Tiger Shroff's biggest career twist yet: Bollywood star set for football debut in Durand Cup

Tiger Shroff's football skills as revealed in several reels have been long praised on social media and now the Bollywood actor and son of veteran superstar Jackie Shroff will actually be a professional footballer after Mumbay FC reportedly roped him in for India's key football league Durand Cup.

Tiger Shroff set for Durand Cup debut with Mumbay FC

Tiger Shroff is likely to make his Durand Cup debut after the Bollywood actor was named in the Mumbay FC squad for the current 135th edition of the tournament, ToI reported citing RevSportz.

ToI said, Tiger Shroff has reportedly being training with Mumbay FC quad and sources suggested he may play in the club's final group-stage match. Mumbay FC will be travelling to Shillong on July 30 for group-stage matches.

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How Tiger Shroff's football dream is turning into reality

“He’s registered with the squad, and we are trying our best to arrange everything. A person like Tiger, we’ll need a lot of security in tier-2, tier-3 cities. People can gather around, and it could be chaotic,” Mumbay FC's technical director Zoheb Khan said in an interview with Sportstar.

“And since social media is so ruthless, things can actually escalate. Keeping that in mind, we’ve got a date from him. If everything goes well, he will definitely travel for one of the games. He’s training with the team at the moment,” he added.

Tiger Shroff has been associated with Mumbay FC since its launch as Shroff himself had launched the club in 2024 and serves as its brand ambassador.

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Mumbay FC had won the inaugural Maharashtra State Club League Championship and had finished third in the I-League 3 in last season, following which the club qualified for Durand Cup.

Mumbay FC will be facing rivals in group E Shillong Lajong FC, Nongkseh Sports & Cultural Club, and Langsning FC in Shillong.

What is the Durand Cup? Asia's oldest football tournament

The Durand Cup, founded in 1888 by Sir Henry Mortimer Durand in Shimla, is Asia's oldest football tournament and is officially recognised as the world's third-oldest football competition. It began as a tournament for British troops stationed in India before gradually opening to civilian clubs.

Over the decades, the Durand Cup has grown into one of India's most prestigious football tournaments. Today, it features many of the country's leading clubs and Services teams, carrying forward a footballing legacy that has endured for more than 135 years.

From Bollywood action hero to footballer: Tiger Shroff's new innings

Tiger Shroff made his Bollywood debut in 2014 with Heropanti and went ahead to establish himself as one of Bollywood's young action stars. Tiger Shroff's martial arts skills, athleticism and dance performances soon became his biggest strengths, while social media often were floodedwith his football playing skills.

Tiger cemented his position with commercially successful films such as Baaghi franchise and War. While some of his films received mixed critical reviews, audiences continued to associate him with high-octane action sequences and stylish choreography.

In recent years, however, Tiger has faced a more challenging phase at the box office, with several releases failing to match expectations.