Anuj tripathi 111 at 16:14, 9 February 2026

2026-02-09T16:14:57Z

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{{Short description|none}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{sport overview
| title = Football in West Bengal
| image = Salt Lake Stadium ( Yuba Bharati Krirangan ) Kolkata India - FC Bayern Munich Mohun Bagan Oliver Kahn 1.jpg
| image_size = 270px
| caption = Indian crowd during the match between [[FC Bayern Munich]] and [[Mohun Bagan Super Giant|Mohun Bagan]], May 27, 2008
| union = [[Indian Football Association]] (IFA) <br /> (formed in 1893)<ref>{{cite web |first=Arjun |last=Wadwha |url=http://www.thesportscampus.com/200805197/introduction-to-football/history-indian-football |title=History of Football in India |website=thesportscampus.com |publisher=TheSportsCampus |date=19 May 2008 |access-date=15 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120825015957/http://www.thesportscampus.com/200805197/introduction-to-football/history-indian-football |archive-date=2012-08-25 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| match = 131,781 <br /> ([[East Bengal 4–1 Mohun Bagan|1997 Federation Cup Semifinal: East Bengal F.C. VS Mohun Bagan A.C.]] at [[Salt Lake Stadium]], 1997)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://inbedwithmaradona.com/journal/2013/7/22/6phssedqppiaxjndh9sxxm3jph49r7|title=Mohun Bagan and East Bengal: A derby to remember|access-date=5 December 2015|website=inbedwithmaradona.com|date=24 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204124327/http://inbedwithmaradona.com/journal/2013/7/22/6phssedqppiaxjndh9sxxm3jph49r7|archive-date=4 February 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
}}

[[Association football]] is one of the two most-popular sports in '''[[West Bengal]]''', the other being [[cricket]].<ref name="Football Passion West Bengal">{{cite web|title=Football - the passion play in West Bengal|url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/football--the-passion-play-in-kolkata/211371-55.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111155154/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/football--the-passion-play-in-kolkata/211371-55.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 January 2012|website=IBN Live|access-date=11 August 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.indianlink.com.au/travel/the-city-of-wonders/ |date=2010 |first1=Sandip |last1=Hor |website=indianlink.com.au |title=Indian Link — The City of Wonders |access-date=28 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130404061736/http://www.indianlink.com.au/travel/the-city-of-wonders/ |archive-date=4 April 2013 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref> [[East Bengal FC|East Bengal]], [[Mohun Bagan Super Giant|Mohun Bagan]] and [[Mohammedan S.C. (Kolkata)|Mohammedan]] are the heart of [[West Bengal]] football. The rivalry between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, originating from the [[Calcutta Football League]] as the [[Kolkata derby]], is one of the fiercest in the world and considered among the flagship events in the [[football in India|Indian footballing calendar]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lifestyle.livemint.com/news/talking-point/how-football-kicked-off-in-india-111645287939737.html|title=How football kicked off in India {{!}} As with the English language, when the British transported the sport to India, they didn't expect the 'natives' to beat them at it|website=lifestyle.livemint.com|publisher=[[Mint (newspaper)|Livemint Delhi]]|date=8 June 2018|access-date=27 January 2022|first=Manu S|last=Pillai|location=Delhi, India|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220714153151/https://lifestyle.livemint.com/news/talking-point/how-football-kicked-off-in-india-111645287939737.html|archive-date=14 July 2022}}</ref> West Bengal is known to be the ''[[Mecca]] of Indian football'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ekolkata24.com/sports-news/durand-cup-final-between-mohammedan-sporting-versus-fc-goa/?amp=1|title=Durand Cup: 'জান জান মহামেডান', ফুটবল মক্কা চাইছে রেশমি কাবাবের সৌরভ|website=ekolkata24.com|date=2 October 2021|access-date=2 March 2022|language=bn|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220302125336/https://ekolkata24.com/sports-news/durand-cup-final-between-mohammedan-sporting-versus-fc-goa/?amp=1|archive-date=2 March 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Majumdar, Boria |first=Bandyopadhyay, Kausik |date=1 February 2006 |title=Goalless: The Story of a Unique Footballing Nation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i55oAAAACAAJ |location=[[New Delhi]] |publisher=[[Penguin Books|Penguin India]] |isbn=9780670058747 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220408140616/https://books.google.co.in/books/about/Goalless_the_Story_of_a_Unique_Footballi.html?id=i55oAAAACAAJ&redir_esc=y |archive-date=8 April 2022}}</ref> with the two most supported teams in the country being based within the city – Mohun Bagan and East Bengal.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mohun Bagan VS SC East Bengal|url=https://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/clubs/rivalries/newsid=1414458/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130801091940/http://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/clubs/rivalries/newsid=1414458/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 August 2013|website=FIFA|access-date=11 August 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|location=Kolkata|first=Indranil|last=Banerjie|date=15 May 1985|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/sport/story/19850515-money-violence-and-politics-enter-calcutta-football-770046-2013-12-09|title=Money, violence and politics enter Calcutta football|work=India Today|access-date=1 April 2023|archive-date=1 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230401133317/https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/sport/story/19850515-money-violence-and-politics-enter-calcutta-football-770046-2013-12-09}}</ref>

