New Delhi, July 6 (IANS) The Oriental Cup 2026 is set to kick off at the Dr. Ambedkar Stadium in New Delhi on Tuesday (July 7) with defending champions DPS RK Puram and Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Faridabad headlining the action on the opening day as they begin their title defence.

The fourth edition will bring together more than 48 teams from schools across Delhi-NCR in the boys’ Under-17 and girls’ Under-19 categories. In a change from the previous edition, the tournament will be played entirely in a knockout format, with matches in the initial stages comprising two 15-minute halves.

Defending boys’ champion DPS RK Puram will begin their campaign in the opening match of the tournament against Vasant Valley School. DPS RK Puram lifted the 2025 title after edging past The Mother’s International School 5-4 in a penalty shootout in the final and will return to the competition aiming to become the first boys’ team to successfully defend the Oriental Cup title.

DPS RK Puram and Vasant Valley School will also face each other in the girls’ Under-19 category, while later in the day, defending girls’ champions Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Faridabad, will begin their campaign against Navy School.

The Faridabad side enjoyed a memorable debut campaign last year, defeating two-time champions Sanskriti School 4-3 on penalties in the final. They will begin their bid to retain the title and build on their championship-winning campaign when they take the field against Navy School.

The boys’ Under-17 category will also see Venkateshwar International School take on Navy School, Modern School face Sanskriti School, and DPS Vasant Kunj go up against Dev Samaj Modern School. Modern School and Sanskriti School will also meet in the girls’ Under-19 category.

Beyond the action on the field, the fourth edition also marks a significant step forward in the Oriental Cup’s commitment to recognising and supporting young talent.

The tournament’s overall prize pool has more than doubled from the previous edition, making it the highest in its history, while a ₹2.5 lakh scholarship programme has been introduced to support 10 deserving student-athletes, further strengthening the tournament’s efforts to create meaningful opportunities for young footballers both on and off the field.

Alongside the school competition, the opening day will also feature an NGO match between STRIVE and MIMA. The fixture reflects the Oriental Cup’s efforts to broaden participation and use football as a platform to create opportunities for young players from diverse backgrounds, building on the tournament’s continued engagement with educational institutions and NGOs.

Since its inception in 2023, the Oriental Cup has steadily grown as a platform for school football. Across its first three editions, the tournament has engaged more than 55 educational institutions and NGOs, reached over 2,700 young footballers, and conducted more than 80 competitive matches, underlining its expanding footprint in grassroots football.

The fourth edition will be supported by Oriental Structural Engineers Pvt. Ltd. as the title sponsor, with Nivia Sports as the Football Partner, Ocean Beverages as the Hydration Partner, and Central Park Resorts as an Associate Partner.

With every match carrying knockout implications, the Oriental Cup 2026 promises ten days of competitive school football as teams from across Delhi-NCR battle for the boys’ Under-17 and girls’ Under-19 titles.

–IANS

bsk/