The 2026 Durand Cup will be the 135th edition of Asia's oldest football competition, featuring many new teams and venues. The month-long tournament will kick off on 25 July 2026 with the high-voltage Kolkata derby between record winners Mohun Bagan and East Bengal and run until the final on 23 August 2026 at the Salt Lake Stadium.
24 teams will take part, including the guest, Defenders FC from Sri Lanka. Similar to last season, several teams in the ISL will not participate in this contest, with only five from the top tier taking part. Five state league teams, four from I-League 3, three from I-League 2, two Indian Football League sides, and the Armed Forces are the other participating teams. There will be seven debutants in the Durand Cup this time, while the capital city of Jharkhand, Ranchi, will host games for the first time in the competition's history.
The two Kolkata giants, Mohun Bagan Super Giant and East Bengal FC, are drawn against each other in Group A alongside South United and CISF protectors. Group B consists of two debutants in FC Banaras Baghpat and Samaleswari SC, with the Indian Army Football Team and two-time winners Mohammedan SC. Jamshedpur FC, SC Delhi, Indian Air Force FT, and invitee Defenders FC are in Group C, while Group D contains TRAU FC, NEROCA FC, Indian Navy, and newcomers FC Raengdai. Three more new faces in Langsning FC, Nongkseh SS&CC, and Mumbai FC will partner Shillong Lajong in Group E. Meanwhile, back-to-back winners NorthEast United are placed in Group F alongside Bodoland FC, debutants FC1 Kashmir, and Morning Star FC.
The 2026 Durand Cup games will be played at six venues across five cities. Group A and B matches will be hosted in Kolkata, the only city to have two stadiums assigned for the competition, Kishore Bharoti Krirangan and the iconic Salt Lake Stadium, while Group C games will be played in the Birsa Munda Stadium in Ranchi. Group D games will be hosted in Imphal at the Khuman Lampak Main Stadium. Meanwhile, Group E games are scheduled in Shillong at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, whereas all Group F games will take place in the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati. The six group winners, alongside the two best-finishing second-placed sides, will progress to the quarterfinal stage of the competition, which will begin on August 16, 2026.
Durand Cup 2026 Teams
ISL Teams
- Mohun Bagan Super Giant - Kolkata, West Bengal
- Jamshedpur FC-Jamshedpur, Jharkhand
- NorthEast United—Guwahati, Assam
- East Bengal FC - Kolkata, West Bengal
- SC Delhi - New Delhi, Delhi
Indian Football League Teams
- Shillong Lajong - Shillong, Meghalaya
- Mohammedan SC—Kolkata
I-League 2 Teams
- Banaras Baghpat - Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh
- FC Raengdai - Noney, Manipur
- Morning Star - Diphu, Assam
I-League 3 Teams
- Neroca FC - Imphal, Manipur
- TRAU - Imphal, Manipur
- Samaleswari SC - Samaleswari SC
- Mumbai FC - Mumbai, Maharashtra
State League Teams
- Bodoland FC - Kokrajhar, Assam
- South United - Bengaluru, Karnataka
- Nongkseh SS&CC - Shillong, Meghalaya
- FC1 Kashmir - Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir
- Langsning-Shillong, Meghalaya
Indian Armed Forces Teams
- Indian Air Force - New Delhi, Delhi
- Indian Army FT (Army Red) - New Delhi, Delhi
- Indian Navy - Kochi, Kerala
- CISF Protectors - New Delhi, Delhi
Guest Team
- Defenders FC - Homagama, Sri Lanka
Durand Cup 2026 Venues
- Group A: Salt Lake Stadium, Kishore Bharoti Krirangan
- Group B: Salt Lake Stadium, Kishore Bharoti Krirangan
- Group C: Birsa Munda Stadium
- Group D: Khuman Lampak Main Stadium
- Group E: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
- Group F: Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium
Durand Cup 2026 Schedule
- Group Stage: 25 July 2026 - 13 August 2026
- Quarterfinals: 16 August 2026 & 17 August 2026
- Semifinals: 19 August 2026 & 20 August 2026
- Final: 23 August 2026
Durand Cup 2026 Groups & Fixtures
Group A
- CISF Protectors
- East Bengal FC
- Mohun Bagan Super Giant
- South United FC
Fixtures:
Saturday, 25 July 2026: East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan - Salt Lake Stadium (17:00)
Tuesday, 28 July 2026: South United vs CISF - Kishore Bharoti Krinangan (19:30)
Wednesday, 31 July 2026: East Bengal vs CISF - Kishore Bharoti Krinangan (19:30)