The IFA had organised many historical tournaments like the [[Trades Cup]], the Gladstone Cup, the [[Cooch Behar Cup]] and the coveted [[IFA Shield]], prior to the incorporation of [[Calcutta Football League]] in 1898. The Trades Cup is the oldest tournament in Kolkata, being instituted in 1889.<ref>{{cite book |title=Portrait Of Indian Sport |url=https://archive.org/details/portraitofinidan00anth |publisher= P R Macmillan Limited, London |last1=D'Mello |first1=Anthony |page=186 |date=1959 |access-date=25 September 2022 }}</ref>

==State teams==
{| class="infobox" style="font-size:95%; width:25em; text-align:center"
! colspan="4" style="font-size:115%; align=center" | State teams of West Bengal
|-
![[File:Football pictogram.svg|30px]]
![[File:Football pictogram.svg|30px]]
|-
![[West Bengal football team|Football (Men's)]]
![[West Bengal women's football team|Football (Women's)]]
|}

The following list includes the performance of West Bengal's state teams at major competitions.

===Men's team===
{{Main|West Bengal football team}}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left;"
|-
!Tournament
!Best<br />performance
|-
|[[Santosh Trophy]] || {{sort|32|'''Champions''' ([[1941–42 Santosh Trophy|1941–42]], [[1945–46 Santosh Trophy|1945–46]], 1947–48, 1949–50, [[1950–51 Santosh Trophy|1950–51]], 1951–52, [[1953–54 Santosh Trophy|1953–54]], 1955–56, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1962–63, 1969–70, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80, [[1981–82 Santosh Trophy|1981–82]], 1982–83 (Shared with [[Goa football team|Goa]]), 1986–87, 1988–89, [[1993–94 Santosh Trophy|1993–94]], 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, [[2009–10 Santosh Trophy|2009–10]], [[2010–11 Santosh Trophy|2010–11]], [[2016–17 Santosh Trophy|2016–17]])}}
|-
|[[Football at the National Games of India|National Games]] || {{sort|3|'''Gold''' (1994, [[2011 National Games of India|2011]], [[2022 National Games of India|2022]])}}
|-
|[[B.C. Roy Trophy]] || {{sort|18|'''Champions''' (1961–62, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1969–70, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1989–90, 1994–95, 1995–96, 2003–04, 2024–25)}}
|-
|[[Mir Iqbal Hussain Trophy]] || {{sort|12|'''Champions''' (1965–66, 1978–79, 1985–86, 1989–90, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2003–04, 2007–08, 2015–16)}}
|-
|[[M. Dutta Ray Trophy]] || {{sort|6|'''Champions''' (1992, 1996, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005)}}
|}

===Women's team===
{{Main|West Bengal women's football team}}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left;"
|-
!Tournament
!Best<br />performance
|-
|[[Rajmata Jijabai Trophy]] || {{sort|2|'''Champions''' (1991–92, 1996–97)}}
|-
|[[Football at the National Games of India|National Games]] || {{sort|2|Silver (1999, 2002)}}
|-
|[[Junior Girl's National Football Championship]] || {{sort|1|'''Champions''' (2011–12)}}
|-
|[[Sub–Junior Girl's National Football Championship]] || {{sort|1|'''Champions''' (2010–11)}}
|}

