The Durand Cup was first held in Shimla which was a popular retreat for the British back in the day. Sir Henry Durand was recovering from an illness in the hill station and realised the importance of physical health for soldiers in the Army.
There were several army regiments and military units that were originally involved in the tournament and it became an inter-regiment tournament essentially.
The glimpses from the action today at Salt Lake Stadium, from the very first match of the Durand Cup'21#DurandCup2021 #130thEdition #Legacy #Kolkata #football #footballtournament #soccer #FIFA #aiff pic.twitter.com/upTvM6VlMG
â Durand Cup (@thedurandcup) September 5, 2021
They were initially only inclined towards playing Hockey given the popularity of the sport in India at that time but football gradually picked up.
The event itself was a major deal and people came from all across the country to watch the final which was a highly publicised event. It was also a great platform for Indian football clubs to defeat the British regiments which of course, rarely happened at that time.
However, events post World War II that also involved the cancellation and relocation of the tournament ushered a new era for Indian football.
The Durand Cup was later shifted to Delhi post 1940 and opened for civilian clubs and teams. This brought in the likes of Mohammedan, Salgaocar, East Bengal and all the other legendary I-League teams that have since dominated the proceedings.
It is now held under the Durand Football Tournament Society and has been the continuously held every year to attract top Indian teams and players from leagues such as the ISL, I-league and even Armed forces football teams.
The inclusion of ISL and Armed forces teams has helped expand the reach of the tournament.
Take a look at some of the winners and runner-ups of Durand Cup, one of the most popular football tournaments in India. Durand Cup has been a success for many years with all the details about the show since 2000.
Year | Winners | Runners-up |
1950 | Hyderabad City Police | Mohun Bagan |
1951 | East Bengal | Rajasthan Armed Constabulary |
1952 | East Bengal | Hyderabad City Police |
1953 | Mohun Bagan | National Defence Academy |
1954 | Hyderabad City Police | Hindustan Aircraft Limited |
1955 | Madras Regimental Centre | Indian Air Force |
1956 | East Bengal | Hyderabad City Police |
1957 | Hyderabad City Police | East Bengal |
1958 | Madras Regimental Centre | Gorkha Brigade |
1959â60 | Mohun Bagan | Mohammedan |
1960â61 | Mohan Bagan and East Bengal Joint Winners | |
1961 | Andhra Pradesh Police | Mohun Bagan |
1962 | Cancelled because of Indo-China war | |
1963 | Mohun Bagan | Andhra Pradesh Police |
1964 | Mohun Bagan | East Bengal |
1965 | Mohun Bagan | Punjab Police |
1966 | Gorkha Brigade | Sikh Regimental Centre |
1967 | East Bengal | Bengal-Nagpur Railway |
1968 | Border Security Force | East Bengal |
1969 | Gorkha Brigade | Border Security Force |
1970 | East Bengal | Mohun Bagan |
1971 | Border Security Force | Leaders Club |
1972 | East Bengal | Mohun Bagan |
1973 | Border Security Force | Rajasthan Armed Constabulary (Bikaner) |
1974 | Mohun Bagan | JCT |
1975 | Border Security Force | JCT |
1976 | Â BSF and JCT Joint Winners | |
1977 | Mohun Bagan | JCT |
1978 | East Bengal | Mohun Bagan |
1979 | Mohun Bagan | Punjab Police |
1980 | Mohun Bagan | Mohammedan |
1981 | Border Security Force | JCT |
1982 | Â Mohan Bagan and East Bengal Joint Winners | |
1983 | JCT | Mohun Bagan |
1984 | Mohun Bagan | East Bengal |
1985 | Mohun Bagan | JCT |
1986 | Mohun Bagan | East Bengal |
1987 | JCT | Mohun Bagan |
1988 | Border Security Force | East Bengal |
1989 | East Bengal | Mohun Bagan |
1990 | East Bengal | Mahindra United |
1991 | East Bengal | Border Security Force |
1992 | JCT | Mohammedan |
1993 | East Bengal | Punjab State Electricity Board |
1994 | Mohun Bagan | East Bengal |
1995â96 | East Bengal | Tata Football Academy |
1996 | JCT | Al-Naft |
1997 | FC Kochin | Mohun Bagan |
1998 | Mahindra United | East Bengal |
1999 | Salgaocar | East Bengal |
2000 | Mohun Bagan | Mahindra United |
2001â02 | Mahindra United | Churchill Brothers |
2002â03 | East Bengal | Army XI |
2003 | Salgaocar | East Bengal |
2004 | East Bengal | Mohun Bagan |
2005 | Army XI | Sporting Goa |
2006 | Dempo | JCT |
2007 | Churchill Brothers | Mahindra United |
2008 | Mahindra United | Churchill Brothers |
2009 | Churchill Brothers | Mohun Bagan |
2010 | Prayag United | JCT |
2011 | Churchill Brothers | Prayag United |
2012 | Air India | Dodsal |
2013 | Mohammedan | ONGC |
2014 | Salgaocar | Pune |
2016 | Army Green | NEROCA |
2019 | Gokulam Kerala | Mohun Bagan |
2020 | Cancelled because of Covid | |
2021 | Goa | Mohammedan |
2022 | Bengaluru FC | Mumbai City FC |
Most Durand Cup Wins:
Kolkata giants East Bengal and Mohun Bagan are the most successful teams in the history of the tournament winning it a record 16 times each.
Royal Scouts Fusiliers were the first-ever winners and Mohammedan Sporting were the first Indian to win the competition. Bengaluru Fc are the reigning champions.
Team | Titles |
Mohun Bagan | 16 |
East Bengal | 16 |
BSF | 7 |
JCT | 5 |
For more Durand Cup news and articles, follow Sportz Point.
Follow us on Google News.