Asia’s oldest football tournament, Durand Cup 2023 will start on Thursday, August 3 with Mohun Bagan SG facing Bangladesh Army FT in the opening match.
The 32nd edition of the tournament will feature 24 teams, which means four more participants than last year will be taking part in the upcoming tournament.
The first-ever edition of the Durand Cup took place in 1888 and it is the third-oldest football tournament in the world.
The curtain raiser for the Indian domestic football season, the Durand Cup is the only tournament in India that features teams from the Indian Super League, the I-League, and Armed Forces.
The 24 participating teams have been divided into six groups of four teams each and all sides will face the others in their respective group once in a round-robin format, meaning every participant will play a minimum of three games.
Durand Cup 2023 teams and groups
Group A: Bangladesh Army FT, East Bengal, Mohun Bagan SG, Punjab FC
Group B: Indian Navy FT, Jamshedpur FC, Mohammedan SC, Mumbai City FC
Group C: Bengaluru FC, Gokulam Kerala FC, Indian Air Force FT, Kerala Blasters
Group D: Downtown Heroes FC, FC Goa, NorthEast United FC, Shillong Lajong
Group E: Chennaiyin FC, Delhi FC, Hyderabad FC, Tribhuwan Army
Group F: Bodoland FC, Indian Army FC, Odisha FC, Rajasthan United FC
The top sides from each group will automatically qualify for the quarter-finals of the tournament, while the two best second-placed teams across the six groups will join the group toppers in the quarters.
A total of 43 matches, including the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final will take place in Durand Cup 2023. The prize pool for the upcoming edition of the Durand Cup is INR 89 lakh.
This year’s Durand Cup will also witness participation of foreign teams after 27 years with the Army teams of Nepal and Bangladesh also taking part in the 132nd edition of the tournament.
The Salt Lake Stadium or Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan , Mohun Bagan Ground , East Bengal Ground , Kishore Bharati Krirangan, Sports Authority of India Stadium, and the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium are the six venuse that will be hosting the Durand Cup.
Some of the local derbies to look forward to in Durand Cup 2023 include the Kolkata derby, the Kerala derby between Kerala Blasters FC and Gokulam Kerala, as well as the clash between NorthEast United FC and Shillong Lajong.
Kolkata heavyweights Mohun Bagan SG and East Bengal are the two most successful teams in Durand Cup history having claimed 16 titles each.
Where to watch Durand Cup 2023 live in India?
Live streaming of Durand Cup 2023 will be available on the SonyLiv app and website in India.
Live telecast of Durand Cup 2023 will be available on the Sony Sports Ten 2 and Sony Sports Ten 2 HD TV channels in India
Durand Cup 2023 schedule and match start times
All timings as per Indian Standard Time (IST)
August 3, Thursday
Mohun Bagan SG vs Bangladesh Army FT - 5:45 PM
August 4, Friday
NorthEast United FC vs Shillong Lajong - 6:00 PM
August 5, Saturday
Bodoland FC vs Rajasthan United FC - 2:30 PM
Mohammedan SC vs Mumbai City FC - 4:45 PM
August 6, Sunday
Delhi FC vs Hyderabad FC - 2:30 PM
East Bengal vs Bangladesh Army FT - 4:45 PM
August 7, Monday
Odisha FC vs Indian Army FT - 3:00 PM
Mohun Bagan SG vs Punjab FC - 6:00 PM
August 8, Tuesday
FC Goa vs Shillong Lajong - 3:00 PM
Mumbai City FC vs Jamshedpur FC - 6:00 PM
August 9, Wednesday
Delhi FC vs Tribhuwan Army - 2:30 PM
Gokulam Kerala FC vs Indian Air Force FT - 4:45 PM
August 10, Thursday
Hyderabad FC vs Chennaiyin FC - 3:00 PM
Punjab FC vs Bangladesh Army FT - 6:00 PM
August 11, Friday
Mohammedan SC vs Indian Navy FT - 3:00 PM
Odisha FC vs Rajasthan United FC - 6:00 PM
August 12, Saturday
NorthEast United FC vs FC Goa - 2:30 PM
Mohun Bagan SG vs East Bengal FC - 4:45 PM
August 13, Sunday
Kerala Blasters vs Gokulam Kerala FC - 2:30 PM
Downtown Heroes vs Shillong Lajong - 4:45 PM
August 14, Monday
Chennaiyin FC vs Tribhuwan Army - 3:00 PM
Bengaluru FC vs Indian Air Force FT - 6:00 PM
August 16, Wednesday
FC Goa vs Downtown Heroes - 3:00 PM
East Bengal FC vs Punjab FC - 6:00 PM
August 17, Thursday
Jamshedpur FC vs Indian Navy FT - 3:00 PM
Bodoland FC vs Indian Army FT - 6:00 PM
August 18, Friday
Delhi FC vs Chennaiyin FC - 3:00 PM
Bengaluru FC vs Kerala Blasters - 6:00 PM
August 19, Saturday
Mumbai City FC vs Indian Navy FT - 2:30 PM
Bodoland FC vs Odisha FC - 4:45 PM
August 20, Sunday
NorthEast United FC vs Downtown Heroes - 2:30 PM
Mohammedan SC vs Jamshedpur FC - 4:45 PM
August 21, Monday
Kerala Blasters vs Indian Air Force FT - 3:00 PM
Rajasthan United FC vs Indian Army FT - 6:00 PM
August 22, Tuesday
Hyderabad FC vs Tribhuwan Army - 3:00 PM
Bengaluru FC vs Gokulam Kerala FC - 6:00 PM
August 24, Thursday
Quarter-final 1 - 6:00 PM
August 25, Friday
Quarter-final 2 - 6:00 PM
August 26, Saturday
Quarter-final 3 - 6:00 PM
August 27, Sunday
Quarter-final 4 - 6:00 PM
August 29, Tuesday
Semi-final 1 - 4:00 PM
August 31, Thursday
Semi-final 2 - 4:00 PM
September 3, Sunday
Durand Cup 2023 Final - 4:00 PM
Photo credit: Alamy
