Durand Cup winners list: Which team won most titles in 137-year history?

The Durand Cup is an iconic football tournament held annually in India, featuring participation from professional clubs and teams representing various branches of the armed forces. As Asia’s oldest football competition and the third oldest in the world, the Durand Cup holds a distinguished place in global football history.

 

Organisers and Legacy

 

Jointly administered by the Durand Football Tournament Society (DFTS) and the All India Football Federation (AIFF), the tournament serves as the traditional curtain-raiser to India’s football season. Its origins trace back to 1888, when Sir Henry Mortimer Durand, the then Foreign Secretary of British India, established the tournament.

 

Spanning more than a century, the Durand Cup’s legacy is broadly categorized into pre-independence and post-independence eras, reflecting its evolution alongside Indian football.

 

Early Years: The Pre-Independence Era

 

During its formative years, the competition was primarily contested by British and Indian military forces, including the British Army, Indian Army, frontier-security regiments, and volunteer battalions.

 

The first champions were the Royal Scots Fusiliers, who defeated Highland Light Infantry 2-1 in the inaugural final.

 

Highland Light Infantry, in turn, won the second edition and later tied with Black Watch, the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, for the most titles in the pre-independence era. Both regiments claimed the trophy five times each before 1947.

 

Indian Teams Break Through

 

The dominance of military teams began to wane in 1940 when Mohammedan Sporting etched their name in history as the first Indian civilian club to win the title. They triumphed 2-1 over the Royal Warwickshire Regiment and were also the last winners before the tournament was paused due to World War II and the Partition of India.

 

A New Era: Post-Independence Achievements

 

The tournament resumed in 1950, marking a new chapter in independent India’s football journey. That year, Hyderabad City Police lifted the trophy after beating Mohun Bagan in the final.

 

Hyderabad City Police went on to win again in 1954 and 1957, and later in 1961 under a new identity – Andhra Pradesh Police.

 

Another team to achieve this rare feat of winning under two different names is Mahindra United, who clinched the title in 1998 as Mahindra and Mahindra, and again in 2001 and 2008 under their current name. 

 