==Affiliated district associations==
The 23 district associations affiliated with the '''Indian Football Association'''.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! No. !! Association !! District/Region
|-
| 1 || Alipurduar District Sports Association || [[Alipurduar district|Alipurduar]]
|-
| 2 || Bankura District Sports Association || [[Bankura district|Bankura]]
|-
| 3 || Burdwan District Sports Association || [[Paschim Bardhaman district|Paschim Bardhaman]] and [[Purba Bardhaman district|Purba Bardhaman]]
|-
| 4 || Birbhum District Sports Association || [[Birbhum district|Birbhum]]
|-
| 5 || Chandernagore Sporting Association || [[Chandannagar]] ([[Hooghly district|Hooghly]])
|-
| 6 || Cooch Behar District Sports Association || [[Cooch Behar district|Cooch Behar]]
|-
| 7 || Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Sports Association || [[Darjeeling]] ([[Darjeeling district|Darjeeling]])
|-
| 8 || Dakshin Dinajpur District Sports Association || [[Dakshin Dinajpur district|Dakshin Dinajpur]]
|-
| 9 || Hooghly District Sports Association || [[Hooghly district|Hooghly]]
|-
| 10 || Howrah District Sports Association || [[Howrah district|Howrah]]
|-
| 11 || Jalpaiguri District Sports Association || [[Jalpaiguri district|Jalpaiguri]]
|-
| 12 || Jhargram District Sports Association || [[Jhargram district|Jhargram]]
|-
| 13 || Kalimpong District Sports Association || [[Kalimpong district|Kalimpong]]
|-
| 14 || Malda District Sports Association || [[Malda district|Malda]]
|-
| 15 || Manbhum Sports Association || [[Purulia district|Purulia]]
|-
| 16 || Murshidabad District Sports Association || [[Murshidabad district|Murshidabad]]
|-
| 17 || Nadia District Sports Association || [[Nadia district|Nadia]]
|-
| 18 || North 24 Parganas District Sports Association || [[North 24 Parganas district|North 24 Parganas]]
|-
| 19 || Paschim Medinipur District Sports Association || [[Paschim Medinipur district|Paschim Medinipur]]
|-
| 20 || Purba Medinipur District Sports Association || [[Purba Medinipur district|Purba Medinipur]]
|-
| 21 || Siliguri Mahakuma Krira Parishad || [[Siliguri]] ([[Darjeeling district|Darjeeling]])
|-
| 22 || South 24 Parganas District Sports Association || [[South 24 Parganas]]
|-
| 23 || Uttar Dinajpur District Sports Association || [[Uttar Dinajpur district|Uttar Dinajpur]]
|}

==Organisation of football in West Bengal==
===Competitions===
===Men's===
*[[Calcutta Football League]]
*[[IFA Shield]]
*[[Trades Cup]]
*[[Uttarbanga Cup]]
*Jayanta Chatterjee Inter District Football Tournament
*IFA [[Futsal]] Championship

===Women's===
*[[Kanyashree Cup|Calcutta Women's Football League]]
*[[Women's IFA Shield]]

===Youth===
*[[Calcutta Football League|CFL]] 5th Division Group B
*IFA Nursery League

===Evolution of the football system===
{{:Indian Football Association|transcludesection=Evolution}}

