Gokulam Kerala FC won the last edition. (File) Durand Cup, the oldest football tournament in the country, will return for its 130th edition in Kolkata from September 5 to October 3.
The month-long tournament will feature 16 sides including four defence teams and will be supported by the All India Football Federation, India Football Association, said a release by the Press Information Bureau on Thursday.
Indian defence forces, the organisers, were forced to cancel the tournament last season due to the Covid-19 pandemic while Indian Super League and I-League were the only football events held last year.
Gokulam Kerala, the nascent club from Kozhikode, are the reigning champions. The Kerala outfit beat Mohun Bagan 2-1.
Kolkata clubs Bagan and East Bengal have won it a record 16 times each.
Durand Cup began in 1888 in Shimla and from 1940 to 2018 it was held in Delhi. Apart from the hosts’ four teams, six teams each from the ISL and I-league are expected to join the tournament.
Apart from taking home a purse of Rs 40 lakh, the triumphant team will stand to receive the rolling Durand Cup, the President’s Cup and the Shimla Trophy.
The losing finalists will get Rs 20 lakh while the two losing semifinalists will receive Rs 5 lakh each.
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