East Bengal to face Indian Army FT in Durand Cup quarterfinal in Kolkata on August 16
East Bengal will meet Indian Army FT in the second quarterfinal of the 2026 Durand Cup at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK), Kolkata on Sunday, 16 August 2026, with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 PM IST. The winner will advance to the semifinals in this knockout fixture.
East Bengal reached the last eight after a 1-0 opening loss to Mohun Bagan Super Giant was followed by 8-0 and 5-0 victories over CISF Protectors Football Team and South United FC respectively, leaving them with a +12 goal difference and qualification as one of the best second-placed teams from Group A. Indian Army FT topped Group B with nine points from three wins: 1-0 over Samaleswari Sporting, 4-0 versus Baghpat FC and 2-1 against Mohammedan SC.
East Bengal enter the tie under new head coach Antonio Lopez Habas on the back of a 4-1 win over Kuwaiti club Al-Arabi SC in the AFC Champions League Two qualifier, a match in which they completed a second-half extra-time comeback to secure a place in the ACL Two group stage and, according to the source, became the only Indian club to qualify for that group stage this year. The club has also combined defensive discipline with attacking output in the Durand Cup, scoring 13 goals in three group games with contributions from PV Vishnu, Edmund Lalrindika, Jesin TK, Bipin Singh, Jay Gupta, Hardik Bhatt and David Lalhlansanga.
Indian Army FT arrive unbeaten through the group phase and will rely on the form of midfielder P. Christopher Kamei, who has scored two goals in the tournament, including a free-kick against Samaleswari Sporting and another goal against Mohammedan SC. The Indian Army side’s path to the quarterfinals featured consistent results and the team will seek to convert chances and maintain defensive compactness in Kolkata, per the preview.
Squad availability for East Bengal is mixed: new Spanish defender Nacho Monsalve is injured and will miss the match, Mohammed Rashid has a slight cramp but is fit to play, while Boris Singh and Danish Farooq are recovering from respective injuries. The preview states Indian Army FT should have a fully fit unit available for the fixture.
The two clubs have met once before in the Durand Cup era mentioned in the source: East Bengal beat Army XI 3-0 in the 2002-2003 Durand Cup final at Ambedkar Stadium, Delhi on 10 January 2003 to claim their 15th title; the head-to-head record noted in the preview lists East Bengal wins 1, Indian Army FT wins 0.
Projected starting lineups supplied in the preview list East Bengal as: Prabhsukhan Singh Gill (GK), Hardik Bhatt, Jay Gupta, Anwar Ali, Sandip Mandi, Mohammed Rashid, Dani Ramirez, Jeakson Singh, Edmund Lalrindika, Bipin Singh, PV Vishnu. Indian Army FT are listed as: Bhabindra Malla Thakuri (GK), Pardeep Singh, Sunil B, Shafeel PP, Abhishek Shankar, Saikhom Borish Singh, Lethaolen Khongsai, Shubham Rana, Chabin Rabha, Samir Murmu, P. Christopher Kamei.
The quarterfinal will be played on Sunday, 16 August at the Salt Lake Stadium (VYBK) in Kolkata and is a knockout tie for a place in the Durand Cup semifinals; the match will be broadcast live on Sony Ten 2 and streamed on Sony LIV.