PANAJI
Indian Super League side FC Goa will kick off their campaign in the 130th edition of the prestigious Durand Cup with a clash against Army Green Football Team in Group B on September 7, Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.
Back in Kolkata after a one-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the 2021 edition of the Durand Cup which kicks off on September 5 will witness Mohammedan SC take on Indian Air Force in the opening match scheduled to be held till October 3, is the world’s third oldest and Asia’s oldest existing football tournament.
The Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK), Kalyani Municipality Stadium and Mohun Bagan Club Ground will serve as the three venues for this year’s tournament.
A total of 16 teams across four groups will vie for honours in the tournament, jointly organised by the Indian Armed Forces and the Government of West Bengal.
FC Goa will play their next Group B match against Sudeva Delhi FC, at Salt Lake Stadium on September 13 and another ISL side Jamshedpur FC at Salt Lake Stadium on September 17.
Mohammedan SC -- the first Indian winners of the Durand Cup -- have been drawn into Group A alongside Bengaluru United, the Indian Air Force and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
Group B has all the ingredients for a potential ‘Group of Death’, featuring Indian Super League (ISL) sides FC Goa and Jamshedpur FC, alongside I-League side Sudeva Delhi FC and 2016 Durand Cup winners Army Green Football Team.
Bengaluru Football Club and Kerala Blasters Football Club are drawn into Group C, pitting the two ISL sides against Delhi FC and the Indian Navy football team.
For the Blasters, this tournament would also mark their Durand Cup debut.
The fourth and final group will see Assam Rifles and Army Red locking horns with Hyderabad FC from the ISL and the reigning Durand Cup and I-League champions, Gokulam Kerala Football Club.
The top two teams from each group would advance to the quarter-finals. The two semi-finals are scheduled for September 27 and 29.
The final will take place on October 3.
