The fixtures for the 135th Durand Cup were announced on Wednesday with the Kolkata derby between Mohun Bagan Super Giant and East Bengal FC set to kick-off Asia’s oldest football tournament at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on July 25.
The month-long competition, with 24 teams in six groups, will be played across six cities including Kolkata, Ranchi, Imphal, Shillong and Guwahati before the final is played in Kolkata on August 23.
Kolkata will host Groups A and B with the opening game taking centre-stage. The other teams in Group A are South United FC and CISF Protectors. Mohammedan SC, Indian Army FT, Baghpat FC and Samaleswari Sporting make up Group B.
It will be debut for Ranchi as a host city with Group C comprising Jamshedpur FC, Sporting Club Delhi, Indian Air Force FT and Sri Lanka’s Defenders FC. Group D, to be played in Imphal, comprises local rivals TRAU FC and NEROCA FC, while Group E in Shillong includes Shillong Lajong FC, Langsning FC, Nongkseh SS&CC and newcomers Mumbay FC.
Defending champions NorthEast United FC will begin their quest for a third straight Durand Cup title in Guwahati, along with Bodoland FC, FC1 and Karbi Anglong Morning Star FC in Group F.
The six group winners plus the two best runners-up qualify for the knockout stage. The quarter-finals will take place on August 16 and 17 in Ranchi, Kolkata and Shillong, while the semi-finals will be held on August 19 and 20. The tournament will conclude with the final at Kolkata’s Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on August 23.
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