Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh has unveiled the Durand Cup tournament trophies in Imphal today. The 131st edition of the Durand Cup, which is Asia's oldest football tournament, will be co-hosted by Manipur along with first time host Assam and West Bengal.
Reminiscing about his participation in the 1991 Durand Cup, Biren Singh said the tournament is closest to his heart.
This year's tournament will feature as many as 20 teams, including 11 teams from the Indian Super League, five from I-League and four from the Indian Armed Forces.
In Imphal, the teams will play league matches at Khuman Lampak Main Stadium from August 18.
East Bengal and ATK Mohun Bagan will kick off the 131st edition of the Durand Cup at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on August 16. The games will run until September 18.
Durand Cup 2022, organised by the Indian Armed Forces, will be played across five venues and three different states, namely, Salt Lake Stadium, Naihati Stadium, Kishore Bharati Stadium (West Bengal), Khuman Lampak Stadium (Imphal, Manipur) and Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium (Guwahati, Assam). Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, popularly called Salt Lake Stadium, will host a total of 10 league matches across the tournament followed by seven knockout matches. Guwahati and Imphal will host one of the four groups with 10 matches each to be played at the venues.
Mohun Bagan and East Bengal have the richest history in the competition having won the tournament 16 times each.
The inaugural match will be played between East Bengal and ATK Mohun Bagan on August 16. FC Goa, the defending champions, will meet Mohammedan on August 19
Durand Cup 2022 teams and groups
Clubs from the Indian Super League are ATK Mohun Bagan, Bengaluru FC, Chennaiyin FC, East Bengal, FC Goa, Hyderabad FC, Jamshedpur FC, Kerala Blasters, Mumbai City FC, North East United and Odisha FC. Mohammedan, NEROCA, Rajasthan United, TRAU and Sudeva Delhi while Army Green, Army Red, Indian Air Force and Indian Navy will represent I-League.
The teams have been divided into four groups consisting of five teams
Group A: Bengaluru FC, FC Goa, Indian Air Force, Jamshedpur FC and Mohammedan
Group B: ATK Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, Mumbai City, Indian Navy, Rajasthan United
Group C: Chennaiyin FC, Hyderabad FC, NEROCA, TRAU, Army Red
Group D: Kerala Blasters, Odisha FC, NorthEast United, Sudeva Delhi and Army Green
Durand Cup 2021 full schedule and fixtures
Group A Fixtures
August 17- Jamshedpur vs Indian Air Force
August 19- Mohammedan vs FC Goa
August 21- Jamshedpur vs Bengaluru
August 23- FC Goa vs Indian Air Force
August 25- Bengaluru vs Mohammedan
August 27- Jamshedpur vs FC Goa
August 29- Bengaluru vs Indian Air Force
August 31- Jamshedpur vs Mohammedan
September 2- Bengaluru vs FC Goa
September 4- Mohammedan vs Indian Air Force
Group B fixtures
August 16- East Bengal vs ATK Mohun Bagan
August 18- Mumbai City vs Indian Navy
August 20- ATK Mohun Bagan vs Rajasthan United
August 22- East Bengal vs Mumbai City
August 24- ATK Mohun Bagan vs Indian Navy
August 26- East Bengal vs Rajasthan United
August 28- ATK Mohun Bagan vs Mumbai City
August 30- Rajasthan United vs Indian Navy
September 3- East Bengal vs Indian Navy
September 5- Mumbai City vs Rajasthan United
Group C fixtures
August 18- NEROCA vs TRAU
August 20- Chennaiyin vs Army Red
August 22- TRAU vs Hyderabad
August 24- Army Red vs NEROCA
August 26- Hyderabad vs Chennaiyin
August 28- TRAU vs Army Red
August 30- Hyderabad vs NEROCA
September 1- TRAU vs Chennaiyin
September 3- Army Red vs Hyderabad
September 5- NEROCA vs Chennaiyin
Group D fixtures
August 17- Odisha vs NorthEast United
August 19- Sudeva Delhi vs Kerala Blasters
August 21- NorthEast United vs Army Green
August 23- Odisha vs Kerala Blasters
August 25- Army Green vs Sudeva Delhi
August 27- NorthEast United vs Kerala Blasters
August 29- Odisha vs Sudeva Delhi
August 31- Kerala Blasters vs Army Green
September 2- NorthEast United vs Sudeva Delhi
September 4- Army Green vs Odisha
