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Know Your Debutants: Meet the eight first-timers at the 135th IndianOil Durand Cup
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From Sri Lankan military football and I-League 3 success to clubs from Manipur, Meghalaya, Maharashtra, Odisha and the North East, eight teams are set to make their tournament debuts at the 135th IndianOil Durand Cup.
Defenders FC of Sri Lanka, FC1, Baghpat FC, FC Raengdai, Mumbay FC, Langsning FC, Nongkseh Sports Social and Cultural Club (Nongkseh SS&CC) and Samaleswari Sporting make up the list of debutants this year. Some arrive on the back of title-winning campaigns, others are young clubs moving quickly through the football pyramid, while a few have waited years for their first taste of the Durand Cup.
Here is a closer look at the eight newcomers.
Defenders FC may be new to the Durand Cup, but they are certainly not new to high-level competition.
Backed by the Sri Lanka Army, the club were founded in 1963 and were previously known as Army FC before adopting the Defenders FC name in 2018. They have won the Sri Lankan league twice, most recently in the 2018-19 season.
Their experience extends beyond domestic football. Defenders have featured in the AFC President’s Cup and entered the preliminary stage of the 2020 AFC Cup, where they played out a 5-5 aggregate draw with Bhutan’s Paro FC before being eliminated on away goals.
Their first Durand Cup campaign will take place in Ranchi. Drawn alongside Jamshedpur FC, Sporting Club Delhi and the Indian Air Force Football Team in Group C, Defenders’ military background also gives them a natural connection to the Armed Forces heritage of the tournament.
FC1’s debut at the IndianOil Durand Cup represents more than the arrival of another new club. It marks an ambitious attempt to create a shared footballing identity for the Union Territories of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.
The club has been built around a clear philosophy of promoting local talent. Rather than relying on established signings, FC1 have assembled a squad largely comprising players from the three regions, providing local footballers with an opportunity to compete on one of India’s biggest stages.
Their maiden Durand Cup campaign will unfold in Guwahati, where they have been drawn in Group F alongside defending champions NorthEast United FC, Bodoland FC and Karbi Anglong Morning Star FC. It will be an immediate test against experienced opposition but also an opportunity for the club to measure its progress in one of the country’s most prestigious tournaments.
Off the field, FC1 have also dedicated their inaugural season to promoting water conservation, with a specially designed jersey reflecting the campaign. The initiative underlines the club’s ambition to build an identity that extends beyond football while remaining rooted in the communities it represents.
Still in the early stages of its journey, FC1 enters the Durand Cup without the history enjoyed by many of its opponents. Yet their debut is significant, reflecting Indian football’s expanding footprint and offering players from Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh a platform to represent their region on the national stage.
Baghpat FC could hardly have asked for a better build-up to their first Durand Cup appearance.
The Uttar Pradesh side were crowned 2025-26 I-League 3 champions in May and secured promotion to I-League 2 for the coming season. They had the championship wrapped up with a match to spare and eventually finished level on 10 points with FC Raengdai in the Final Round, taking the title on their superior head-to-head record.
Goals played a major part in that success. Baghpat scored 23 times, more than any other team in the competition. Ningombam Engson Singh finished as the joint-highest scorer with six goals, while Aimso Chithung added four.
Fresh from their promotion-winning campaign, Baghpat head to Kolkata for Group B, where Indian Army Football Team, Mohammedan Sporting Club and fellow debutants Samaleswari Sporting await.
When 17 football enthusiasts came together to form FC Raengdai in November 2022, a Durand Cup appearance less than four years later would have represented a rapid rise.
The Noney-based club began by holding trials across Khoupum, Noney and Imphal. They have since made quick progress and enter their maiden Durand Cup campaign as a newly promoted I-League 2 side.
Raengdai finished runners-up in the 2025-26 I-League 3 after ending level on 10 points with champions Baghpat in the Final Round. A 1-0 win over KLASA FC in their final match secured promotion.
They also recorded a 2-0 victory over TRAU FC during the Final Round. The two Manipur sides will meet again in Durand Cup Group D, which also features NEROCA FC and the Indian Navy Football Team.
Raengdai’s Durand Cup debut will therefore unfold in Imphal, not far from where the young club’s journey began.
There has been little time for Mumbay FC to stand still since their launch in July 2024.
The Maharashtra side began their competitive journey in the Mumbai Premier League before entering the national league structure through the 2025-26 I-League 3. Barely two years after their formation, they are preparing for the Durand Cup.
Mumbay have also attracted attention through their association with actor and football enthusiast Tiger Shroff. Present at the club’s launch, Shroff has previously turned out for the side.
Their first Durand Cup campaign takes them to Shillong, where they will face Shillong Lajong FC, Langsning FC and Nongkseh SS&CC in Group E.
Mumbay will not be the only newcomers there. Langsning and Nongkseh are also making their tournament debuts, meaning three of the four teams in Group E are first-time participants.
Langsning FC’s presence on the list of debutants tells a different story.
The Shillong side have years of experience in Meghalaya football and are three-time Shillong Premier League champions. They have also competed in the I-League Second Division, with national-level campaigns in the early 2010s and another appearance in the 2017-18 edition.
Their latest campaign took them to their first Meghalaya State League final in 2026. Langsning defeated Shillong Lajong on penalties in the semifinal after Nelson Rymbai’s late equaliser kept them in the contest. Goalkeeper Nister Roy Suting then made a crucial save in the shootout.
Nongkseh eventually beat them 2-1 in the final. Less than two months later, the two sides will meet again in Durand Cup Group E.
Langsning’s first appearance in the tournament will come on home soil in Shillong, with familiar local opponents Shillong Lajong and Nongkseh among their group rivals.
If recent results are any indication, Nongkseh SS&CC will arrive at the Durand Cup in confident mood.
The Shillong side have won three trophies in quick succession. Their run began with the 2025 SSA Champions Cup, where they came from behind to defeat Shillong Lajong 2-1 after extra time in the final.
In January 2026, Nongkseh travelled to Sikkim and won the All India Chief Minister’s Gold Cup, beating BSF Jalandhar 1-0 in the final. Kynsaibor Lhuid was named Man of the Tournament.
There was more success in June. Competing in the Meghalaya State League for the first time, Nongkseh won the title after another comeback in the final. Captain Hardy Cliff Nongbri cancelled out Langsning’s first-half lead before substitute Shano Tariang scored the winner in a 2-1 victory.
Those results have also created an interesting backdrop to their Durand Cup group. Shillong Lajong, whom Nongkseh beat in the SSA Champions Cup final, and Langsning, their opponents in the Meghalaya State League final, are both in Group E.
The competition may be new to Nongkseh, but two of their three group opponents certainly are not.
Samaleswari Sporting’s Durand Cup debut comes two decades after the Sambalpur-based club were founded in 2006.
The Odisha side have experienced national football before, having competed in the I-League Second Division in 2012 and 2013. They returned to the national league structure through the 2025-26 I-League 3.
Samaleswari finished second in Group B with six points from four matches. Their two victories came against Clube de Salgaocar and Mumbay FC, with a 4-1 win over the latter their biggest victory of the campaign.
Kolkata will host their first Durand Cup campaign. Samaleswari have been placed in Group B alongside Indian Army Football Team, Mohammedan Sporting Club and Baghpat FC, another side that competed in the latest I-League 3 season.
Eight teams, each arriving through a different route, are about to experience the Durand Cup for the first time. For some, the opportunity comes immediately after promotion or silverware. For others, it follows years in regional and national football.
Eight teams, eight different routes to the tournament and, from July 25, a first taste of the Durand Cup awaits them all.
