The fixture list for the 130th edition of Durand Cup - Asia’s oldest football competition - has been released and the Indian Air Force Football Team will kick off the season with a match against Mohammedan Sporting Club on September 5.
As confirmed by the Durand Football Tournament Society and the Additional Directorate General of Public Information, Durand Cup 2021 will be played between September 5 to October 3, 2021.
The tournament will be played in Kolkata, West Bengal, across three different venues, namely, Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan (VYBK), the Mohun Bagan Club Ground and the Kalyani Municipal Stadium Ground.
As many as 16 teams are participating in this year’s Durand Cup. Five of those sides are coming from the Indian Super League while three are from the I-League.
Those representing ISL are Bengaluru FC, Kerala Blasters FC, Hyderabad FC, FC Goa and Jamshedpur FC. Teams from the I-League include Mohammedan Sporting, Sudeva Delhi FC and the defending Durand Cup champions, Gokulam Kerala.
The teams have been divided into four groups of four teams each. Each team will play an opponent once in the group stage and the top two teams from each group will qualify for the quarter-finals. The groups are as follows:
Group A: Indian Air Force Football Team (Indian Air Force), Mohammedan Sporting Club (Mohammedan SC), CRPF, FC Bengaluru United (FCBU).
Group B: Jamshedpur FC, Sudeva Delhi, FC Goa, Army Green Football Team (Army Green).
Group C: Delhi FC, Indian Navy Football Team (Indian Navy), Kerala Blasters, Bengaluru FC.
Group D: Assam Rifles Football Team (Assam Rifles), Army Red Football Team (Army Red), Hyderabad FC, Gokulam Kerala
The group stage matches are scheduled until September 19. The quarter-final rounds will be played between September 23 to September 25.
Durand Cup 2021 schedule, fixtures and live India match times
Group A fixtures:
September 5, 2021 – 4:15 pm – Indian Air Force vs Mohammedan SC, VYBK
September 6, 2021 – 3:00 pm – CRPF vs Bengaluru United, Kalyani
September 9, 2021 – 3:00 pm – Indian Air Force vs FCBU, Kalyani
September 10, 2021 – 3:00 pm – CRPF vs Mohammedan SC, Kalyani
September 14, 2021 – 3:00 pm – Mohammedan SC vs FCBU, Kalyani
September 14, 2021 – 3:00 pm – CRPF vs Indian Air Force, MB
Group B fixtures:
September 6, 2021 – 3:00 pm – Jamshedpur FC vs Sudeva Delhi, MB
September 7, 2021 – 3:00 pm – FC Goa vs Army Green, VYBK
September 10, 2021 – 3:00 pm – Jamshedpur FC vs Army Green, MB
September 13, 2021 – 3:00 pm – FC Goa vs Sudeva Delhi, VYBK
September 17, 2021 – 3:00 pm – Jamshedpur FC vs FC Goa, VYBK
September 17, 2021 – 3:00 pm – Army Green vs Sudeva Delhi, MB
Group C fixtures:
September 8, 2021 – 3:00 pm – Delhi FC vs Indian Navy, MB
September 11, 2021 – 3:00 pm – Kerala Blasters vs Indian Navy, VYBK
September 15, 2021 – 3:00 pm – Bengaluru FC vs Kerala Blasters, VYBK
September 18, 2021 – 3:00 pm – Delhi FC vs Bengaluru FC, MB
September 21, 2021 – 3:00 pm – Bengaluru FC vs Indian Navy, VYBK
September 21, 2021 – 3:00 pm – Delhi FC vs Kerala Blasters, MB
Group D fixtures:
September 9, 2021 – 3:00 pm – Assam Rifles vs Army Red, VYBK
September 12, 2021 – 3:00 pm – Assam Rifles vs Hyderabad FC, MB
September 12, 2021 – 3:00 pm – Gokulam Kerala vs Army Red, Kalyani
September 16, 2021 – 3:00 pm – Gokulam Kerala vs Hyderabad FC, Kalyani
September 19, 2021 – 3:00 pm – Army Red vs Hyderabad FC, VYBK
September 19, 2021 – 3:00 pm – Assam Rifles vs Gokulam Kerala, Kalyani
Quarter-finals:
September 23-25, 2021
Semi-finals:
September 27-29, 2021
Durand Cup 2021 final:
October 3, 2021
Where to watch Durand Cup 2021 live in India?
Live streaming of Durand Cup 2021 will be available on the Addatimes app in India. There will be no telecast of Durand Cup 2021.
Featured photo: Twitter / Durand Cup