East Bengal v Mohun Bagan: Durand Cup 2026 final preview and team news
The Durand Cup 2026 final will be contested by East Bengal and Mohun Bagan at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Sunday, 23 August 2026, in a repeat of the tournament’s opening fixture between the two clubs.
East Bengal reached the final in Antonio Habas’s first tournament in charge after overcoming difficult spells in recent weeks, and the Spanish coach has signalled an intent to avenge the opening-game defeat to Mohun Bagan. Habas has asked his players to defend compactly and to be brave and decisive on transitions, while PV Vishnu, Nacho Monsalve and Danish Farooq are injury doubts who are likely to miss the final.
Mohun Bagan have navigated the knockout rounds under Panagiotis Dilmperis, advancing through their last two matches via penalty shootouts, and the Greek coach will want his side to be more clinical in front of goal than they have been recently. A win would add another derby success for the Mariners and represent silverware for Panagiotis’s tenure; a defeat would be a heavy blow after their knockout-stage resilience.
On historical head-to-heads, East Bengal have 144 wins to Mohun Bagan’s 135; the sides are expected to line up as follows: Prabhsukhan Gill (GK), Hardik Bhatt, Anwar Ali, Sandip Mandi, Jay Gupta, Mohamad Basim Rashid, Jeakson Singh, Dani Ramirez, Bipin Singh, Chris Ikonomidis, Jesin TK for East Bengal; Vishal Kaith (GK), Abhishek Singh, Rahul Bheke, Alberto Rodriguez, Subhasish Bose, Lalengmawia Ralte, Samir Zeljkovic, Sahal Abdul Samad, Manvir Singh, Liston Colaco, Jamie Maclaren for Mohun Bagan.
Dani Ramirez has been noted as a creative addition for East Bengal, raising unpredictability in the final third but having produced only one goal in the competition so far; the Spaniard is expected to be asked for stronger positional play, better final balls and more clinical finishing in the final. Sahal Abdul Samad has been Mohun Bagan’s standout Indian scorer with five goals in five appearances, including the group-stage winner against East Bengal and strikes against Jamshedpur FC and CISF Protectors, and will be relied upon to sustain his threat and convert chances.
The 2026 Durand Cup final between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan will take place on Sunday, 23 August 2026 at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata. The match will kick off at 5 PM IST and will be shown live on Sony Ten 2 and available to live-stream on Sony LIV.