Mohun Bagan Super Giant to Face Downtown Heroes in Durand Cup Opener

Reigning champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant will play Downtown Heroes FC in the opening match of the Durand Cup. The tournament, hosted in four cities, including Kolkata and Jamshedpur, features 24 teams. The final group game, the Kolkata Derby, will be between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal.

Reigning champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant will take on Downtown Heroes FC of Kashmir in the inaugural match of the Durand Cup here on July 27, while the much-anticipated Kolkata Derby between MBSG and East Bengal, which will also be the last group game, will take place on August 18.

The 133rd edition of Asia's oldest and world's fifth oldest tournament will be played in four cities — Kolkata, Kokrajhar in Assam, Shillong in Meghalaya and Jamshedpur in Jharkhand.

While matches in Group A, B, and C will take place in Kolkata, the first match in Jamshedpur, a first-time host where Group D matches will be played, will see Jamshedpur FC take on Bangladesh Army Football Team — one of the two foreign sides in the tournament.

The Group E games will begin in Kokrajhar on July 30 with local side Bodoland FC taking on ISL side NorthEast United FC. Shillong, which will also host the Durand Cup for the first time, will see the Shillong Lajong FC take on Nepal's Tribhuvan Army Football Team on August 2, in the first fixture of Group F.

President Droupadi Murmu had recently flagged off the trophy tour of the century-old tournament in New Delhi.

The Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan and Kishore Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata, JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshedpur, SAI Stadium in Kokrajhar and the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong, will host a total of 43 matches.

A total of 24 teams have been divided into six groups with the six group toppers and two best second-placed teams slated to qualify for the knockouts.

(With inputs from agencies.)