The 132nd edition of the Durand Cup 2023 is all set to kick-start from the first week of August. The stakes and the excitement levels are quite high as this is Asia’s oldest football tournament and the second-oldest football tournament in the world.
Bengaluru FC are the defending champions of the Durand Cup as they defeated Mumbai City FC in the finals of Durand Cup 2022. First held in 1888 in Shimla, the Durand Cup is synonymous with pride, prestige and honour.
There are a total of 3 trophies that are awarded to the winners of Durand Cup. The original tournament trophy in the form of Durand Cup Trophy is given along with the President’s Cup.
Another iconic and prestigious trophy that is awarded is the Shimla Trophy, which was first given by the residents of Shimla in 1904. Since 1905, the trophy has been rolling with every passing year.
East Bengal FC and Mohun Bagan are the most successful teams in the history of the Durand Cup competition as they have won 16 trophies each. This highlights the dominance which the Kolkata based football clubs have in Indian football.
Both East Bengal and Mohun Bagan share big portions of India’s rich footballing history and culture and have been juggernauts.
In this article, we take a look at the history, previous winners, venues and live streaming details of the Durand Cup 2023:
History
Durand Cup had started in the 19th century when Sir Henry Durand, who was an extremely popular Indian Civil Servant and Foreign Secretary of India, had fallen ill in Shimla. He was an ardent sports lover and had stressed on sports as a means for recovering from illness for the army regiments.
Initially, the tournament was played between the regiments of the army. Nobody else could play this tournament. Post 1940, the tournament was shifted to India’s present capital New Delhi and civilians were allowed to play.
When the aftermath of the gruelling Second World War (1939-1945) subsided, teams started playing the Durand Cup again. Hyderabad City Police had won the edition of the tournament in 1950. Mohun Bagan finished as the runners-up.
Previous Winners
Kolkata football giants Mohun Bagan and East Bengal FC have won the edition 16 times each. They are the most successful sides in the history of the Durand Cup. Border Security Force (BSF) have won the tournament on 7 occasions and they had last laid their hands on the trophy in 1988.
When Bengaluru FC won the title in 2022, it was their first title. The likes of Gokulam Kerala FC, Dempo FC and FC Goa have won the title on 1 occasion too.
Venues
The 132nd edition of the Durand Cup will be played across 4 venues.
- Kolkata-Salt Lake Stadium
- Guwahati- Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium
- Shillong- Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
- Kokrajhar- SAI Special Arena Game Centre
Live Streaming Details of Durand Cup 2023
In all probability, the Durand Cup 2023 will be available on the Sports18 TV channel. However, we are yet to receive an official announcement from the organisers. The live streaming is likely to happen on the JioTV application and the Voot application.
Also read: SAFF Championship 2023: Teams, Groups, Dates, Schedule, Live Streaming Know All
