The tournament originated in 1888 in Dagshai (near Simla) and was named after Sir Henry Mortimer Durand, former Foreign Secretary of British India, best-known as the namesake for the Durand Line, which serves as the international border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
1888
1925
Mohun Bagan made history in 1925 when they were invited to become the first-ever civilian, all-Indian side to participate among the Britishers in the tournament. They fought valiantly to defeat the Royal Berkshire Regiment, York Lancaster Regiment and Essex Regiment, but fell to Sherwood Forrest in the semi-finals.
1940
Mohammedan became the first Indian team to win the Durand Cup in 1940, breaking the dominance of English teams for the first time. They defeated the Royal Warwickshire Regiment 2-1 in the final.
1950
The first captain of independent India’s football team, Talimeren Ao, also featured in the 1950 Durand Cup while playing for Mohun Bagan. In a dramatic turn during the final, he stepped in as goalkeeper for the second half after the regular custodian was injured.
1950
Hyderabad City Police was the first post-independence winner of the Durand Cup in 1950 under the guidance of Indian Football Legend Syed Abdul Rahim. Mohun Bagan was the first runners up.
1958
The tournament was formally registered as the Durand Football Tournament Society (DFTS) under the Societies Registration Act in 1958. It was established under the leadership of The Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee as the President of DFTS with the other Chiefs as the Vice Presidents. Since 2019, the Chief of Defence Staff took on the mantle of the Presidentship of the DFTS.
1955
Various teams from the Indian Armed Forces have won the cup post-independence. Madras Regimental Centre (1955, 1958), Gorkha Brigade (1966, 1969) and Indian Army (2005, 2016) are the most successful teams from the Armed Forces.
1971
Penalty shootouts were introduced after 1971, before which drawn matches had replays.
1976
Narayanswami Ulganathan of Mohun Bagan scored the first hat-trick in a Durand Cup final in 1976 against JCT Mills.
1996
Al-Naft from Iraq is the only foreign team post-independence to reach the finals of the Durand Cup. They lost 1-0 to JCT Mills in the finals of the 1996 edition.
1993
At just 16, Bhaichung Bhutia announced himself with a bicycle-kick goal against BSF in the 1993 Durand Cup, marking the start of his 18-year reign in Indian football. In 2002, a 22-year-old Sunil Chhetri, playing for City Club, Delhi, earned his big break after scoring in the Durand, despite his team missing the quarterfinals.
2019
The Durand Cup Tournament was shifted to Kolkata in 2019, where it continues to be conducted under the aegis of Eastern Command on behalf of the three services and the Durand Football Tournament Society.
2022
In 2022, Durand became a multi city event for the first state with venues spread across three states – West Bengal, Manipur and Assam.
2024
The association with the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces and the President of the Republic of India was re-established on 10 July 2024 when the three iconic trophies were unveiled and flagged-off from the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Old Matches