# IFA Shield

The IFA Shield is a football competition organized by the Indian Football Association, the football governing body in the Indian state of West Bengal. The IFA came into existence in 1893, and was named after the association. The IFA Shield tournament was started in the same year. It is the third oldest football tournament in India, after Durand Cup and Trades Cup, and is among the oldest football competitions in the world.

## History

The royal houses of Patiala and Cooch Behar, A.A. Apcar of Armenian Club and J Sutherland of Dalhousie AC had financially contributed for the inception of the Shield. The coveted shield was designed by Walter Locke & Co. (Calcutta) and made by Messrs Elkington & Co. (London).
During the initial years of the competition, the IFA Shield was dominated by British Army teams and the Royal Irish Rifles defeated W.D.R.A. to lift the first IFA Shield in 1893. However, their stranglehold over the Shield was broken in 1911, when Mohun Bagan became the first all-Indian side to win the IFA Shield by defeating East Yorkshire Regiment by 2–1. That was a historic moment for Indian football as well the struggle for independence, as the natives beat the Englishmen in their own game. While the Royal Irish Rifles remains the most successful British Army side with 5 titles, East Bengal Club has won the IFA Shield a record 29 times.
From 2015 to 2018, the IFA Shield was designed as an youth tournament wherein youth teams of all divisions were allowed to participate. The decision was taken by IFA due to busy schedule of AIFF which includes Indian Super League, I-League, I-League 2nd Division, State leagues and Super Cup among others. In 2020, the tournament was once again organised as a senior event.

## Results
### Pre-independence era (1893–1946)

| Year | Winner | Score | Runner-up |
| 1893 | Royal Irish Rifles | 1–0 | W.D.R.A. |
| 1894 | Royal Irish Rifles (2) | 2–0 | Rifle Brigade |
| 1895 | Royal Welch Fusiliers | 1–0 | King's Shropshire Light Infantry |
| 1896 | Calcutta | 3–0 | King's Shropshire Light Infantry |
| 1897 | Dalhousie | 4–0 | 31st Field Battalion |
| 1898 | Gloucestershire Regiment | 1–0 | 42nd Highlanders |
| 1899 | South Lancashire Regiment | 2–0 | Barrackpore Artillery |
| 1900 | Calcutta (2) | 0–0; 6–0 | Dalhousie |
| 1901 | Royal Irish Rifles (3) | 4–0 | Black Watch |
| 1902 | 93rd Highlanders | 3–0 | Dalhousie |
| 1903 | Calcutta (3) | 0–0; 1–1; 2–1 | King's Own Scottish Borderers |
| 1904 | Calcutta (4) | 1–0 | King's Own Royal Regiment |
| 1905 | Dalhousie (2) | 4–3 | Calcutta |
| 1906 | Calcutta (5) | 1–0 | Highland Light Infantry |
| 1907 | Highland Light Infantry | 0–0; 1–0 | Calcutta |
| 1908 | Gordon Highlanders | 2–0 | Calcutta Customs |
| 1909 | Gordon Highlanders (2) | 0–0; 3–0 | Calcutta Customs |
| 1910 | Gordon Highlanders (3) | 0–0; 2–0 | Calcutta |
| 1911 | Mohun Bagan | 2–1 | East Yorkshire Regiment |
| 1912 | Royal Irish Rifles (4) | 1–0 | Black Watch |
| 1913 | Royal Irish Rifles (5) | 2–0 | 91st Highlanders |
| 1914 | King's Own Royal Regiment | 1–0 | Calcutta |
| 1915 | Calcutta (6) | 0–0; 3–0 | Calcutta Customs |
| 1916 | North Staffordshire Regiment | 2–1 | Calcutta |
| 1917 | 10th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment | 2–0 | Brecknockshire Battalion |
| 1918 | Training Reserve Battalion | 1–0 | Signal Service Depot |
| 1919 | 1st Battalion of Brecknockshire | 3–1 | Calcutta |
| 1920 | Black Watch | 2–0 | Kumartuli |
| 1921 | 3rd Battalion of Brecknockshire (2) | 3–1 | Calcutta |
| 1922 | Calcutta (7) | 1–0 | Dalhousie |
| 1923 | Calcutta (8) | 3–0 | Mohun Bagan |
| 1924 | Calcutta (9) | 5–1 | 23rd Brigade of Royal Engineers Association |
| 1925 | 2nd Battalion of Royal Scots Fusiliers | 5–1 | Cheshire Regiment |
| 1926 | Sherwood Foresters | 5–1 | Cheshire Regiment |
| 1927 | Sherwood Foresters (2) | 2–0 | Dalhousie |
| 1928 | Sherwood Foresters (3) | 2–0 | Dalhousie |
| 1929 | 2nd Battalion Royal Ulster Rifles (6) | 2–0 | Rangoon Customs |
| 1930 | Seaforth Highlanders | 3–0 | Royal Regiment |
| 1931 | Highland Light Infantry | 1–1; 2–1 | Durham Light Infantry |
| 1932 | 2nd Battalion Essex Regiment | 2–1 | Seaforth Highlanders |
| 1933 | Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry | 2–1 | King's Royal Rifles |
| 1934 | Tournament declared void ( King's Royal Rifles and Durham Light Infantry: 2–2) | Tournament declared void ( King's Royal Rifles and Durham Light Infantry: 2–2) | Tournament declared void ( King's Royal Rifles and Durham Light Infantry: 2–2) |
| 1935 | East Yorkshire Regiment | 1–0 | Royal Regiment |
| 1936 | Mohammedan | 0–0; 0–0; 2–1 | Calcutta |
| 1937 | 6th Fire Brigade | 4–1 | Police |
| 1938 | East Yorkshire Regiment (2) | 1–1; 1–1; 2–0 | Mohammedan |
| 1939 | Police | 2–1 | Calcutta Customs |
| 1940 | Aryan | 4–1 | Mohun Bagan |
| 1941 | Mohammedan (2) | 2–0 | King's Own Scottish Borderers |
| 1942 | Mohammedan (3) | 1–0 | East Bengal |
| 1943 | East Bengal | 3–0 | Police |
| 1944 | Eastern Bengal Railway | 1–0 | East Bengal |
| 1945 | East Bengal (2) | 1–0 | Mohun Bagan |
| 1946 | Not held | Not held | Not held |

