The Durand Cup and Its Historical Legacy

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The President of India recently unveiled and flagged off three distinct trophies for the upcoming 2026 Durand Cup during a ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre.

The Durand Cup is the premier football tournament of independent India.
The Durand Football Tournament Society (DFTS) manages this competition under the guidance of the three Indian Armed Forces.
This prestigious tournament serves as the official season-opener for Indian football, bringing together clubs from the Indian Super League, the I-League, and the Armed Forces.

Sir Henry Mortimer Durand, who served as the Indian Foreign Secretary, founded the tournament in 1888 in Shimla to promote physical fitness among British Indian soldiers.
It is the oldest football tournament in Asia and the third-oldest surviving football competition in the entire world.
In 1925, the tournament allowed civilian clubs to participate, and Mohun Bagan became one of the first civilian teams to enter.
The tournament moved its permanent base to New Delhi in 1940, and in the same year, Mohammedan Sporting Club of Kolkata became the first civilian team to win the trophy.

The winning team receives three unique rolling trophies instead of just one: the original Durand Cup from 1888, the Shimla Trophy from 1905, and the President's Cup introduced in 1956 by Dr. Rajendra Prasad.
The tournament unites the entire football pyramid by hosting top professional clubs, local academies, and military teams together.
To promote football across India, five different states will host matches in 2026, covering cities like Kolkata, Guwahati, Imphal, Shillong, and Ranchi.
The tournament features intense historical rivalries, with Mohun Bagan Super Giant currently leading the charts with 17 title victories.