East Bengal's Durand Cup quarter-final record ahead of Indian Army tie on August 16
East Bengal FC will face Indian Army in a quarter-final of the 135th Durand Cup at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK) on Sunday, 16 August 2026 with kickoff scheduled for 19:00 IST. The Moshal Brigade, playing at home, will contest the tie for a place in the competition’s semifinals.
East Bengal first featured in Durand Cup quarter-finals in 1951 against Kalighat and won the title that year after beating Rajasthan Club 2-1. According to available records, East Bengal FC have played around 38 Durand Cup quarter-final games, recording 23 wins, 7 draws and 8 losses, though the records for several seasons are incomplete and another count in the available material cites 45 fixtures with 23 victories. The club is noted in the material as holding the second-most Durand Cup titles after Mohun Bagan.
The club’s early Durand Cup history in the 1950s included successive successes: the material states they beat Eastern India Railway in 1952 and secured back-to-back titles through 1953. Available records list wins over National Defence Academy and Caltex Club in 1956 and a victory over Madras Regimental Centre in 1960 as part of their mid-century run.
The sourced text also records victories against Hyderabad City Police and Mohun Bagan in connection with title seasons around 1956 and 1960. East Bengal were knocked out by Delhi Garrison and EME Centre in the 1965 and 1966 seasons, then returned to win the Durand Cup in 1967 with a victory over Madras Regimental Centre.
The material summarises East Bengal’s 2000–2009 Durand Cup period as mixed, noting the club still won the trophy twice during that decade. Recent quarter-final progressions cited include wins over Gokulam in 2023, an edge past Shillong Lajong FC in 2024, and a Kolkata Derby quarter-final triumph over Mohun Bagan in 2025.
The 2025 Durand Cup quarter-final win over Mohun Bagan is detailed in the material as a 2-1 victory powered by Diamantakos’s brace at the 38th minute and 52nd minute. The text also records that East Bengal are the ISL champions, that they posted a commanding win over Al-Arabi SC in their ACL Two Preliminary Round game, that head coach Oscar Bruzon departed, and that Antonio Lopez Habas has arrived as coach.
The quarter-final at VYBK on Sunday, 16 August 2026 (kickoff 19:00 IST) will decide which side moves into the 135th Durand Cup semifinals.
