Durand Cup semi: Mohun Bagan SG to meet defending champions NorthEast United in Shillong
NorthEast United FC and Mohun Bagan SG will contest the second semifinal of the 2026 Durand Cup at the Jawaharlal Nehru (JLN) Stadium in Shillong on 20 August (2026) with a 7 pm kick-off, and NorthEast United enter as the competition's defending champions after winning the last two editions. The match pairs two Indian Super League rivals who have met frequently since Mohun Bagan SG joined the ISL in the 2020-21 season.
The Durand Cup has served as the curtain-raiser for the 2026-27 Indian Football season, and these sides' meetings have mostly occurred in the ISL, including playoff ties. Mohun Bagan SG have won the Durand Cup 17 times overall and last lifted the trophy in 2023 when they defeated East Bengal, ending a 23-year gap since their previous title. This will be only the second Durand Cup meeting between the two clubs; their first clash in the competition came in the 2024 final.
NorthEast United have won all four of their matches heading into the semifinal. In the 2026 group stage they defeated Bodoland, Morning Star and FC1, scoring 13 goals and conceding two in those three games, and then progressed with a 5-2 quarterfinal victory over Shillong Lajong in which Alaaeddine Ajaairaie scored a hat-trick and Ethyan Gonzalez and Jithin MS also found the net after the Highlanders trailed 2-1 before the end of the first half.
Mohun Bagan also won all three of their group matches in the 2026 Durand Cup, beating East Bengal in the tournament opener and recording high-scoring victories over South United and CISF Protectors to finish the group stage top with 15 goals scored and zero conceded. Their quarterfinal against Jamshedpur FC saw Sahal Abdul Samad score early before Jamshedpur forced a penalty shoot-out, which Mohun Bagan won to reach the semifinal.
The two teams' wider head-to-head history dates back to the 2020-21 ISL season: their first meeting was on 3 January (2021) when Mohun Bagan won 2-0, the Highlanders took the second match that campaign, and Mohun Bagan prevailed 3-2 on aggregate in the 2020-21 ISL playoffs. The only Durand Cup meeting prior to this tie was the 2024 final, where Mohun Bagan led 2-0 before NorthEast United recovered to 2-2 and won on penalties.
Recent statistical context: Liston Colaco has scored five goals against NorthEast United while playing for Mohun Bagan; over the last five meetings between the sides Mohun Bagan have won four and NorthEast United's sole victory in that span was the 2024 Durand Cup final. Their most recent encounter before this semifinal took place in the 2025-26 ISL season, a 1-0 win for Mohun Bagan at the Indira Gandhi Athletic (IGA) Stadium (Guwahati). Total matches played – 13; NorthEast United wins – 2; Mohun Bagan wins – 10.
The winner in Shillong on 20 August (2026) will advance to the Durand Cup final; the fixture kicks off at 7 pm at the Jawaharlal Nehru (JLN) Stadium in Shillong.