The 9th OIL India Gold Cup Football Tournament 2026 is continuing at Nehru Maidan, Duliajan, bringing together teams from Assam, the Northeast and other parts of India. The tournament began on September 21 and is scheduled to continue through the knockout stages before the grand final on October 3, 2026.
According to the tournament information shown in the provided schedule, the pre-quarter-final stage is being played from September 21 to 25, followed by the quarter-finals from September 26 to 29. The semi-finals are scheduled for September 30 and October 1, while the final will be played on October 3 at 5:30 PM.
Tournament Begins in Duliajan
The 2026 edition has attracted 14 participating teams, including clubs and football academies from Delhi, Meghalaya, Punjab, Guwahati, Kolkata, Manipur, Silchar, Numaligarh and Duliajan.
The participating teams listed in the tournament schedule are:
- Sporting Club, Delhi
- Shillong Lajong FC, Meghalaya
- Punjab FC
- NorthEast United FC, Guwahati
- Sudeva FC, Delhi
- CISF Football Team, Delhi
- Kidderpore SC, Kolkata
- ASUFII Football Academy
- NRL FA, Numaligarh
- Lenruol FC, Silchar
- ASEB Sports Club, Guwahati
- Oil India FC, Duliajan
- Qualifier-1
- Qualifier-2
The qualifying matches were held before the main round, with the main tournament taking place at Nehru Maidan Sports Complex in Duliajan.
Opening Match Produces a 2-0 Result
The opening match of the main round featured ASUFII Football Academy of Manipur against ASEB Sports Club of Guwahati.
ASUFII Football Academy secured a 2-0 victory over ASEB Sports Club. W. John Singh, wearing jersey number 10, was named the Man of the Match following his performance.
The result gave ASUFII a positive start to its campaign and added further interest to the early knockout-stage matches.
What to Expect on September 23
September 23 falls within the tournament’s scheduled pre-quarter-final window, which runs from September 21 to September 25.
However, the publicly available information I could verify does not provide a confirmed team-versus-team fixture specifically for September 23. Therefore, it would not be reliable to name a particular matchup or score for today’s match without an official fixture confirmation.
For a news article, it is better to avoid publishing an unverified fixture because match schedules can change during tournament stages.
Nehru Maidan Remains the Centre of Action
All the main-round action is being hosted at Nehru Maidan, Duliajan, making the ground the centre of football activity in the area.
The tournament is being organised by Oil India Limited (OIL) under the technical guidance of the Assam Football Association (AFA). The competition brings together established clubs as well as teams from the Northeast, providing players with an opportunity to compete at a high level.
The Gold Cup has also become an important sporting event for Duliajan and the surrounding areas, where football has a strong local following.
Road to the October 3 Final
The tournament follows a knockout structure. After the pre-quarter-finals, the quarter-finals are scheduled for September 26–29, followed by the semi-finals on September 30 and October 1.
The championship will then reach its final stage on October 3 at 5:30 PM at Nehru Maidan, Duliajan.
With teams from different parts of the country competing, the remaining matches are expected to bring more competitive football to the venue.
Conclusion
The 9th OIL India Gold Cup Football Tournament 2026 has got underway in Duliajan with strong participation from teams across India and the Northeast. The opening main-round match already produced a 2-0 result, while the competition now moves through its pre-quarter-final schedule.
For September 23, the tournament remains in the pre-quarter-final phase. The exact fixture should be confirmed from the official tournament organisers before publishing a specific team matchup or result