The 2022 Durand Cup will be the 135th edition of the tournament kicking off in August. The oldest tournament in Asia for the first time will be played in more than one venue. Three cities are selected for the competition – Kolkata, Imphal and Guwahati with four stadiums organizing it. A total of 20 teams divided into four groups of five will participate. Traditionally, four teams from the Indian army will take part alongside 11 ISL clubs and five I-League clubs to fight for the Durand Cup this year.
A total of 47 matches will be played across three states with 27 of them being hosted by West Bengal including the knockouts and 10 each to be played in Assam and Manipur. Also, this is the first time that all the Indian Super League clubs are mandated to participate in the tournament. Fans will be allowed back into the stadium too with the last tournament played behind closed doors. FC Goa are the defending champions having defeated Mohammedan in the final last year. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the knockout rounds of the competition. The final of the 2022 Durand Cup is on the 18th of September.
The four groups and the full fixture list of the 2022 Durand Cup are given below:
Groups & Fixtures
Group A
Bengaluru
FC Goa
Indian Air Force
Jamshedpur
Mohammedan
Defending champions Goa will face familiar faces in Bengaluru FC and Jamshedpur FC also playing a replay of the last year’s final against Mohammedan. Group A opens with the fixture between the Men of Steels and the Indian Air Force club. Games of this group will be held in Kolkata, West Bengal on three grounds - Naihati Stadium, Kishore Bharati Kirangon and the 85,000-seater Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Stadium (VYBK) or the Saltlake Stadium.
Aug 17: Jamshedpur FC vs Indian Air Force - TBD (Naihati Stadium)
Aug 19: Mohammedan vs FC Goa - 18:00 (VYBK)
Aug 21: Jamshedpur FC vs Bengaluru FC - 18:00 (Kishore Bharati Kirangon)
Aug 23: FC Goa vs Indian Air Force - 15:00 (Naihati Stadium)
Aug 25: Bengaluru FC vs Mohammedan - 18:00 (VYBK)
Aug 27: Jamshedpur FC vs FC Goa - 15:00 (Kishore Bharati Kirangon)
Aug 29: Bengaluru FC vs Indian Air Force - 18:00 (Naihati Stadium)
Aug 31: Jamshedpur FC vs Mohammedan - 18:00 (VYBK)
Sept 02: Bengaluru FC vs FC Goa - 15:00 (Kishore Bharati Kirangon)
Sept 04: Mohammedan vs Indian Air Force - 18:00 (Naihati Stadium)
Also Read | Durand Cup|The lost legacy of Indian football
Group B
ATK Mohun Bagan
East Bengal
Indian Navy
Mumbai City
Rajasthan United
Group B has all the material to be a spectacular one. The tournament opens with a huge Kolkata derby between East Bengal and ATK Mohun Bagan on August 16th. Recent AFC Champions League campaigner Mumbai City FC are also part of the group and promoted side to last season’s I-league, Rajasthan United. Indian Navy is the team from the armed forces in this group. Games of this group will be held in Kolkata as well.
Aug 16: East Bengal vs ATK Mohun Bagan - TBD (VYBK)
Aug 18: Mumbai City vs Indian Navy - 15:00 (Kishore Bharati Kirangon)
Aug 20: ATK Mohun Bagan vs Rajasthan United - 18:00 (Naihati Stadium)
Aug 22: East Bengal vs Mumbai City - 18:00 (VYBK)
Aug 24: ATK Mohun Bagan vs Indian Navy - 18:00 (Kishore Bharati Kirangon)
Aug 26: East Bengal vs Rajasthan United - 18:00 (Naihati Stadium)
Aug 28: ATK Mohun Bagan vs Mumbai City - 18:00 (VYBK)
Aug 30: Rajasthan United vs Indian Navy - 15:00 (Kishore Bharati Kirangon)
Sept 03: East Bengal vs Indian Navy - 18:00 (VYBK)
Sept 05: Mumbai City vs Rajasthan United - 15:00 (Kishore Bharati Kirangon)
Also Read | List of most successful football clubs in India
Group C
Army Red
Chennaiyin FC
Hyderabad FC
NEROCA
TRAU
Matches for the Group C team will be held in Imphal, Manipur. Current ISL champions Hyderabad FC will take on fellow side Chennaiyin FC and two local clubs from I-League, Neroca and Tiddim Road Athletic Union or TRAU and Army Red. The city rivals will fight against each other for the group opener on August 18th. Khuman Lampak Stadium will host all the games of Group C.
Aug 18: NEROCA vs TRAU - TBD (Khuman Lampak Stadium)
Aug 20: Chennaiyin FC vs Army Red - 15:00 (Khuman Lampak Stadium)
Aug 22: TRAU vs Hyderabad FC - 15:00 (Khuman Lampak Stadium)
Aug 24: Army Red vs NEROCA - 15:00 (Khuman Lampak Stadium)
Aug 26: Hyderabad FC vs Chennaiyin FC - 15:00 (Khuman Lampak Stadium)
Aug 28: TRAU vs Army Red - 15:00 (Khuman Lampak Stadium)
Aug 30: Hyderabad FC vs NEROCA - 18:00 (Khuman Lampak Stadium)
Sept 01: TRAU vs Chennaiyin FC - 18:00 (Khuman Lampak Stadium)
Sept 03: Army Red vs Hyderabad FC - 15:00 (Khuman Lampak Stadium)
Sept 05: NEROCA vs Chennaiyin FC - 18:00 (Khuman Lampak Stadium)
Also Read | List of Sponsors investing in Indian Football
Group D
Army Green
Odisha FC
Kerala Blasters
NorthEast United
Sudeva Delhi
Last season’s beaten finalist in the ISL, Kerala Blasters face Odisha FC, NorthEast United, Sudeva Delhi and Army Green in Group D. Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium is the venue for all the games beginning with a clash between Odisha FC and NorthEast United on August 17th.
Aug 17: Odisha FC vs NorthEast United - TBD (Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium)
Aug 19: Sudeva Delhi vs Kerala Blasters - 15:00 (Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium)
Aug 21: NorthEast United vs Army Green - 15:00 (Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium)
Aug 23: Odisha FC vs Kerala Blasters - 18:00 (Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium)
Aug 25: Army Green vs Sudeva Delhi - 15:00 (Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium)
Aug 27: NorthEast United vs Kerala Blasters - 18:00 (Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium)
Aug 29: Odisha FC vs Sudeva Delhi - 15:00 (Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium)
Aug 31: Kerala Blasters vs Army Green - 15:00 (Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium)
Sept 02: NorthEast United vs Sudeva Delhi - 18:00 (Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium)
Sept 04: Army Green vs Odisha FC - 15:00 (Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium)
Also Read | The Cornerstone of the Historical Durand