East Bengal to face South United in Durand Cup opener on July 23

East Bengal FC will face South United FC of Bengaluru in the opening match of the 134th edition of the Durand Cup football tournament at the iconic Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan here on July 23. The final of the tournament, which will feature 43 matches across six cities, will be held on August 23. The 24 participating teams have been divided into six groups of four teams each. Each team will face the other three once in the group stage. Six group winners and two best second-placed teams will progress to the quarterfinals, which are set to be held on August 16 and 17.

The semifinals are scheduled for August 19 and 20. The venues for the knockout rounds will be announced later. Kolkata will host two groups, Group A and Group B. The other two teams in Group A are Indian Air Force and I-League side Namdhari FC. They play their first matches against SUFC on July 27 and July 30 respectively.

Group B action begins on July 28, when Mohammedan Sporting Club take on Diamond Harbour FC at Kishore Bharati Krirangan. All eyes will then turn to the Kolkata Derby between Indian Super League Champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant and Mohammedan Sporting on July 31 at the same venue. Border Security Force will play their first match against Diamond Harbour on August 1.

Group C action kicks off in Jamshedpur on July 24 with hosts Jamshedpur FC facing Nepal’s Tribhuvan Army at the JRD Tata Sports Complex, while Indian Army and 1 Ladakh FC play their first match on July 29 and August 2 respectively. Kokrajhar will host Group D which consists of ISL club Punjab FC, I-League 3 side from Assam Karbi Anglong Morning Star FC, local side Bodoland FC and Indo Tibetan Border Police. ITBP face Karbi Anglong on July 27 in the opening match. Local sides Bodoland FC and Punjab will play their first matches on July 31 and August 3.

Group E opens in Shillong with home side Shillong Lajong FC meeting the Foreign Services Team on July 26 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Defending champions NorthEast United FC begin their title defence on August 2 against the Foreign Services Team. The group will also see city rivals Shillong Lajong FC and Rangdajied United FC take on each other in the Shillong Derby on July 29.

In Imphal, the Khuman Lampak Main Stadium will host the opening match of Group F on July 30, a high-stakes local derby between TRAU FC and NEROCA FC. Indian Navy and I-League side Real Kashmir FC will start their Group F campaign on August 2.