Durand Cup 2026: East Bengal beat South United 5-0; Sporting Club Delhi rout Defenders 7-0
East Bengal FC defeated South United FC 5-0 at Saltlake stadium in Kolkata in their final group-stage match of the Durand Cup 2026 on Friday, August 7, 2026. Sporting Club Delhi recorded a 7-0 victory over Sri Lankan side Defenders FC on the same day, registering their second straight win in Group C.
The 135th edition of the IndianOil Durand Cup began on July 25, 2026 with the Kolkata Derby between Mohun Bagan Super Giant and East Bengal FC and will conclude with the final on August 23, 2026. The tournament features 24 teams, including two foreign sides, spread across five host cities — Kolkata, Ranchi, Guwahati, Imphal and Shillong — and is being played at six venues: Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan and Kishore Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata, Birsa Munda Stadium in Ranchi, Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati, Khuman Lampak Stadium in Imphal and Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong. The top team from each group will advance along with the two best runners-up.
East Bengal’s 5-0 win was secured by goals from Dani Ramirez (his first for the club), captain Mohammed Rashid, Hardik Bhatt, Bipin Singh and David Lalhlansanga in their last group fixture, leaving them with a goal difference of (+12) and keeping their qualification hopes alive. Earlier in the group stage East Bengal lost the Kolkata Derby 1-0 before recording an 8-0 win over CISF Protectors, that 8-0 win being their first under new head coach Antonio Lopez Habas, and the team now face an AFC fixture on Wednesday, August 12, 2026 at Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata.
Mohun Bagan Super Giant followed their 1-0 derby victory by an 8-0 win over South United FC; Manvir Singh scored a hat-trick, Suhail Bhatt a brace, Alberto Rodriguez and Rahul Bheke one goal each and there was also an own goal. After two dominant performances Mohun Bagan SG have qualified for the quarter-finals as Group A toppers and will meet CISF Protectors in their final home game under new head coach Panagiotis Dilmperis.
South United FC had opened Group A with a 2-0 win over CISF Protectors but were then beaten 8-0 by Mohun Bagan SG and 5-0 by East Bengal FC, results that have eliminated the Bengaluru-based club from the tournament. CISF Protectors, having lost 2-0 to South United and 8-0 to East Bengal, will play their last group match against Mohun Bagan SG.
In Group B Indian Army FT recorded back-to-back wins, beating Samaleswari Sporting 1-0 and Baghpat FC 4-0, the latter result coming on August 5, 2026 at Kishore Bharati Krirangan; Indian Army FT still need a win against Mohammedan SC to confirm a place in the quarter-finals. Samaleswari Sporting, on debut, lost their opening match to Indian Army then won 4-1 against Baghpat FC and 3-2 against Mohammedan SC to finish the current set of fixtures on 6 points and top Group B, while Mohammedan SC won 4-0 against Baghpat FC before losing 4-3 to Samaleswari and must beat Indian Army to remain in contention. Baghpat FC, who qualified for the Durand Cup after winning the I-League 3 and made their tournament debut, have lost all their group matches and are eliminated.
Sporting Club Delhi have emerged as front-runners in Group C after following a win over Jamshedpur FC with a 7-0 victory against Defenders FC; Jamshedpur had beaten Defenders 5-0 in their first match but lost to SC Delhi and must win their final group game to stay alive. Indian Air Force FT won their first match against Defenders FC 2-1 and retain opportunities with two matches remaining, while Defenders FC have lost all their matches and are eliminated. In Group D Indian Navy FT lost their opening match to FC Raengdai 1-0 but beat Neroca FC 2-0 in Imphal on August 5, 2026; TRAU FC drew with Neroca FC then lost to FC Raengdai, and Neroca FC, after a draw and that 2-0 defeat on August 5, 2026, sit bottom of Group D. Group E saw Langsning FC beat Mumbay FC 5-0, then draw 2-2 with Nongkseh SS & CC after Nongkseh scored two late goals on August 6, 2026; Shillong Lajong FC beat Nongkseh 2-0 in their first game, while Mumbay FC featuring Tiger Shroff in their squad lost their opening match. In Group F Bodoland FC recovered from a 6-0 opening loss to NorthEast United FC by beating FC1 of Kashmir 3-0; FC1 had earlier defeated Karbi Anglong Morning Star FC 2-1 before losing to Bodoland, and NorthEast United opened with a 6-0 win in which Alaaeddine Ajaraie scored a hat-trick and subsequently has two matches scheduled at Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium.
Mohun Bagan Super Giant have secured their place in the quarter-finals as Group A winners, Sporting Club Delhi sit as the leading side in Group C after consecutive victories, and several group races remain open with two best runners-up to qualify. NorthEast United FC’s next fixtures are on August 8 and August 11, 2026 against Karbi Anglong Morning Star FC at 7 PM (IST) and FC1 at 4 PM (IST) respectively at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium.