Asia’s Oldest Football Tournament
About the 
Established in 1888, the Durand Cup is where football legends are forged and history is made!
Historic Event
About Durand Cup
A proud symbol of India’s footballing legacy, the Durand Cup is Asia’s oldest and the world’s third-oldest football tournament. Organized by the Indian Army on behalf of the three Services, it has served as a breeding ground for India’s finest football talent for over a century.
The inaugural edition was held in Simla in 1888, before the tournament moved to New Delhi in 1940, where it remained for more than seven decades. In 2019, the Durand Cup came under the aegis of the Eastern Command and shifted to the football heartland of the East, with Kolkata – the Mecca of Indian football and headquarters of the Eastern Command – as its home base. Over the past seven years, the tournament has grown from a single-city event into a multi-city, multi-state sporting spectacle. And this year, the Durand Cup is being played across five states – West Bengal, Jharkhand, Manipur, Meghalaya and Assam.
Adding to its uniqueness, the tournament champions receive three iconic trophies: the Durand Cup and the Simla Trophy – both rolling honours – and the President’s Cup, crafted afresh each year and awarded for permanent keepsake.
The Chronicle
The Legacy
The inaugural edition of the Durand Cup was played in Shimla in 1888 and derived its name from the founder Sir Henry Mortimer Durand, the then Indian Foreign Secretary. Begun as a tournament for British Indian troops only, in order to keep them engaged in healthy activity, the tournament grew in stature and endeared itself to the Shimla residents so much so that they presented a trophy of their own to the winners, the Simla trophy, in 1905, which to this day is one of the two rolling trophies awarded to the winners.
The Durand then moved to Delhi in 1940 to begin yet another glorious chapter in its storied legacy. Mohammedan Sporting of Kolkata became the first Indian club to win the title in the first Delhi edition itself, as by then the tournament had been opened to civilian clubs, kick-starting yet another long and treasured tradition of the Durand acting as an extension to maintaining cordial and healthy civil-military relationships.
Post Independence, Shri. H.M.Patel, the Defence Secretary to Government of India, setup the Durand Football Tournament Society (DFTS) in 1947 as a trust, under the aegis of the three Service Chiefs, to organize and run the Durand Cup and it has been doing so successfully till date. The Durand had a glorious run in the national capital till 2014 and after being held for a year in Goa, the cup found a permanent host yet again in the Kolkata based Eastern Command of the Indian Army in 2019, where it has been held ever since.
The move to Kolkata and the football loving eastern and north-eastern region of the country, infused new energy to the Durand Cup and it has been growing from strength to strength blending the needs of modern top-level tournament competition with ever-lasting traditions. While ensuring a healthy presence of Services Teams and thereby maintaining the umbilical relationship the Durand has with the country’s Armed Forces, the tournament today sees participation from all top teams of the country, having evolved to the popular modern league cum knockout format with multi-city hosting, bringing out the modern professional attributes of playing international sport.
Live telecast and live-streaming of all games, celebrity associations, theme songs, spreading the reach of Durand to as many as four more states and more corners of the country, other innovative marketing and support from host State Governments, have all contributed to not only restore Durand’s glory, but reaffirmed its position as India’s top Cup tournament and the official season-opener of Indian football.
And true to Durand traditions, two century-old clubs still hold the record of the top two title winners of the three Durand trophies (The Durand Cup and Simla Trophy – Rolling Trophies and The President’s Cup – permanent keep), with Mohun Bagan Super Giants leading with 17 to Emami East Bengal’s 16 wins.
Mission
Nurturing Exellence
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0Years of Legacy
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Oldest Tournament in Asia
Many Champions One Legacy
The Durand Cup has stood the test of time weathering numerous challenges and evolving into a symbol of footballing excellence and tradition in India. From its humble beginnings in Shimla to becoming the oldest football club tournament in Asia, the Durand Cup has played an integral role in shaping Indian football’s history. It has also been instrumental in recognising and producing talents that have immensely contributed to the country’s football heritage. As the 135th edition unfolds, it continues to captivate fans and players alike, reaffirming its position in the pivot of Indian football with its cherished legacy.
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