Durand Cup champions - full list
Year	Winner	Runners-up
1888	Royal Scots Fusiliers	Highland Light Infantry
1889	Highland Light Infantry	Shimla Rifles (2nd Punjab Volunteer Rifle Corps)
1890	Highland Light Infantry	Royal Irish Fusiliers
1891	King’s Own Scottish Borderers	East Lancashire Regiment
1892	King’s Own Scottish Borderers	Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
1893	Highland Light Infantry	Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
1894	Highland Light Infantry	Royal Scots Fusiliers
1895	Highland Light Infantry	Somerset Light Infantry
1896	Somerset Light Infantry	Black Watch
1897	Black Watch	Shimla Rifles
1898	Black Watch	North Staffordshire Regiment
1899	Black Watch	Yorkshire Regiment
1900	South Wales Borderers	East Lancashire Regiment
1901	South Wales Borderers	South Staffordshire Regiment
1902	Hampshire Regiment	East Lancashire Regiment
1903	Royal Irish Rifles	Queen’s Regiment
1904	North Staffordshire Regiment	Black Watch
1905	Royal Dragoons	Dorsetshire Regiment
1906	Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)	Bedfordshire Regiment
1907	Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)	Royal Welch Fusiliers
1908	Lancashire Fusiliers	Royal Irish Rifles
1909	Lancashire Fusiliers	King’s Regiment
1910	Royal Scots	King’s Royal Rifle Corps
1911	Black Watch	Lancashire Fusiliers
1912	Royal Scots	Lancashire Fusiliers
1913	Lancashire Fusiliers	King’s Royal Rifle Corps
1920	Black Watch	Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
1921	Worcestershire Regiment	Royal Fusiliers
1922	Lancashire Fusiliers	Royal Field Artillery
1923	Cheshire Regiment	Essex Regiment
1924	Worcestershire Regiment	Essex Regiment
1925	Sherwood Foresters	Worcestershire Regiment
1926	Durham Light Infantry	Sherwood Foresters
1927	York and Lancaster Regiment	Eastern Railway SC
1928	Sherwood Foresters	York and Lancaster Regiment
1929	York and Lancaster Regiment	East Yorkshire Regiment
1930	York and Lancaster Regiment	Royal Leicestershire Regiment
1931	Devonshire Regiment	Border Regiment
1932	King’s Shropshire Light Infantry	Devonshire Regiment
1933	King’s Shropshire Light Infantry	Royal Leicestershire Regiment
1934	Royal Corps of Signals	Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
1935	Border Regiment	Royal Norfolk Regiment
1936	Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders	Green Howards
1937	Border Regiment	Royal Scots
1938	South Wales Borderers	Border Regiment
1940	Mohammedan Sporting Club	Royal Warwickshire Regiment
1950	Hyderabad City Police	Mohun Bagan
1951	East Bengal	Rajasthan Armed Constabulary
1952	East Bengal	Hyderabad City Police
1953	Mohun Bagan	National Defence Academy
1954	Hyderabad City Police	Hindustan Aircraft Limited
1955	Madras Regimental Centre	Indian Air Force
1956	East Bengal	Hyderabad City Police
1957	Hyderabad City Police	East Bengal
1958	Madras Regimental Centre	Gorkha Brigade
1959	Mohun Bagan	Mohammedan SC
1960	Mohun Bagan & East Bengal	Joint (a.e.t. draw)
1961	Andhra Pradesh Police	Mohun Bagan
1963	Mohun Bagan	Andhra Pradesh Police
1964	Mohun Bagan	East Bengal
1965	Mohun Bagan	Punjab Police
1966	Gorkha Brigade	Sikh Regimental Centre
1967	East Bengal	Bengal Nagpur Railway
1968	Border Security Force	East Bengal
1969	Gorkha Brigade	Border Security Force
1970	East Bengal	Mohun Bagan
1971	Border Security Force	Leaders Club
1972	East Bengal	Mohun Bagan
1973	Border Security Force	Rajasthan Armed Constabulary
1974	Mohun Bagan	JCT
1975	Border Security Force	JCT
1976	Border Security Force & JCT	Joint (A.E.T draw)
1977	Mohun Bagan	JCT
1978	East Bengal	Mohun Bagan
1979	Mohun Bagan	Punjab Police
1980	Mohun Bagan	Mohammedan SC
1981	Border Security Force	JCT
1982	Mohun Bagan & East Bengal	Joint (A.E.T draw)
1983	JCT	Mohun Bagan
1984	Mohun Bagan	East Bengal
1985	Mohun Bagan	JCT
1986	Mohun Bagan	East Bengal
1987	JCT	Mohun Bagan
1988	Border Security Force	East Bengal
1989	East Bengal	Mohun Bagan
1990	East Bengal	Mahindra & Mahindra
1991	East Bengal	Border Security Force
1992	JCT	Mohammedan SC
1993	East Bengal	Punjab State Electricity Board
1994	Mohun Bagan	East Bengal
1995	East Bengal	Tata Football Academy
1996	JCT	Al-Naft
1997	Kochin	Mohun Bagan
1998	Mahindra United	East Bengal
1999	Salgaocar	East Bengal
2000	Mohun Bagan	Mahindra United
2001	Mahindra United	Churchill Brothers
2002	East Bengal	Army XI
2003	Salgaocar	East Bengal
2004	East Bengal	Mohun Bagan
2005	Army XI	Sporting Goa
2006	Dempo	JCT
2007	Churchill Brothers	Mahindra United
2008	Mahindra United	Churchill Brothers
2009	Churchill Brothers	Mohun Bagan
2010	United SC (Prayag United)	JCT
2011	Churchill Brothers	Prayag United
2012	Air India	Dodsal FC
2013	Mohammedan SC	ONGC
2014	Salgaocar FC	Pune FC
2016	Army Green	NEROCA FC
2019	Gokulam Kerala	Mohun Bagan
2021	FC Goa	Mohammedan SC
2022	Bengaluru FC	Mumbai City FC
2023	Mohun Bagan Super Giant	East Bengal
2024	NorthEast United FC	Mohun Bagan Super Giant
2025	NorthEast United FC	Diamond Harbour FC

 

Overall Champions and Club Achievements

 

Throughout its rich history, the Durand Cup has seen 44 unique champions, 24 from the pre-independence era and 20 since 1950.

 

Most Successful Clubs

 

Mohun Bagan stands tall as the most successful side with 17 titles, followed closely by arch-rivals East Bengal, who have won 16 times.

 

These two Kolkata giants also top the list for the most appearances in finals, with Mohun Bagan reaching 31 finals (including 14 runner-up finishes) and East Bengal making 27 appearances (with 11 as runners-up).

 

Historic Hat-Tricks

 

Mohun Bagan holds the distinction of winning three consecutive titles twice, first from 1963 to 1965, and again from 1984 to 1986.

 

East Bengal matched the feat with their own hat-trick of wins between 1989 and 1991.

 

Undefeated in Finals

 

Among notable records, Salgaocar FC is the only club to have never lost a Durand Cup final, securing victories in 1999, 2003, and 2014.

 

Recent Champions

 

The current champions, NorthEast United FC, have made history by securing back-to-back Durand Cup titles in 2024 and 2025, beating Diamond Harbour 6-1 in the final and cementing their place among the modern elite of Indian football.

 

With more than 130 years of history, the Durand Cup is not just a football tournament but a symbol of tradition, transition, and triumph in Indian sports. From colonial military contests to becoming a battleground for India’s top football clubs, the Durand Cup continues to shape and celebrate the legacy of Indian football.