### Post-independence era (1947–present)

| Year | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Notes |
| 1947 | Mohun Bagan (2) | 1–0 | East Bengal | |
| 1948 | Mohun Bagan (3) | 1–1; 2–1 | Bhawanipore | |
| 1949 | East Bengal (3) | 2–0 | Mohun Bagan | |
| 1950 | East Bengal (4) | 3–0 | Services | |
| 1951 | East Bengal (5) | 0–0; 2–0 | Mohun Bagan | |
| 1952 | Tournament declared void (Mohun Bagan and Rajasthan Club: 0–0; 2–2) | Tournament declared void (Mohun Bagan and Rajasthan Club: 0–0; 2–2) | Tournament declared void (Mohun Bagan and Rajasthan Club: 0–0; 2–2) | |
| 1953 | Indian Culture League | 0–0; 0–0; 1–1 | East Bengal | |
| 1954 | Mohun Bagan (4) | 1–0 | Hyderabad Sporting | |
| 1955 | Rajasthan Club | 0–0; 1–0 | Aryan | |
| 1956 | Mohun Bagan (5) | 4–0 | Aryan | |
| 1957 | Mohammedan (4) | 3–0 | Railways SC | |
| 1958 | East Bengal (6) | 1–1; 1–0 | Mohun Bagan | |
| 1959 | Abandoned due to dispute over date of finals | Abandoned due to dispute over date of finals | Abandoned due to dispute over date of finals | Abandoned due to dispute over date of finals |
| 1960 | Mohun Bagan (6) | 1–0 | Indian Navy | |
| 1961 | East Bengal (7) and Mohun Bagan (7) | 0–0 | – | |
| 1962 | Mohun Bagan (8) | 3–1 | Hyderabad XI | |
| 1963 | Bengal Nagpur Railway | 1–0 | Mohammedan | |
| 1964 | Tournament declared void (Mohun Bagan and East Bengal: 1–1) | Tournament declared void (Mohun Bagan and East Bengal: 1–1) | Tournament declared void (Mohun Bagan and East Bengal: 1–1) | |
| 1965 | East Bengal (8) | 1–0 | Mohun Bagan | |
| 1966 | East Bengal (9) | 1–0 | Bengal Nagpur Railway | |
| 1967 | Tournament declared void (Mohun Bagan and East Bengal: 0–0) | Tournament declared void (Mohun Bagan and East Bengal: 0–0) | Tournament declared void (Mohun Bagan and East Bengal: 0–0) | Tournament declared void (Mohun Bagan and East Bengal: 0–0) |
| 1968 | Abandoned due to court injunction | Abandoned due to court injunction | Abandoned due to court injunction | Abandoned due to court injunction |
| 1969 | Mohun Bagan (9) | 3–1 | East Bengal | |
| 1970 | East Bengal (10) | 1–0 | PAS Tehran | |
| 1971 | Mohammedan (5) | 2–0 | Tollygunge Agragami | |
| 1972 | East Bengal (11) | 0–0; 0–1 | Mohun Bagan | |
| 1973 | East Bengal (12) | 3–1 | Pyongyang | |
| 1974 | East Bengal (13) | 1–0 | Mohun Bagan | |
| 1975 | East Bengal (14) | 5–0 | Mohun Bagan | |
| 1976 | East Bengal (15) and Mohun Bagan (10) | 0–0 | – | |
| 1977 | Mohun Bagan (11) | 1–0 | East Bengal | |
| 1978 | Mohun Bagan (12) and Ararat Yerevan | 2–2 | – | |
| 1979 | Mohun Bagan (13) | 1–0 | East Bengal | |
| 1980 | Tournament abandoned | Tournament abandoned | Tournament abandoned | Tournament abandoned |
| 1981 | Mohun Bagan (14) and East Bengal (16) | 2–2 | – | |
| 1982 | Mohun Bagan (15) | 2–1 | Mohammedan | |
| 1983 | East Bengal (17) and Aryan (2) | 0–0 | – | |
| 1984 | East Bengal (18) | 1–0 | Mohun Bagan | |
| 1985 | Peñarol | 1–0 | Shakhtar Donetsk | |
| 1986 | East Bengal (19) | 0–0 (4–2 p) | Mohun Bagan | |
