The Durand Cup is back on the Indian football calendar. It is the world's third oldest and Asia's oldest football tournament. The tournament will start on 5 Sept and will take place at various venues in and around Kolkata.
Sixteen teams will be participating in the campaign, including four teams from the defence services. However, initially, the tournament began as an Army cup to keep the British soldiers fit. It was later available for the civilians and currently is one of the leading sports events.
RoyalScouts Fusiliers won the inaugural edition of the Durand Cup way back in 1888. Mohammedan Sporting Club was the first Indian club to win the cup in 1940 when the tournament shifted to Delhi. Mohun Bagan and East Bengal are the most successful teams in the history of the Durand cup winning it on sixteen occasions each.
The winning team is presented with three trophies i.e.The Presiden's Cup (first presented by Dr Rajendra Prasad, the Durand Cup (the original challenge prize, which is a rolling trophy) and the Shimla Trophy (first presented by citizens of Shimla in 1903 and since 1965, a rolling trophy).