Defending champion Mohun Bagan Super Giant will lead the challenge as 24 teams brace themselves to win the 133rd edition of Durand Cup, the first competition of Indian football’s new season.
Mohun Bagan SG, which is also the holder of the Indian Super League shield title, will be facing the Srinagar-based club Downtown Heroes FC, which plays in I-League Division 2, in the opening group A league match at the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday.
The competition format has 24 teams divided into six groups of four teams each. The groups include teams from the ISL, I-League, and the Services teams of India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.
Kolkata will host the matches of Groups A, B, and C, while Jamshedpur will host Group D matches. Kokrajhar and Shillong will host the Group E and F league matches respectively.
The 36-match group league stage will conclude with the Kolkata derby featuring two of the Mohun Bagan SG and East Bengal FC — oldest teams in the continent — on August 18.
All six group toppers and two best second-placed teams will progress to the quarterfinals (knock-out stage). The quarterfinals are slated to start on August 21 and will be held in Jamshedpur, Kokrajhar apart from Kolkata, which will have two matches. Kolkata will host both the semifinals and the final, which will be held on August 31.
The Groups
Group A (Kolkata): Mohun Bagan SG, East Bengal FC, Indian Air Force, Downtown Heroes FC.
Group B (Kolkata): Bengaluru FC, Inter Kashi FC, Indian Navy, Mohammedan SC.
Group C (Kolkata): Kerala Blasters FC, Mumbai City FC, Punjab FC, CISF Protectors.
Group D (Jamshedpur): Jamshedpur FC, Chennaiyin FC, Indian Army, Bangladesh Army.
Group E (Kokrajhar): Odisha FC, NorthEast United FC, Bodoland FC, BSF FT.
Group F (Shillong): FC Goa, Hyderabad FC, Shillong Lajong FC, Tribhuvan Army FC (Nepal).
