21st July 2022, Jamshedpur:

One of Asia’s oldest tournaments, the Durand Cup will kick off on the 16th of August. 20 teams from across the country (11 ISL teams, five I-League teams and four teams from the Indian Armed Forces) are all set to feature in the prestigious tournament.

After the last edition was played behind closed doors, this season the fans will be back at the stadium after a long wait. Five venues across three states of India will host the tournament with the finals scheduled on 18th September at the Salt Lake Stadium.

Venues for the tournament:

• Kolkata: Salt Lake Stadium, Naihati Stadium, Kishore Bharati Stadium in West Bengal

• Imphal: Khuman Lampak Stadium in Imphal, Manipur

• Guwahati: Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati, Assam.

Jamshedpur FC has been placed in Group ‘A’ of the tournament along with Bengaluru FC, FC Goa, Mohammedan FC and Indian Air Force FT.

FC Goa, the defending champions of the 2021 Durand Cup are one of the top contenders in the group. The Gaurs will come through with their best performers in their squad to reclaim their title this year and win the tournament for the second time in a row.

Bengaluru FC is another Hero ISL team who will be a tough competitor in the Durand Cup as they will seek to get their hands on the first-ever Durand Cup title which will also be the needed momentum for their upcoming season of the Hero ISL.

Apart from the Indian Super League sides Kolkata giants, Mohammedan Sporting Club are expected to be one of the strongest contenders that the Men of Steel will face in the group stage. The runners-up in the recently concluded I-League will have their eyes on the prize and will do everything in their power to increase their Durand Cup winning toll to four.

Indian defence side Indian Air Force FT have been into the Durand Finals in the past and are expected to bolster with their dominant physical presence this season.

Thus the group stage fixtures are expected to come up with an exciting challenge for Jamshedpur FC’s young dynamic side. The Men of Steel are all set to play across the three venues in Kolkata and will travel to the city of joy early next month prior to the tournament’s kick-off.

Here are the Durand Cup  group stage fixtures of Jamshedpur FC.