The Durand Cup 2026 now enters the knockout phase of the competition after a pulsating, high-scoring group stage which witnessed an average of 4.39 goals per match and many records set. There was also an intense fight to get into the quarterfinal stage, with many deciders going down to the wire. At the end of 36 matches, only eight of the 24 teams that started the competition remain, with winners of each group progressing to the knockout stage alongside two best runners-up. Record winners Mohun Bagan Super Giant, Indian Army Football Team or Army Red, SC Delhi, FC Ragendai, Shillong Lajong and defending champions NorthEast United qualified as group winners. Meanwhile, East Bengal FC and Jamshedpur advanced to the last-eight as the best-placed second-placed sides. New names will compete at this stage of the competition, including FC Raengdai, who qualified for the knockouts in their debut campaign itself. The quarterfinal stage of the 135th edition will be played on 16th and 17th August 2026, followed by the semifinals on 19th and 20th August 2026. The Durand Cup 2026 final will take place at the Salt Lake Stadium on 23 August 2026, awaiting to crown the winners of the oldest football tournament in Asia.
Durand Cup 2026 Quarterfinal Preview
Quarterfinals
SC Delhi vs FC Raengdai
SC Delhi’s debut Durand Cup campaign has been worth remembering so far as they completed a perfect group stage, picking up wins in every match at the stage. It did not start according to plan when they fell behind in the 22nd minute against Jamshedpur FC in their opening game. However, they turned the tables around in the second period through their summer signing Lalrinliana Hnamte. The former Mohun Bagan midfielder scored a cracking brace in six minutes for a stunning reversal to kick things off in the right way. The new ISL franchise then unleashed a fury in the remaining games inspired by another new arrival, Rodriguinho, who scored an eyebrow-raising five goals in a single game in the 7-0 walloping of guest team Defenders FC and found the net again in the victory by a similar margin against Air Force. They topped the group ahead of the Men of Steel and became the highest-scoring side on their way to the quarterfinals.
The side from Delhi will face fellow debutants FC Raengdai, who also stirred heads with their achievement. The club from Manipur were placed with fellow sides from the region, TRAU and Neroca, in the same group, with Indian Navy the other member in it. Yet they managed to overcome the challenges posed by clubs with more top-flight experience and a history of regional dominance to return as group winners. Raengdai edged out the Navy team with a 1-0 victory before playing an absolute thriller against TRAU, which ended 4-3 in their favour. Midul Doley scored a stunning hat trick in the game, including scoring the winner that effectively sealed their place at the top of the group. Hence, the 3-1 defeat to Neroca in the final group game was not a disruption on their way to the quarterfinals. The I-League 2 side will now trade waters with an ISL outfit, hoping to create more surprises to carry forward their fairytale journey in the competition.
Indian Army vs East Bengal
The Indian Army team will make their fourth quarterfinal appearance in five years after they ended as group winners ahead of the likes of Mohammedan SC and debutants Samaleswari and Banaras Baghpat. They collected three points out of three games, scored seven goals and merely conceded once in a perfect show. They began with a 1-0 win over the Odisha-based club before proceeding to thrash Baghpat 4-0. Their big win was undoubtedly against the Black Panthers, whom they defeated 2-1 in the final group game with a thrilling second-half comeback, albeit with the top place secured after the first two games. Christopher Kamei did the heavy lifting for the side as he scored three goals, a strike in each game and he will be their main weapon to usurp the mighty challenge of East Bengal in the quarterfinal stage. These two met in the 2019 edition, where the Armed Forces held off the Red and Gold for much of the game till their goalkeeper was sent off in the 82nd minute, allowing the Kolkata giants to take charge and score two late goals to clinch the win.
Habas’s men won’t be letting the tie drag on for long, being in high confidence following their 4-1 victory over Kuwaiti giants Al-Arabi earlier in the week. The Torch Bearers went down in the 76th minute of the AFC Champions League 2 preliminary round battle, conceding a needless penalty, but remarkably fought back to equalise late and then pumped in three goals to secure their place in the group stage of the competition. Despite narrowly losing the Kolkata derby to arch-rivals Mohun Bagan in their season opener in the Durand Cup, the ISL champions showed prominence in demolishing CISF Protectors 8-0 and then defeating South United 5-0 to grab the place behind the group winners Green and Maroon and qualify for the quarterfinals as one of the best runners-up teams. 16-time winners East Bengal are favourites to win the competition alongside Mohun Bagan and if everything goes right, these two will meet again in the final with the chance to seek revenge not only for the early derby loss but also for their 2023 final defeat.
