Kolkata : India’s oldest Football tournament, Durand Cup (134th edition) is set to kick start from July 23, 2025 with East Bengal facing South United.
This edition will see most teams participating – 24, with few debutants on the way.
With clouds of uncertainty looming over Indian Super League (ISL) 2025-26 season ,due to conflict between AIFF and FSDL over MRA, few ISL Clubs like FC Goa, Kerala Blasters, Odisha FC, Mumbai City FC, Chennayin FC, Hyderabad FC, Bengaluru FC opted out of the tournament. The clubs informed organisers that they would not participate in Durand Cup 2025 due to delayed pre-season plans and uncertainty surrounding the ISL calendar.
Hence, few new comers and debutants are roped in Durand Cup 2025 to fill in the vacant spots left by the prominent ISL Clubs.
Let’s take a look on some of the debutant teams in Durand Cup 2025 :
(1) South United FC –
South United Football Club, found on August 16, 2012 , is an Indian professional football club based in Bangalore, Karnataka, that competes in the BDFA Super Division. They have also competed in the I-League 2nd Division, then second tier of Indian football league system.
They are champion of Kedari Redekar Football Tournament (2012), South Indian Inter-state Invitational Cup (2015). The Durand 2025 debutant also emerged as runners up in BDFA Super Division in seasons – 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16. The club aim to provide base for footballers in Southern region of India, and emerged as champion in 2022-23 BDFA ‘A’ division season.
(2) Diamond Harbour FC –
Diamond Harbour FC of West Bengal, made headlines after dominant wins in I League 2 and I League 3 in 2024-25 season, thereby, gaining I League promotion.
Diamond Harbour Football Club was approved by the Indian Football Association (IFA) in 2022 to participate in the Calcutta Football League (CFL) First Division, the third tier of the state league structure. Kibu Vicuña, previously associated with Mohun Bagan and Kerala Blasters, was appointed as the club’s first head coach. They’ll now make debut in Durand Cup 2025.
(3) 1 Ladakh FC –
1 Ladakh Football Club, found in 2023 is an Indian professional football club based in Leh, Ladakh. The club last competed in Ladakh Super League, one of the Indian state leagues & also national youth leagues. It is the first professional club from the state of Ladakh. The principal of the club is to be an club in India that plays for awareness on climate change. In the Himalayan ranges of Ladakh, the club plays their home matches at 11,000 feet above sea level in Astro Turf Football Stadium. The club organises Ladakh Climate Cup a preseason competition with invitational clubs from different parts of India for climate awareness where the winners are awarded with wooden-made trophy. The Club will be one of the initial clubs to make debut in Durand Cup 2025.
(4) Namdhari FC –
Namdhari Football Club, found in 2018 is an Indian professional football club based in Bhaini Sahib, Punjab. Part of the multi-sports Namdhari Sports Academy, it competes in the Punjab State Super League, I League. They’re 2023-24 Punjab State Super Football League Champion. In the 2024–25 season, the club ended their league campaign in seventh place.
(5) Karbi Anglong Morning Star FC –
Karbi Anglong Morning Star Football Club, simply referred to as Morning Star FC, is an Indian professional football club based in Diphu, Assam that competes in the Assam State Premier League.Karbi Anglong Morning Star represents two districts of Assam, consisting of Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong. They’re Assam Star Premier League 2023-24 champion.
The club was founded in 2008 with the vision of elevating the standard of football in the region and providing a platform for local talent. The club’s inception was driven by a group of passionate football enthusiasts and local sports officials who recognized the need for a professional football identity in Karbi Anglong. In its initial years, the club focused on building a competitive squad and fostering local talent, participating in various regional competitions.
They secured promotion to the I-League 2025-26, becoming the only club from the state to do so. The team is also set to participate in the prestigious 134th Indian Oil Durand Cup, one of Asia’s oldest and most revered football tournaments.
