Durand Cup 2026: Langsning and Nongkseh draw 2-2; group tables reshuffled after Aug 6 fixtures

Langsning FC and Nongkseh SS & CC played to a 2-2 draw in a Group E match of the Durand Cup 2026 on August 6, 2026, while Bodoland FC recovered from an opening defeat to beat FC1 of Kashmir 3-0.

The 135th 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 a final on August 23, 2026. The tournament features 24 teams, including two foreign sides, staged across five host cities — Kolkata, Ranchi, Guwahati, Imphal and Shillong — at six venues: Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Kishore Bharati Krirangan, Birsa Munda Stadium, Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Khuman Lampak Stadium and Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. The competition’s format advances group winners plus the two best runners-up.

Mohun Bagan Super Giant secured top spot in Group A after a 1-0 win over East Bengal in the opening match and an 8-0 victory against South United at the Saltlake stadium, with Manvir Singh scoring a hat-trick, Suhail Bhatt two goals, Alberto Rodriguez and Rahul Bheke one each and one own goal; they have qualified for the quarter-finals as group toppers. East Bengal, under new head coach Antonio Lopez Habas, lost the derby 1-0 but responded with an 8-0 win over CISF Protectors and must beat South United in their final group game to remain in contention for a best runners-up berth. South United beat CISF 2-0 in their opener but then lost 8-0 to Mohun Bagan; CISF have lost both of their group matches.

In Group B, Indian Army FT recorded consecutive wins — 1-0 over Samaleswari Sporting and a 4-0 victory against Baghpat FC on August 5, 2026 at Kishore Bharati Krirangan — and remain in control of their qualification hopes but still need a result against Mohammedan SC to confirm progression. Samaleswari Sporting, after an opening 1-0 loss to Indian Army, beat Baghpat 4-1 and Mohammedan SC 3-2 to finish with six points and top the group for now. Mohammedan SC opened with a 4-0 win over Baghpat before losing 4-3 to Samaleswari; Baghpat have lost all their group matches and are eliminated.

Group C saw ISL-side Sporting Delhi overturn Jamshedpur FC in a second-half comeback in their opening match in Ranchi, while Jamshedpur had earlier beaten Defenders FC 5-0 and now must win their final group match to stay in contention. Indian Air Force FT defeated Defenders FC 2-1 in their first game; Sri Lanka’s Defenders FC have lost both matches and will play their last group fixture for pride.

FC Raengdai have qualified from Group D after back-to-back wins: 1-0 over Indian Navy FT and a 4-3 victory against Neroca FC on their debut; those results secured their place in the knockouts. Indian Navy, beaten 1-0 by FC Raengdai, recovered with a 2-0 win against Neroca FC on August 5, 2026 and still retain a chance to progress if they win their final match. TRAU FC drew with Neroca in their opening game and lost to FC Raengdai; Neroca sit bottom of Group D after the 2-0 loss to Indian Navy.

Group E remains tightly contested among several debutants: Langsning FC opened with a 5-0 win over Mumbay FC before drawing 2-2 with Nongkseh SS & CC on August 6, 2026 and must win their last match to qualify. Nongkseh, the Meghalaya Premier League champions, lost their first game on debut but salvaged a 2-2 draw with two late goals on August 6 and face a steep path to qualification. Shillong Lajong FC beat Nongkseh 2-0 in their opening match; Mumbay FC, whose squad features Bollywood star Tiger Shroff, lost their first game.

In Group F, Bodoland FC bounced back from a 6-0 opening defeat to defending champions NorthEast United FC by defeating FC1 of Kashmir 3-0 and remain in contention for one of the two best runners-up spots if they win their final group match by a large goal margin. FC1 had beaten Karbi Anglong Morning Star FC 2-1 in their opener before the 3-0 loss to Bodoland. NorthEast United began with a 6-0 win over Bodoland in which Alaaeddine Ajaraie scored a hat-trick; the Highlanders are scheduled to face Karbi Anglong Morning Star FC on August 8, 2026 at 7 PM (IST) and FC1 on August 11, 2026 at 4 PM (IST) at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium.

Several groups still require final-day results to determine the remaining qualifiers: Mohun Bagan and FC Raengdai have already secured knockout places, while teams such as East Bengal, Indian Army, Langsning and Bodoland must win their remaining fixtures — some by substantial margins where noted — to advance or keep hopes of qualifying as one of the two best runners-up.