[1] The Durand Cup final began at the Delhi Gate Stadium in New Delhi on 18 January 1961 in front of a packed crowd as Kolkata giants East Bengal and Mohun Bagan faced each other in a Kolkata Derby, first time in the final of the Durand Cup.
Mohun Bagan, the defending champions, made their fourth appearance in the final after they defeated Gorkha Brigade 1–0 in the semi-final, having previously won the cup in 1953 and 1959.
East Bengal reached their fifth Durand Cup final after defeating City College Old Boys 1–0 in the semi-final, having won the tournament previously thrice in 1951, 1952, and 1956.
[1] Mohun Bagan started fast by creating a few attacks with Chuni Goswami and Amiya Banerjee linking up together but the East Bengal defense led by Arun Ghosh held firm.
No extra time was played and the organizing committee decided to declare both the teams as joint winners, with a coin toss taking place, which Mohun Bagan won, thus they got to keep the trophy first six months while East Bengal would keep it in the next six.