Durand Cup 2026 trophies unveiled by President Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan

Durand Cup 2026 trophies were unveiled and flagged off by President Droupadi Murmu at a function held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre on Tuesday.

The ceremony brought the Durand Cup, the President's Cup and the Shimla Trophy together on one stage. Service chiefs from the Army, Navy and Air Force stood alongside the President as the silverware was formally sent off for the tournament, organised by the Indian Army on behalf of the three Services since the Durand Football Tournament Society was set up in 1947. The President congratulated past and present officials and players associated with the tournament, saying it has provided a platform for numerous talented footballers over the decades.

Durand Cup 2026 trophies head out with new teams aboard

The President said new teams would compete this year for the Durand Cup, the President's Cup and the Shimla Trophy, including a side from Sri Lanka. She expressed confidence this would make the historic competition even more popular and conveyed her best wishes to all participating teams and players.

The field for the 135th edition runs to 24 sides. They are drawn from the Indian Super League, the I-League, I-League 2, the Armed Forces and the Sri Lankan club Defenders FC, and split into six groups for the round robin stage that opens the tournament. Matches are scheduled across five cities, Kolkata, Ranchi, Imphal, Shillong and Guwahati, from July 25.

A long road to a bigger stage

Turning to the game itself, the President said football is one of the most popular sports in the world, a unique example of excellence, unity and sportsmanship. She pointed to the ongoing FIFA World Cup, where the world's best teams and players are competing to lift the prestige of football in their respective nations, drawing fans across the globe who appreciate their performances and are inspired by them. India, she said, still has a long journey ahead to establish a presence on the global football stage, and she expressed hope that tournaments of this kind would help nurture the talent needed to close that gap.

Three trophies, one tournament

The Durand Cup carries a unique format among Indian sporting trophies. The winning side lifts three pieces of silverware together, the Durand Cup itself, the Shimla Trophy donated by the residents of Shimla in 1904, and the President's Cup, which has been presented by the head of state since Dr Rajendra Prasad first handed it over in 1950.

Durand Cup 2026 and the Viksit Bharat message

The President said sporting spirit carries lessons beyond the field, among them equality, cooperation and the ability to stay steadfast in adverse circumstances. She linked these to the government's target of transforming India into a developed nation, or Viksit Bharat, by 2047, saying citizens standing united, in the way footballers support each other on the way to victory, would help the country reach that goal.

The framing echoes language the Ministry of Defence has used around Aatmanirbhar Bharat in the defence manufacturing space, applied here to sport and citizenship rather than to weapons or platforms.

A tournament with roots in the cantonments

First played in 1888 at Annandale in Shimla, the Durand Cup is recognised as Asia's oldest football tournament. It began as a competition for British Indian Army regiments before civilian clubs were admitted in 1940, and the original trophy was rediscovered in the office of Commander in Chief Claude Auchinleck amid the disorder following Partition.

The tournament has been based in Kolkata under the Eastern Command since 2019, and this year carries the tagline Many Champions, One Legacy. The Durand Cup 2026 trophies now begin a tour of the host cities. Rashtrapati Bhavan did not name the officers who accompanied the President.