Pratiksha Ghosh
May 24:The 134th edition of Asia’s oldest football tournament, the IndianOil Durand Cup, will take place from July 22 to August 23 this year.
Organised by the Eastern Command of the Indian Army on behalf of the three Services, the prestigious tournament continues to bridge the gap between Services teams and top football clubs in the country.
In a notable expansion, the tournament will be played across five states, with Imphal in Manipur returning as a host city after a two-year break.
Alongside Kolkata, which remains the central hub for the sixth consecutive year, other host cities include Shillong (Meghalaya), Kokrajhar (Assam), and Jamshedpur (Jharkhand).
This year’s matches will be held at six venues: Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan and Kishore Bharati Krirangan (Kolkata), Khuman Lampak Stadium (Imphal), either Morhabadi Stadium (Ranchi) or JRD Tata Sports Complex (Jamshedpur), Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (Shillong), and SAI Stadium (Kokrajhar).
The tournament will feature 24 teams, including all ISL sides and multiple Services squads. Defending champions North East United FC will aim to retain their title after defeating record-holders Mohun Bagan in a thrilling final last year.
