The 134th edition of the Durand Cup, Asia's oldest football tournament, is set to kick off on July 23, 2025, and will run until August 23. The tournament will be held across six venues in five cities: Kolkata, Jamshedpur, Kokrajhar, Shillong, and Imphal.

Teams and Groups

The Durand Cup 2025 will feature 24 teams from various leagues, including the Indian Super League (ISL), I-League, and the Armed Forces. These teams are divided into six groups of four, and they will compete in a single round-robin format within their respective groups. The six group winners and the two best second-placed teams will advance to the quarter-finals.

The groups are as follows:

• Group A (Kolkata): East Bengal FC, South United FC, Indian Air Force FT, Namdhari FC
• Group B (Kolkata): Mohun Bagan Super Giant, Mohammedan SC, Diamond Harbour FC, BSF FT
• Group C (Jamshedpur): Jamshedpur FC, Indian Army FT, 1 Ladakh FC, Tribhuvan Army FC
• Group D (Kokrajhar): Karbi Anglong Morning Star FC, Punjab FC, ITBP FT, Bodoland FC
• Group E (Shillong): NorthEast United FC, Rangdajied United FC, Shillong Lajong FC, Malaysian Armed Forces
• Group F (Imphal): TRAU FC, NEROCA FC, Indian Navy FT, Real Kashmir FC

Key Fixtures

The opening match will feature East Bengal FC against South United FC on July 23 at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata. Defending champions NorthEast United FC will begin their title defense on August 2 against Foreign Services Team in Shillong. The Kolkata Derby between Mohun Bagan Super Giant and Mohammedan SC is scheduled for July 31 at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan.

Other key fixtures include:

• July 27: ITBP FT vs Karbi Anglong Morning Star FC (SAI Stadium) and Indian Air Force FT vs South United FC (Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan)
• July 29: Jamshedpur FC vs Indian Army FT (JRD Tata Sports Complex) and Shillong Lajong vs Rangdajied United FC (Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium)
• August 4: TRAU FC vs Real Kashmir FC (Khuman Lampak Main Stadium) and Mohun Bagan Super Giant vs BSF FT (Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan)
• August 7: BSF FT vs Mohammedan SC (Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan) and NEROCA FC vs Indian Navy FT (Khuman Lampak Main Stadium)
• August 8: Jamshedpur FC vs 1 Ladakh FC (JRD Tata Sports Complex) and Shillong Lajong FC vs NorthEast United FC (Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium)

The quarter-finals will be held on August 16 and 17, followed by the semi-finals on August 19 and 20. The final is scheduled for August 23 at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.

Where to Watch

Live streaming of the Durand Cup 2025 will be available on Sony LIV. The live telecast of the matches will be on the Sony TEN 2 and Sony TEN 2 HD TV channels in India. Sony Pictures Network India (SPNI) has renewed its exclusive broadcast and digital rights for the Durand Cup for the next three seasons, until 2027.

Additional Information

The Durand Cup is the third-oldest cup football competition in the world and the oldest in Asia. The Indian Armed Forces organize the tournament. Mohun Bagan Super Giant is the most successful team in the history of the Durand Cup, with 17 titles. NorthEast United FC are the defending champions, having won the 2024 final against Mohun Bagan SG. The total prize money pool for the 2025 edition has been increased to ₹3 Crore.