==Notable footballers visits==
Because it is often called India's football capital, many international footballing personalities have visited [[Kolkata]], [[West Bengal]]. In 1977, [[Mohun Bagan Super Giant|Mohun Bagan]] played a friendly match against the famous North American Soccer League club [[New York Cosmos (1970–85)|New York Cosmos]], which featured [[Pelé]]. The match, which took place at [[Eden Gardens]], had an attendance of 80,000. The match ended 2–2. Others who have visited Kolkata are Argentinean footballing legend [[Diego Maradona]] and current star [[Lionel Messi]]. Lionel Messi made his captaincy debut for his national side in Kolkata's, [[West Bengal]] Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on 2 September 2011 against Venezuela. German legends, including [[Franz Beckenbauer]] and [[Oliver Kahn]], have also visited. The best goalkeeper in football history, Russian [[Lev Yashin]], visited in 1955 and 1973. English World Cup–winning legend [[Bobby Moore]] was the chief guest during the 1984 [[Nehru Cup]]. Emeka Ezuego, the Nigerian World Cup player, played for [[East Bengal]] and [[Mohammedan S.C. (Kolkata)|Mohammedan Sporting]]. [[Majid Bishkar]], the Iranian World Cup player, played for East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting from 1980 to 1986. Cameroon footballing legend [[Roger Milla]] played for Diamond Club in some exhibition matches in the Centenary Celebration of [[Mohun Bagan Super Giant|Mohun Bagan]]. Uruguay football captain [[Diego Forlan]] visited Kolkata in 2010. [[Karl-Heinz Rummenigge]] visited in 2010. Julian Caminho visited [[Kolkata]], [[West Bengal]] twice—first in 1988 to play for East Bengal and again in 2011. [[MacDonald Mukansi]] played for East Bengal in 2007.

Others who have also visited are [[Terry Paine]], [[Carlos Alberto Torres]], [[Enzo Francescoli]], Valencia Ramos, [[Jorge Burruchaga]], [[Ricardo Gareca]], [[László Kiss (footballer)|László Kiss]], [[Nicky Butt]], [[Włodzimierz Smolarek]], [[Andrzej Buncol]], [[Eusébio]], [[Ronald Koeman]], [[Paul Breitner]], and [[Swansea City]]'s [[Neil Taylor (footballer)|Neil Taylor]].

In July 2023, Argentine World Cup and World Cup Golden Gloves winner [[Emiliano Martinez]] also visited the city of Joy, courtesy to Satadru Dutta's initiative. He was grandly welcomed by the citizens and [[Mohun Bagan Super Giant|Mohun Bagan]] and [[East Bengal FC|East Bengal]].

==Footballers from West Bengal==
The state of West Bengal has contributed many legends to Indian football, such as:
*[[Chuni Goswami]], first [[Padma Shri]] awardee, awarded best striker of Asia in 1962.
*[[Gostho Pal]], footballer, who was member of the Mohun Bagan team that won the IFA shield against a British team in the pre-independence period.
*[[Krishanu Dey]], footballer, known as the "Indian Maradona".
*[[Mohammed Salim (footballer)|Mohammed Salim]], first player from the Indian subcontinent to play overseas, in the year 1936 for the Scottish Club [[Celtic F.C.|Celtic FC]].
*[[P. K. Banerjee]], named Indian Footballer of the 20th century by, and awardee of the [[FIFA Order of Merit]].
*[[Shailen Manna]], footballer, the only Asian Footballer ever to be named among the 10 best Captains in the world by the [[English FA]] in 1953.
*[[Subrata Paul]], member of Indian team, first Indian goalkeeper to play professionally for a foreign club in 1st division (Danish Superliga).
*[[Sudip Chatterjee (footballer)|Sudip Chatterjee]], footballer, considered among the finest in Indian football, declared AIFF player of the decade in 1994.

==International players origin==
*[[Robin Dutt]], former manager of [[Bundesliga]] club, [[Werder Bremen]].
*[[Neil Taylor (footballer)|Neil Taylor]], [[Wales|Welsh]] footballer of half-Bengali origin.

==Arjuna award winners==
*[[P. K. Banerjee]]
*[[Chuni Goswami]]
* Arun Lal Ghosh
*[[Prasun Banerjee]]
*Sudhir Karmakar
*[[Shanti Mullick]]
*[[Subrata Bhattacharya (footballer)|Subrata Bhattacharya]]
*[[Deepak Mondal|Deepak Kumar Mondal]]
*[[Subrata Pal]]