| 1987 | Mohun Bagan (16) | 1–0 | Punjab Police | |
| 1988 | Not held | Not held | Not held | |
| 1989 | Mohun Bagan (17) | 1–0 | Tata Football Academy | |
| 1990 | East Bengal (20) | 1–0 | Mohammedan | |
| 1991 | East Bengal (21) | 3–1 | Army XI | |
| 1992 | Not held | Not held | Not held | |
| 1993 | Pakhtakor Tashkent | 1–1 (5–4 p) | Irtysh Pavlodar | |
| 1994 | East Bengal (22) | 2–1 | Mohun Bagan | |
| 1995 | East Bengal (23) | 1–1 (3–1 p) | Mohammedan Dhaka | |
| 1996 | JCT | 1–0 | Al-Karkh | |
| 1997 | East Bengal (24) | 3–2 | Kochin | |
| 1998 | Mohun Bagan (18) | 2–1 | East Bengal | |
| 1999 | Mohun Bagan (19) | 1–0 | Tollygunge Agragami | |
| 2000 | East Bengal (25) | 1–1 (4–1 p) | Mohun Bagan | |
| 2001 | East Bengal (26) | 1–0 | Palmeiras B | |
| 2002 | East Bengal (27) | 0–0 (5–4 p) | Churchill Brothers | |
| 2003 | Mohun Bagan (20) | 0–0 (5–3 p) | East Bengal | |
| 2004 | Finance and Revenue | 1–1 (4–2 p) | Mohun Bagan | |
| 2005 | Bayern Munich II | 5–1 | Eveready | |
| 2006 | Mahindra United | 1–0 | Mohun Bagan | |
| 2007 | Not held | Not held | Not held | |
| 2008 | Mahindra United (2) | 3–1 | Santos | |
| 2009 | Churchill Brothers | 2–0 | Mohun Bagan | |
| 2010 | Not held | Not held | Not held | |
| 2011 | Churchill Brothers (2) | 2–1 | Mohun Bagan | |
| 2012 | East Bengal (28) | 4–2 | Prayag United | |
| 2013 | Prayag United | 1–0 | East Bengal | |
| 2014 | Mohammedan (6) | 1–1 (4–3 p) | Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi | |
| 2015 | United U19 (2) | 2–1 | East Bengal U19 | |
| 2016 | Tata Football Academy | 3–2 (a.e.t.) | AIFF U19 | |
| 2017 | FC Pune City U19 | 3–0 | Mohun Bagan U19 | |
| 2018 | East Bengal U19 (29) | 1–1 (4–2 p) | Mohun Bagan U19 | |
| 2019 | Not held | Not held | Not held | |
| 2020 | Real Kashmir | 2–1 | George Telegraph | |
| 2021 | Real Kashmir (2) | 2–1 | Sreenidi Deccan | |
| 2022 | Not held | Not held | Not held | |
| 2023 | Not held | Not held | Not held | |
| 2024 | Not held | Not held | Not held | |
| 2025 | | | |
Notes:
    1. ^ Tournament not held.
    2. ^ Joint winners.
    3. ^ Final abandoned.
    4. ^ The final was abandoned at half-time after Mohammedan Sporting refused to continue, and the Shield was awarded to East Bengal.
    5. ^ The replay was abandoned due to torrential rain: after Mohun Bagan objected to a third match and refused to play again, the Shield was awarded to East Bengal.
    6. ^ The final was abandoned after 35 minutes as Palmeiras started a brawl on the pitch: the Shield was awarded to East Bengal, and the IFA also ordered that Palmeiras' results be deleted from the records.
    7. ^ Final abandoned.
    8. ^ An all-Indian side won the Shield for the first time.
    9. ^ Organised as an Under-19 tournament.
    10. ^ Final abandoned.
    11. ^ The Shield was awarded to Indian Culture League as East Bengal played with an unregistered player in the third match.
    12. ^ The final was abandoned due to dispute between the finalists over extra time.

