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. Gokulam Kerala is the defending champions and is in Group D of Durand Cup 2021 alongside Hyderabad FC, Army Red and Assam Rifles.
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.
However, the two of the most successful teams in the competition, Mohun Bagan and East Bengal will not be a part of this year's campaign. To clarify, East Bengal is in the midst of finalizing its deal with investors. On the other hand, Mohun Bagan decided to decline the invitation as most of their first team members joined the national team and also due to their commitment to the AFC Cup.
| 1) Mohammedan Sporting |
| 2) CRPF FC |
| 3) FC Bengaluru United |
| 4) Indian Air Force |
| 1) Jamshedpur FC |
| 2) Sudeva Delhi FC |
| 3) FC Goa |
| 4) Army Green |
| 1) Delhi FC |
| 2) Kerala Blasters |
| 3) Bengaluru FC |
| 4) Indian Navy |
| 1) Gokulam Kerala FC |
| 2) Hyderabad FC |
| 3) Army Red |
| 4) Assam Rifles |
The top two teams from each group will proceed through to the quarter-finals.
