Durand Cup

The Durand Cup is an annual football competition in India which was first held in 1888 in Annadale, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. Hosted by the Durand Football Tournament Society (DFTS) and the All India Football Federation (AIFF), it is the oldest existing club football tournament in Asia and the fifth oldest national football competition in the world. The tournament currently serves as the curtain raiser for every Indian football season. It is open for any national club, with guest invitee teams from different sections of the Indian Armed Forces, keeping the century long tradition intact. Since the inception of the Federation Cup, it became merely an exhibition tournament with invitational participations. However, from 2022 all the Indian Super League and majority of the I-League clubs participate. The tournament indicates the beginning of an Indian football season across all divisions. The premier domestic cup status and the AFC Champions League Two spot belong to the Super Cup. The tournament is named after its founder Henry Mortimer Durand, the foreign secretary of the British Raj from 1884 to 1894. It first began as a football tournament for different departments and regiments of the armed forces of India and the princely states. Since the independence, the army's presence is maintained by the participation of different regiments as guest invitees. Army Green became the latest army team to win the competition in 2016.