## Performance by teams
### Performance by Indian teams

Though the tournament was dominated by the British Army teams during its initial years, yet British Indian teams too participated representing India prior to the independence, but very few were an all-Indian side. Mohun Bagan AC the first all-Indian side to win the tournament in 1911.

#### Top 10 Indian teams in IFA Shield

| No. | Team | Championships (Latest) | Runner-ups |
| 1 | East Bengal | 29 (2018) | 11 |
| 2 | Mohun Bagan | 20 (2003) | 20 |
| 3 | Calcutta | 9 (1924) | 8 |
| 4 | Mohammedan | 6 (2014) | 4 |
| 5 | Dalhousie | 2 (1905) | 5 |
| 6 | Churchill Brothers | 2 (2011) | 1 |
| 6 | United | 2 (2015) | 1 |
| 8 | Mahindra United | 2 (2008) | 0 |
| 8 | Real Kashmir | 2 (2021) | 0 |
| 10 | Aryan | 2 (1983) | 2 |
| 10 | Police | 1 (1939) | 2 |

### Performance by Overseas teams

* Winners:
** FC Ararat Yerevan (1978)
** Club Atlético Peñarol (1985)
** Pakhtakor Tashkent FK (1993)
** Finance and Revenue FC (2004)
** FC Bayern Munich II (2005)
* Runners-up:
** PAS Tehran FC (1970)
** Pyongyang SC (1973)
** FC Shakhtar Donetsk (1985)
** Irtysh Pavlodar FK (1993)
** Mohammedan SC Dhaka (1995)
** Al-Karkh SC (1996)
** Palmeiras B (2001)
** Santos FC (2008)
** Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club (2014)

## Awards

Since the 123rd edition of the tournament, the awards for the Best Coach of the tournament, the Best Player of the tournament, the highest goalscorer of the tournament and Fair Play has been renamed in honour of India's football icons- P. K. Banerjee, Chuni Goswami and Krishanu Dey, and renowned sports photojournalist – Ronojoy 'Ronny' Roy.

### Krishanu Dey Memorial Award

As of December 2020
| Year | Player | Goals | Club |
| 2020 | Abegunrin Adefemi Lukman | 5 | Real Kashmir |
| 2021 | Rahim Osumanu | 5 | Gokulam Kerala |

### P. K. Banerjee Memorial Award for the Best Coach

As of December 2020
| Year | Head Coach | Club |
| 2020 | Ranjan Bhattacharya | George Telegraph |

### Chuni Goswami Memorial Award for the Best Player

As of December 2020
| Year | Player | Club |
| 2020 | Mason Robertson | Real Kashmir |
| 2021 | Mason Robertson | Real Kashmir |

### Ronny Roy Fair Play Award

As of December 2021
| Year | Club |
| 2020 | Real Kashmir FC |
| 2021 | Indian Arrows |