==See also==
*[[Bengal Super League]]
*[[Premier League Soccer (India)|Premier League Soccer]]
*[[History of Indian football]]
*[[Football in Kolkata]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book |last1=Kapadia |first1=Novy |year=2017|title=Barefoot to Boots: The Many Lives of Indian Football |publisher=Penguin Random House |isbn=978-0-143-42641-7 }}
*{{cite book |last1=Martinez| first1=Dolores |last2=Mukharjiim |first2=Projit B|year=2009|title=Football: From England to the World: The Many Lives of Indian Football |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nbzhAQAAQBAJ&q=kerala+footballer+in+Burma |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-1-138-88353-6 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220702174505/https://books.google.co.in/books?id=nbzhAQAAQBAJ&dq=kerala+footballer+in+Burma&source=gbs_navlinks_s |archive-date=2 July 2022 }}
*Dutta, P. L., ''Memoir of 'Father of Indian Football' Nagendraprasad Sarbadhikary'' (Calcutta: N. P. Sarbadhikary Memorial Committee, 1944) (hereafter Memoir)
*Ghosh, Saurindra Kumar. ''Krira Samrat Nagendraprasad Sarbadhikary 1869–1940'' (Calcutta: N. P. Sarbadhikary Memorial Committee, 1963) (hereafter Krira Samrat).
*{{cite web |url=http://pierretristam.com/pdfs/wc10.pdf |title=Triumphs and Disasters: The Story of Indian Football, 1889—2000. |access-date=20 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120813081005/http://pierretristam.com/pdfs/wc10.pdf |archive-date=13 August 2012 |url-status=dead}}
*{{cite book |title=Portrait Of Indian Sport |url=https://archive.org/details/portraitofinidan00anth |publisher= P R Macmillan Limited, London |last1=D'Mello |first1=Anthony |date=1959 }}
*{{Cite journal |url=http://www.jhsr.in/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/01-07-JHSRVOL-2NO-2A.-SHIL.pdf |title=Football Culture in Princely State of Cooch Behar |access-date=16 April 2023 |archive-date=16 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230416171622/http://www.jhsr.in/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/01-07-JHSRVOL-2NO-2A.-SHIL.pdf |first=Amrita |last=Kumar Shil |journal=JHSR Journal of Historical Study and Search |date=15 May 2022 |issn=2583-0198 |volume=2 }}
*{{Cite web|url=https://www.banglatribune.com/foreign/india/736939/%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%AE%E0%A7%8B%E0%A6%B9%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%AE%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%A1%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A8%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%B8%E0%A6%99%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%97%E0%A7%87-%E0%A6%97%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%81%E0%A6%9F%E0%A6%9B%E0%A6%A1%E0%A6%BC%E0%A6%BE-%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%81%E0%A6%A7%E0%A6%9B%E0%A7%87-%E0%A6%A2%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0|title=কলকাতার মোহামেডানের সঙ্গে গাঁটছড়া বাঁধছে ঢাকার মোহামেডান|trans-title=Mohammedan of Dhaka is tying knot with Mohammedan of Kolkata|language=bn|location=Kolkata|first=Raktim|last=Das|access-date=1 June 2023|date=4 April 2022|archive-date=5 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220405081844/https://www.banglatribune.com/foreign/india/736939/%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%AE%E0%A7%8B%E0%A6%B9%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%AE%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%A1%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A8%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%B8%E0%A6%99%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%97%E0%A7%87-%E0%A6%97%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%81%E0%A6%9F%E0%A6%9B%E0%A6%A1%E0%A6%BC%E0%A6%BE-%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%81%E0%A6%A7%E0%A6%9B%E0%A7%87-%E0%A6%A2%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0|website=banglatribune.com}}
*{{cite web|url=https://www.bongodorshon.com/home/story_detail/story-of-legendary-football-coach-dukkhiram|first=Chandak|last=Guha|website=bongodorshon.com|publisher=Bongodorshon Information Desk|language=bn|trans-title=The Englishmen too feared Bengal's legendary first football coach|title=ইংরেজরাও ভয় পেত বাংলার প্রথম কিংবদন্তি ফুটবল কোচকে|location=Kolkata|agency=|date=5 September 2019|access-date=24 October 2022|archive-date=8 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230908122903/https://www.bongodorshon.com/home/story_detail/story-of-legendary-football-coach-dukkhiram}}

{{Football in West Bengal}}
{{Football in India}}

[[Category:Football in West Bengal| ]]
[[Category:Sport in West Bengal]]

Football in West Bengal - Revision history

Anuj tripathi 111 at 16:14, 9 February 2026