Tuesday, 4 August 2026: Mohun Bagan vs South United - Salt Lake Stadium (19:00)
Friday, 7 August 2026: East Bengal vs South United - Salt Lake Stadium (19:00)
Monday, 10 August 2026: Mohun Bagan vs CISF - Kishore Bharoti Krinangan (16:00)
Group B
- FC Banaras Baghpat
- Indian Army FT
- Mohammedan SC
- Samaleswari SC
Fixtures:
Sunday, 26 July 2026: Indian Army vs Samaleswari SC - Kishore Bharoti Krinangan (19:30)
Monday, 27 July 2026: Mohammedan SC vs FC Banaras - Kishore Bharoti Krinangan (19:00)
Thursday, 30 July 2026: Samaleswari SC vs FC Banaras - Salt Lake Stadium (19:00)
Sunday, 2 August 2026: Mohammedan SC vs Samaleswari SC - Salt Lake Stadium (16:00)
Wednesday, 5 August 2026: Indian Army vs FC Banaras - Kishore Bharoti Krinangan (19:00)
Wednesday, 12 August 2026: Mohammedan SC vs Indian Army - Kishore Bharoti Krinangan (19:00)
Group C
- Defenders FC
- Indian Air Force FT
- Jamshedpur FC
- SC Delhi
Fixtures:
Sunday, 26 July 2026: Jamshedpur FC vs Defenders FC - Birsa Munda Football Stadium (17:00)
Tuesday, 29 July 2026: Indian Air Force vs Defenders FC - Birsa Munda Football Stadium (19:00)
Tuesday, 4 August 2026: Jamshedpur FC vs SC Delhi - Birsa Munda Football Stadium (16:00)
Friday, 7 August 2026: SC Delhi vs Defenders FC - Birsa Munda Football Stadium (16:00)
Monday, 10 August 2026: SC Delhi vs Indian Air Force - Birsa Munda Football Stadium (19:00)
Thursday, 13 August 2026: Jamshedpur FC vs. Indian Air Force - Birsa Munda Football Stadium (16:00)
Group D
- Neroca FC
- TRAU
- FC Raengdai
- Indian Navy SC
Fixtures:
Tuesday, 28 July 2026: TRAU vs Neroca FC—Khuman Lampak Main Stadium (17:00)
Thursday 30 July 2026: Raengdai vs Indian Navy—Khuman Lampak Main Stadium (16:00)
Monday, 3 August 2026: TRAU vs Raengdai - Khuman Lampak Main Stadium (16:00)
Wednesday, 5 August 2026: Neroca FC vs Indian Navy—Khuman Lampak Main Stadium (16:00)
Sunday, 9 August 2026: TRAU vs Indian Navy - Khuman Lampak Main Stadium (16:00)
Wednesday, 12 August 2026: Neroca FC vs Raengdai—Khuman Lampak Main Stadium (16:00)
Group E
- Shillong Lajong
- Langsning
- Mumbay FC
- Nongkseh SS&CC
Fixtures:
Friday, 31 July 2026: Shillong Lajong vs Nongkseh SS&CC - Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (17:00)
Monday, 3 August 2026: Langsning vs Mumbay FC - Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (19:00)
Thursday, 6 August 2026: Nongkseh SS&CC vs Langsning - Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (19:00)
Saturday, 8 August 2026: Shillong Lajong vs Mumbai FC - Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (19:00)
Tuesday, 11 August 2026: Nongkseh SS&CC vs Mumbai FC - Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (16:00)
Thursday, 13 August 2026: Shillong Lajong vs Langsning - Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (19:00)
Group F
- Bodoland
- Morning Star
- NorthEast United
- FC1 Kashmir
Fixtures:
Saturday, 1 August 2026: NorthEast United vs Bodoland - Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium (16:30)
Monday, 3 August 2026: Morning Star vs FC1 Kashmir - Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium (16:00)
Thursday, 6 August 2026: Bodoland vs FC1 Kashmir - Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium (16:00)
Saturday, 8 August 2026: NorthEast United vs Morning Star - Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium (16:00)
Tuesday, 11 August 2026: NorthEast United vs FC1 Kashmir - Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium (19:00)
Thursday, 13 August 2026: Bodoland vs Morning Star - Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium (16:00)
Durand Cup 2026 Knockout Stage
Quarterfinals
Sunday, 16 August 2026
- Quarterfinal 1 - Birsa Munda Football Stadium (16:00)
- Quarterfinal 2 - Salt Lake Stadium (19:00)
Monday, 17 August 2026
- Quarterfinal 3 - Salt Lake Stadium (16:00)
- Quarterfinal 4 - Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (19:00)
Semifinals
Wednesday, 19 August 2026
- Semi-final 1: Winner of quarter-final 1 vs Winner of quarter-final 2 - Salt Lake Stadium (19:00)
Thursday, 20 August 2026
- Semi-final 2: Winner of quarter-final 3 vs Winner of quarter-final 4 - Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (19:00)
Final
Sunday, 23 August 2026
- Winner of semi-final 1 vs Winner of semi-final 2 - Salt Lake Stadium (TBD)
