through live broadcasts and streams.

The upcoming edition of the Durand Cup is gearing up to be exciting due to the level of competition with big teams. It is hard to predict which team will come out on top in the end as there is no space for error. Last year’s winners Mohun Bagan SG are favourites to defend their title but have a huge challenge facing them with East Bengal FC (last year’s finalists) also in the same group.

Mumbai City FC, Odisha FC and plenty of other teams also have a squad of talented young players who can take their respective sides to the title. Looking at all of the participating teams and their strengths plus weaknesses, here are the top five favourites to win the Durand Cup 2024:

Mohammedan SC

The 2023-24 I-League winners and new members of the Indian Super League, Mohammedan SC, could be the dark horses in the upcoming Durand Cup.

Little will be known about them by the rest of the ISL contingents and the element of surprise could work in the Kolkata-based club’s favour. Players like Alexis Gomez, Mirjalol Kasimov and more will be raring to impress for the outfit and find rhythm ahead of the new ISL campaign.

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East Bengal FC

East Bengal FC reached the final of the 2023 Durand Cup only to lose it to their arch-rivals Mohun Bagan SG. Taking motivation from their run last year, Carles Cuadrat’s men will be looking to go one step further this time. Acquisition of Jeakson Singh, Madih Talal and Dimitrios Diamantakos makes the Red & Gold Brigade one of the favourites to lift the trophy. 

Kerala Blasters FC

Kerala Blasters FC have a wealth of talent in their squad and the club will be fielding its first team at the 2024 Durand Cup. This makes them a strong contender for the title.

Newcomers like Alexandre Coeff and Noah Sadaoui will also be itching to take the field for the Yellow Army and contribute with a first-ever major trophy.

Mohun Bagan SG

Mohun Bagan SG will be one of the favourites to win the 2024 Durand Cup and defend their crown from last year. Despite the pressure, the Mariners hold the quality and the tactical astuteness to battle out of the toughest situations.

Notably, the signing of Greg Stewart has tipped the scales in the favour of the Mariners as they continue to bolster their squad with high-profile players.

Bengaluru FC

Bengaluru FC have a strong chance to go all the way and win the 2024 Durand Cup. The Blues are going to field their senior team for the tournament to replicate their performance from the 2022 edition when they won the cup.

Jorge Pereyra Diaz and Alberto Noguera have come in and added a lot of quality to the squad. Eyes will also be on Sunil Chhetri after his emotional retirement from international football. With such high-quality talent, Bengaluru FC will be a strong contender to win.

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