Durand Cup 2023: Schedule, groups, venues, live streaming info and All you need to know

The Durand Cup, India's oldest and prestigious football tournament, is back with its 132nd edition with historic inclusion of foreign teams after nearly three decades, promising an exciting spectacle of football action. The tournament will also kick-start the domestic season in India.

With an expanded list of participating teams, including 12 Indian Super League sides, five I-League clubs, five Services teams, and the local club entry Bodoland FC, the competition promises to be tougher than ever.

Fans can expect thrilling clashes, upsets, and heart-stopping moments as each team will vie for supremacy and the chance to etch their name in Indian football history.

Format

The 2023 edition will feature 24 teams and 43 matches, including the final. The tournament has a generous prize pool of INR 89 lakh this year. The group stage matches will run from August 3 to August 22, with teams competing in a single round-robin format. The group toppers will secure automatic qualification to the last eight, the knockouts. The two best second-placed teams from across six groups will make up for the remaining two spots in the quarterfinals.

The quarterfinals are scheduled from August 24 to August 27, leading up to the grand finale on September 3. The final is scheduled to start at 4 PM Indian Standard Time at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata.

Venue

The matches of the Durand Cup will take place across six stadiums in three cities – Kolkata, Guwahati and Kokrajhar. The venues include Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (Salt Lake stadium), Mohun Bagan Ground, East Bengal Ground and Kishore Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata, Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati and Sports Authority of India Stadium in Kokrajhar.

Groups

The participating teams have been divided into six groups as follows:

Fixtures

The group stage fixtures are as follows:

Group A

Group B

Group C

Group D

Group E

Group F

The quarterfinals are scheduled from August 24 to August 27, leading up to the final on September 3 at 4 o'clock in the afternoon.

**All timings are in Indian Standard Time.

Live telecast and streaming info

Live telecast of Durand Cup matches will be available on Sony Ten 2 and Sony Ten 2 HD and Sony LIV will stream the matches live for those who want to catch the action live on mobile. The Sony Sports Network has secured the broadcasting rights for the Durand Cup for the next two years.