Durand Cup 2026: Group standings updated after Nongkseh SS & CC end campaign with 7-0 win over Mumbay FC

Nongkseh Sports, Social & Cultural Club finished their Durand Cup 2026 campaign with a 7-0 victory over Mumbay FC in their final Group E match of the tournament, while defending champions NorthEast United FC sealed progression to the quarter-finals as Group F toppers after a 3-1 win over FC1 of Kashmir.

The 135th edition of the Durand Cup began on July 25, 2026, with the Kolkata Derby between Mohun Bagan Super Giant and East Bengal FC and is scheduled to conclude with the final on August 23, 2026. The competition features 24 teams, including two foreign sides, playing across five host cities — Kolkata, Ranchi, Guwahati, Imphal and Shillong — and 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. Group winners and the two best runners-up advance from the group stage.

In Group A Mohun Bagan Super Giant registered three commanding wins to top the section with nine points and 15 goals. After a 1-0 victory over East Bengal FC in the opening match, the Mariners beat South United FC 8-0 and then defeated CISF Protectors FT 6-0 at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Monday afternoon, August 10, 2026. Manvir Singh scored a hattrick against South United FC; Sahal Abdul Samad recorded a hattrick against CISF Protectors FT, with the other three goals in that 6-0 win coming from Manvir Singh, Jamie Maclaren and Abhishek Singh Tekcham. Mohun Bagan have qualified for the quarter-finals as Group A winners and will prepare under new head coach Panagiotis Dilmperis.

East Bengal FC, despite the 1-0 derby loss, responded with an 8-0 win over CISF Protectors and a 5-0 victory against South United FC, leaving them with a +12 goal difference and realistic hopes of qualifying as one of the two best runners-up. South United FC, who earlier beat CISF 2-0, were beaten 8-0 by Mohun Bagan and 5-0 by East Bengal and have been eliminated, as have CISF Protectors FT after losses of 2-0, 8-0 and 6-0 in their three group fixtures.

Group B remains unsettled: Indian Army FT recorded back-to-back wins, beating Samaleswari Sporting 1-0 and Baghpat FC 4-0, but must beat Mohammedan SC in their final group match to confirm progression. Samaleswari Sporting — making a debut appearance — lost their opening game to Indian Army 1-0 but then beat Baghpat FC 4-1 and Mohammedan SC 3-2 to sit on six points at the top of Group B. Mohammedan SC opened with a 4-0 win over Baghpat but lost 4-3 to Samaleswari; Baghpat FC, another debutant, lost all group matches and have been eliminated.

Sporting/SC Delhi topped Group C with nine points and 16 goals after successive wins, including a 7-1 victory over Indian Air Force FT at Birsa Munda Stadium, Ranchi on Monday evening, August 10, 2026, and a 7-0 win over Sri Lankan side Defenders FC. Jamshedpur FC had beaten Defenders FC 5-0 in their opener but lost to SC Delhi and now need a win in their final match to remain in contention. Indian Air Force FT won 2-1 against Defenders FC but were thumped 7-1 by SC Delhi and face a difficult task to qualify; Defenders FC have been eliminated after losing all their matches.

In Group D debutants FC Raengdai qualified for the knockouts after wins over Indian Navy FT (1-0) and Neroca FC (4-3). TRAU FC drew with Neroca, lost to FC Raengdai and then beat Indian Navy FT 2-1 to record their first win of the campaign. Indian Navy FT, who lost 1-0 to FC Raengdai, beat Neroca 2-0 at Imphal on August 5, 2026 but fell 2-1 to TRAU in their final group game and have been eliminated; Neroca FC sit bottom of Group D and have also been eliminated.

Group E featured several debutants and has seen Shillong Lajong FC move clear after a 2-0 win over Nongkseh SS & CC and a 5-0 victory against Mumbay FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong on Saturday evening, August 8, 2026. Langsning FC beat Mumbay 5-0 and drew 2-2 with Nongkseh SS & CC; Nongkseh had drawn 2-2 with Langsning on August 6, 2026 before finishing their campaign with the 7-0 win over Mumbay but were eliminated. Mumbay FC lost all their group matches and are out of the tournament.

Group F saw defending champions NorthEast United FC progress as group winners with nine points after a 6-0 opening win over Bodoland FC — featuring a hattrick from Alaaeddine Ajaraie — a 4-1 victory over Karbi Anglong Morning Star FC at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati on Saturday evening, August 8, 2026, and a 3-1 win against FC1 of Kashmir at the IGA Stadium, Imphal on Tuesday afternoon, August 11, 2026. Ajaraie scored five goals in the group stage and is noted in the coverage as being in contention for the Golden Boot; the 4-1 win in Guwahati included a brace from Ajaraie and goals from Macarton Nickson and Ethyan Gonzalez. Bodoland FC beat FC1 of Kashmir 3-0 and can still qualify as one of the two best runners-up if they secure a large-margin win in their final match; FC1, despite an opening 2-1 win over Karbi Anglong, lost their remaining fixtures and have been eliminated. Karbi Anglong Morning Star FC have been eliminated and will face Bodoland FC on August 13, 2026 at the IGA Stadium, Guwahati at 4 PM (IST).

With group-stage action completed for several sections, Mohun Bagan Super Giant (Group A), Sporting/SC Delhi (Group C), FC Raengdai (Group D) and NorthEast United FC (Group F) have confirmed quarter-final places as group toppers; other groups will determine the remaining qualifiers and the two best runners-up to complete the knockout lineup.