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Guwahati: The 135th edition of the Indian Oil Durand Cup will commence on 25th July, with 24 teams set to compete across five host cities are as following Kolkata, Ranchi, Imphal, Shillong and Guwahati. The tournament will conclude with the final at Kolkata's Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on 23rd August.
This year's competition will feature a blend of Indian Super League (ISL) clubs, Services teams, emerging sides and international participants, with seven teams making their Durand Cup debut.
Imphal's Khuman Lampak Stadium will host league-stage matches from 28th July to 17th August, along with one quarter-final. The Manipur leg will feature local clubs TRAU FC and NEROCA FC, the Indian Navy Football Team, and debutants FC Raengdai, the runners-up of last season's I-League 3.
In Guwahati, the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium will host league-stage fixtures from 1st August to 13th August. The Assam leg will feature defending champions NorthEast United FC, FC1—a team comprising players from Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh—along with Bodoland FC and Karbi Anglong Morning Star FC.
Kolkata, which has been the home of the Durand Cup since 2019, will host the tournament opener, matches from two groups, two quarter-finals, one semi-final and the final. Ranchi will make its debut as a host city, while Shillong will stage league-stage fixtures and one semi-final.
Among the notable debutants in this year's edition are Defenders FC of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces, Nongkseh Sports, Social & Cultural Club of Meghalaya, Baghpat FC, Samaleswari Sporting, FC Raengdai and Mumbay FC.
Organised by the Indian Army on behalf of the three Services, the Durand Cup is Asia's oldest football tournament and the world's third-oldest. The competition continues to play a significant role in promoting Indian football while expanding its reach across different parts of the country.