The Indian Football Association (IFA), the association that governs the football in the state of West Bengal was established in the in 1893. In the same year the IFA Shield tournament was started.
The IFA Shield is one of the oldest football tournaments of India. During its initial years the IFA Shield tournament was dominated by British army teams. However the complete possession of the British over the IFA tournament came to an end when Mohun Bagan became the first Indian team to win the shield in the year 1911. They defeated East Yorkshire Regiment in 2-1. That is considered as the historical achievement for Indian football as the natives defeated the Englishmen in their own game.
East Bengal Club of Bengal has won the IFA Shield for twenty seven times when their rival Mohun Bagan team has become the champion 21 times. In the year 2005 the second team of German giant Bayern Munich made its debut in the tournament and thrashed the team of EverReady SA by 5-1 in the final.