Mohun Bagan Super Giant vs Jamshedpur FC
After the disappointing short spell under Sergio Lobera, Mohun Bagan Super Giant has kicked off the new era under Panagotis Dimperis, brought from Punjab FC, on a flyer by completing a perfect group stage campaign. The record Durand Cup winners with 17 titles had a solid start as they defeated noisy neighbours East Bengal, managed by ex-Mariners boss Antonio Habas who lost his first Kolkata Derby, ahead of their demolition job against South United and CISF. Bagan dazzled in the free-flowing attacking tactics of Panos, with Manvir Singh in the centre-forward role and the rejuvenated Sahal Abdul Samad bagging hat-tricks in separate games. The side finished top of the pile, scoring the second most goals and possessing the best defence with no goals conceded. It will be a huge shock if they exit from the quarterfinal stage considering they eye this silverware that will set them well for the ISL season ahead.
Mohun Bagan will fancy taking on a side that is demotivated by recent issues, but it could turn out to be a potential banana skin. Jamshedpur FC decided to shut down first-team operations only a day after they thrashed Sri Lankan side Defenders FC 5-0 in front of home support to begin their Durand Cup campaign with one of the summer arrivals, Raynier Fernandes bagging a hat-trick. Later, it was decided they would transfer the licence to Churchill Brothers, which means players and staff will have a new identity for the new season as the Tata group is now solely focusing on grassroots development. This development happened after the now defunct side fulfilled the best runners-up criteria, having finished second in the group just two points behind SC Delhi after also thrashing Air Force 6-0 in the final group game. So, there is little incentive rather than playing to preserve memories for the Men of Steel as they fight the Mariners in the quarterfinal stage.
NorthEast United vs Shillong Lajong
Back-to-back winners, NorthEast United are aiming to be only the second team in Durand Cup history to win the honour three times in a row. Only East Bengal has been able to achieve the feat, having done so from 1989 to 1991, with the Highlanders having every right to believe in matching the feat in their fourth season under Juan Pedro Benali and also having Golden Boot winner Alaaeddine Ajaraie back in the fold after his loan spell at Indonesian side Persija Jakarta last time. The Moroccan has once again gone for the top scorer award as he can’t stop finding the back of the net, with his six goals making him the joint leader alongside SC Delhi’s Rodriguinho in the race. Ajaraie struck a hat-trick on his return to the club in the 6-0 demolition of Bodoland, a brace in the 4-1 thrashing of Morning Star and once again got on the scoresheet in the win over Srinagar FC1 to complete a perfect group stage for NorthEast United with 13 goals scored and just two conceded. It is safe to say if Benali’s men will raise the trophy again, Alaaeddine will prove to be the central figure behind the success again.
NorthEast will continue the trend of facing fellow mountainous clubs in the competition so far as they will lock horns with second division side Shillong Lajong in the quarterfinal stage. The Reds also managed to dominate the group stage and stayed unbeaten in making into the last-eight for the third straight time. Lajong secured the top berth in Group E, containing three debutants, with a 2-0 victory over Nongkseh, where they had to dig deep but swept aside Mumbay FC 5-0 before a dramatic 3-3 draw with second-placed Langsning sealed their passage to the knockouts. Birendra Thapa’s side will wish the defensive lapses seen in the final group game are sorted out before they face the fierce challenge of the rampaging champions in the quarterfinal stage. The Indian Football League outfit has a spotless record as they have never been eliminated from this stage of the competition, a record they will be desperate to hold on to to cause an upset on Monday night.
Durand Cup 2026 Knockout Stage Schedule
Quarterfinals
16 August 2026
SC Delhi vs FC Raengdai - Birsa Munda Stadium, Ranchi (16:00)
Indian Army vs East Bengal - Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata (19:00)
17 August 2026
Mohun Bagan Super Giant vs Jamshedpur FC - Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata (16:00)
NorthEast United vs Shillong Lajong - Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Shillong (19:00)
Semifinals
19 August 2026
Winner of Quarterfinal 1 (SC Delhi/ FC Raengdai) vs Winner of Quarterfinal 2 (Army Red/East Bengal) - Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata (19:00)
20 August 2026
Winner of Quarterfinal 3 (Mohun Bagan/Jamshedpur) vs Winner of Quarterfinal 4 (NorthEast/Lajong) - Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Shillong (19:00)
Final
23 August 2026
Winner of Semi-final 1 vs Winner of Semi-final 2 - Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata (19:00)
