Durand Cup 2023, Asia’s oldest football event, will kick off its 132nd season on August 3. In the season opener, Mohun Bagan Super Giant (MBSG) will face Bangladesh Army FT at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. The tournament will feature 43 matches between 24 teams, with the final taking place on September 3.
The Durand Cup is India’s sole competition in which clubs from the ISL, the I-League, and the Armed Forces play. The 24 teams, up from 20 the previous year, are divided into six groups of four teams each. Three of these groups will play their games in Kolkata. However, one group will play in Kokrajhar, Assam, and two groups in Guwahati.
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Guwahati and Kokrajhar will also host a quarterfinal. The remaining knockout games will be held in Kolkata. Following a 27-year break, the Army teams of Nepal and Bangladesh will compete as foreign teams this year. The Durand Cup will include quite a few well-known derbies.
One of the best football matches in the world, MBSG against East Bengal FC, will be among them. The Kerala derby between Gokulam Kerala and Kerala Blasters FC is also on the schedule. The two southern derbies will be played between Bengaluru FC and Gokulam Kerala FC, and Hyderabad FC and Chennaiyin FC. Shillong Lajong’s encounter against NorthEast United FC will also have a regional feel.
Durand Cup 2023 LIVE Streaming on Sony LIV, Sony Sports to telecast live
Bengaluru FC are the reigning champions, having won the title for the first time the year before. Mumbai City FC finished second after losing the final 2-1 at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium, which is also hosting the final this year.
Durand Cup 2023 Groups are as follows:
| Group A | Bangladesh Army FT, East Bengal, Mohun Bagan SG, Punjab FC |
| Group B | Indian Navy FT, Jamshedpur FC, Mohammedan SC, Mumbai City FC |
| Group C | Bengaluru FC, Gokulam Kerala FC, Indian Air Force FT, Kerala Blasters |
| Group D | Downtown Heroes FC, FC Goa, NorthEast United FC, Shillong Lajong |
| Group E | Chennaiyin FC, Delhi FC, Hyderabad FC, Tribhuwan Army |
| Group F | Bodoland FC, Indian Army FC, Odisha FC, Rajasthan United FC |
Sony Sports Network, India’s leading premium sports broadcasting network, will broadcast the competition. The competition will also be broadcast live on Sony’s OTT network, SonyLIV.
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