Durand Cup

Durand Cup

The Durand Football Tournament was started by then, India's Foreign Secretary, Mortimer Durand at Simla, India, in 1888. The initial matches were played in Dagshai. It was basically initiated, as a recreation for British troops stationed in India. The Durand Cup was twice suspended, during the two world wars. In 1940 the venue was shifted to New Delhi.

Since India's independence in 1947, the tournament is hosted by the army and is held at the Ambedkar Stadium in Delhi. Mohun Bagan (16x) and East Bengal (16x) have split 32 cup victories between them. After the eclipse of the high profile teams from Hyderabad, the Durand Cup, with rare exceptions since 1970, has been won mostly by teams from Kolkata (Mohun Bagan and East Bengal) or Punjab (Border Security Force & JCT Mills). In 1997 FC Kochin from the south won, in 1998 and 2002 for the first time a team from Mumbai with Mahindra United won the title twice, while in 1999 and 2003 Goan side Salgaocar won the trophy twice but the new Millennium's first title was once again won by Mohun Bagan. In 2005 Sporting Clube de Goa missed the title by a whisker when Army XI produced an upset to win. But in 2006 it was won by Goa's Dempo S.C., who beat JCT 2-0 in the finals. Recent seasons has been dominated by Churchill Brothers from Goa. They won the tournament twice in 2007 and 2009, while finishing 2nd in 2008.The winning team is presented with three trophies - The President’s Cup (First Presented by Dr. Rajendra Prasad India’s first president) The Durand Cup (The original challenge prize, which is a rolling trophy) Shimla Trophy (First presented by citizens of Shimla in 1904 and since 1965 it is a rolling trophy)

The Royal Scots Fusiliers won the inaugural Durand cup in 1888 at Simla, when they defeated the Highland Light Infantry with a score of 2-1.

Despite being the de facto Indian counterpart to the FA Cup in England, its winners do not qualify for Asian Football Confederation tournaments; the I-League and Federation Cup (League Cup) are the only ways to qualify for Asia.

India's armed forces deserve credit for keeping the Durand Cup tradition alive over the centuries.In 2006, Osians, the art house took over the running and management of the Durand Cup. Prize money, TV coverage and the quality of the football souvenirs produced have improved dramatically.