Durand Cup 2026: SC Delhi 7-1 Indian Air Force — updated group standings
Sporting Club Delhi defeated Indian Air Force Football Team 7-1 at the Birsa Munda Stadium in Ranchi on Monday evening, August 10, 2026, and sealed top spot in Group C with nine points and 16 goals. Mohun Bagan Super Giant also qualified for the quarter-finals as Group A winners after a 6-0 victory over CISF Protectors at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan on the same day, finishing their group campaign with nine points and 15 goals.
The 135th Durand Cup began on July 25, 2026, and is scheduled to conclude with the final on August 23, 2026; the tournament features 24 teams, including two foreign sides, across five host cities and six venues. The five host cities are Kolkata, Ranchi, Guwahati, Imphal and Shillong, with matches staged at 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; Ranchi is hosting for the first time.
Mohun Bagan SG opened their campaign with a 1-0 win over East Bengal FC, followed by an 8-0 victory against South United FC at the Salt Lake Stadium and Monday’s 6-0 win over CISF. Manvir Singh scored a hat-trick against South United, Sahal Abdul Samad recorded a hat-trick against CISF, and the other three goals across matches were attributed to Manvir Singh, Jamie Maclaren and Abhishek Singh Tekcham; the club names Panagiotis Dilmperis as their new head coach.
East Bengal lost the Kolkata Derby 1-0 to Mohun Bagan before beating CISF 8-0 and South United 5-0, leaving them with a +12 goal difference and ongoing hopes of qualifying as one of the two best runners-up. South United beat CISF 2-0 in their first match but then lost 8-0 to Mohun Bagan and 5-0 to East Bengal and have been eliminated. CISF Protectors were beaten 2-0, 8-0 and 6-0 in Group A and are also out of the competition.
In Group B, Indian Army FT recorded successive wins — 1-0 over Samaleswari Sporting and 4-0 against Baghpat FC — and must beat Mohammedan SC in their final group game to confirm progression. Samaleswari Sporting, making their Durand Cup debut, lost their opener to Indian Army 1-0 but then beat Baghpat 4-1 and Mohammedan SC 3-2 to sit on six points and top the group as things stand. Mohammedan SC beat Baghpat 4-0 before losing 4-3 to Samaleswari, while Baghpat FC lost all their group matches and have been eliminated.
Sporting Club Delhi, competing on their Durand Cup debut, followed a first-match win over Jamshedpur FC and a 7-0 result against Defenders FC with Monday’s 7-1 victory over Indian Air Force to finish Group C with nine points and 16 goals. Jamshedpur had beaten Defenders FC 5-0 but lost to SC Delhi and must win their final group match to remain in contention; Indian Air Force beat Defenders 2-1 but fell 7-1 to SC Delhi and can still qualify as one of the two best runners-up if they defeat Jamshedpur comprehensively. Defenders FC lost all their group matches and are eliminated.
Debutants FC Raengdai qualified from Group D after winning 1-0 against Indian Navy FT and 4-3 against Neroca FC on their first appearance in the competition. TRAU FC drew with Neroca, lost to FC Raengdai and then beat Indian Navy 2-1 to end their campaign on a win; Indian Navy lost 1-0 to FC Raengdai, beat Neroca 2-0 on August 5, 2026, and then lost 2-1 to TRAU, resulting in elimination. Neroca FC drew with TRAU and were beaten 2-0 by Indian Navy on August 5, 2026, leaving them bottom of Group D and eliminated; they will play only for pride in their final fixture against FC Raengdai.
Shillong Lajong FC opened Group E with a 2-0 win over Nongkseh SS & CC and followed that with a 5-0 victory over Mumbay FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Shillong on Saturday evening, August 8, 2026, putting them close to securing progression. Langsning FC beat Mumbay FC 5-0 and drew 2-2 with Nongkseh, and must win their last match to advance. Nongkseh, the Meghalaya Premier League champions, drew 2-2 with Langsning and are eliminated, while Mumbay FC — whose squad includes Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff — lost both opening matches 5-0 and have been eliminated; they will play for pride against Nongkseh in their final fixture.
Defending champions NorthEast United FC topped Group F after a 6-0 win over Bodoland FC and a 4-1 victory over Karbi Anglong Morning Star FC at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati on August 8, 2026. Alaaeddine Ajaraie scored a hat-trick in the first match and a brace in the second to total five goals, with Macarton Nickson and Ethyan Gonzalez contributing the other goals in the 4-1 game; NorthEast United have qualified for the quarter-finals. Bodoland recovered from the 6-0 defeat to beat FC1 of Kashmir 3-0 and FC1 had earlier beaten Karbi Anglong 2-1 before losing 3-0 to Bodoland; Karbi Anglong have been eliminated and will meet Bodoland FC on August 13, 2026, at the IGA Stadium, Guwahati at 4:00 PM (IST).
As of August 10, 2026, Mohun Bagan Super Giant (Group A), Sporting Club Delhi (Group C), FC Raengdai (Group D) and NorthEast United FC (Group F) have confirmed quarter-final places; decisive remaining fixtures include Indian Army FT needing a win over Mohammedan SC to confirm their spot, Jamshedpur FC requiring victory in their final group match to stay alive, Indian Air Force FT needing a comprehensive win over Jamshedpur to keep hopes of qualifying as a best runner-up, and Karbi Anglong versus Bodoland scheduled for August 13, 2026 at 4:00 PM (IST).
