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

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.

Durand Cup 2025
Durand Cup 2025
Shashwat Nishant New Delhi
7 min read Last Updated : Aug 23 2025 | 8:47 PM IST
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.
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Topics :Football News

First Published: Aug 23 2025 | 8:46 PM IST

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