East Bengal will take on debutant South United FC in the lung opener of the 134th edition of the Durand Cup at the Salt Lake Stadium here on Wednesday. The organisers of Asia’s oldest football tournament have arranged a grand opening ceremony, which will be attended by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
The tournament has been limited by the absence of the majority of the teams from the Indian Super League (ISL), who have apparently pulled out owing to the uncertainty surrounding the start of the country’s top league this season.
However, six ISL sides, including the three from Kolkata — Mohun Bagan Super Giant, Mohammedan Sporting SC, apart from East Bengal, have confirmed their participation in the 24-team tournament. The three other ISL teams in the fray are NorthEast United FC, Jamshedpur FC and Punjab FC, who have been placed in different groups.
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The rest of the field is filled by teams from I-League and I-League 2, in addition to Services and Paramilitary forces. Tribhuvan Army FC of Nepal and a combined side of the Malaysian Armed Forces are the two foreign entries completing the league stage, which will see the 24 teams divided into six groups.
The league matches will be played in five cities — Kolkata (two groups), Jamshedpur, Shillong, Kokrajhar and Imphal — from where eight teams (six group winners and two best runners-up) will qualify for the quarterfinals.
