Defending champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant and their archrivals East Bengal FC, the two finalists from the previous edition, have been drawn together in the same group as the group stage draw for the upcoming Durand Cup 2024 was unveiled on Thursday. The 24 teams from the ISL, I-League, international teams, and teams from the Armed Forces will fight it out in Asia’s oldest football tournament, scheduled to commence on July 27. Notably, international teams will also feature with Nepal’s Tribhuvan Army FC and Bangladesh Army Football Team, both returning from the previous edition.

This year, Jamshedpur and Shillong join Kokrajhar and Kolkata as host cities, with each hosting group stage fixtures. Kolkata, the main venue, will host three groups, while Jamshedpur, Shillong, and Kokrajhar will each host one group.

The tournament will follow a round-robin league format with knockout stages, culminating in the final at Kolkata’s Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan. In total, 43 matches will be played and the top teams from each group, along with the two best second-placed teams, will advance to the knockout phase.

Here are the groups for Durand Cup 2024:

Group A (Kolkata): Mohun Bagan SG, East Bengal FC, Indian Air Force FT, Downtown Heroes FC

Group B (Kolkata): Bengaluru FC, Inter Kashi FC, Indian Navy FT, Mohammedan SC

Group C (Kolkata): Kerala Blasters FC, Mumbai City FC, Punjab FC, CISF Protectors FT

Group D (Jamshedpur): Jamshedpur FC, Chennaiyin FC, Indian Army FT, Bangladesh Army FT

Group E (Kokrajhar): Odisha FC, NorthEast United FC, Bodoland FC, BSF FT

Group F (Shillong): FC Goa, Hyderabad FC, Shillong Lajong FC, Tribhuvan Army FC

File image of Mohun Bagan players Anirudh Thapa and Jason Cummings.© X (Twitter)

Francisco Javier Hernandez Gonzalez (10), shoots over head to scoring the goal, during the ISL football match between Bengaluru FC vs East Bengal, at Sree Kanteerava Stadium, in Bengaluru on October 04, 2023.
| Photo Credit: Murali Kumar K

East Bengal will seek to extend its new found form when it hosts a struggling Bengaluru FC in a matchweek-21 fixture of the ISL-10, at the Salt Lake Stadium here on Sunday. The clash assumes importance on the count that both the teams will be wishing to collect the maximum points to brighten their play-off prospects. Bengaluru FC is currently ranked seventh in the league standings with 22 points from 20 outings while East Bengal is at a rung below with 21 points from 20 matches.

With five teams having already ensured their qualification to the play-offs, both Bengaluru and East Bengal are fighting for the sixth spot where Chennaiyin FC is currently positioned with 24 points. East Bengal has reasons to be confident ahead of its home fixture after having downed a strong Kerala Blasters at the latter’s home in its previous outing. East Bengal coach Carles Cuadrat spoke about this “opportunity” emerging after the latest win and hoped that his team will put in the best of efforts to capitalize on it. “This season we are fighting for a play-off spot. There are not many matches left but I am optimistic about the next two matches and hope that the boys remain focused and get the points from the difficult game,” Cuadrat said.

“The mood is positive and we’re training in very good conditions. It is like a playoff game. If we win, we keep going and if we lose, the probability is much less for us to qualify,” said the Bengaluru FC coach Gerard Zaragoza.