S.S. Shreekumar
AIFF Media Team
NEW DELHI: The 79th National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy is all set for kick-off with Assam hosting it for the seventh time in its chequered history. The matches will be streamed live on FIFA+.
The land of the Brahmaputra and the white rhinos is leading the path in spreading the game to even the remotest areas. It hosted it in Nowgong for the first time in 1959-60 and then again in 1969-70. In between, four editions were organised efficiently in Guwahati. Now again, the football fraternity will have the opportunity of witnessing some of the finest exponents and aspirants of the country in remote Dhakuakhana near Lakhimpur and Dhemaji, on the northern banks of the great Brahmaputra, and Silapathar.
The rock bed of Indian football witnessed all the state teams being divided into nine groups for the qualifying rounds, with the group winners qualifying to play in the final rounds. Assam, as hosts and last season’s finalists, West Bengal and Kerala, were seeded directly into the final round groups as they were exempted from playing the initial group stage fixtures. The 12 teams have been divided into two groups of six teams each.
Group A consists of holders West Bengal, hosts Assam, Nagaland, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Tamil Nadu, while Group B has Railways, Services, last season's runners-up Kerala, Punjab, Meghalaya and Odisha.
The top four teams will advance to the knock-out quarter-final rounds to be held on February 2 and 3, 2026. The two semi-finals are billed for February 5, 2026, with the grand final set for February 8, 2026.
In Group A, only Bengal, 33-time champions, and 14-time runners-up are the only team in the group to have won the Santosh Trophy. Tamil Nadu have been the runners-up twice. Assam, Nagaland, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand are yet to reach the final.
Group B is packed with four former champions and one runner-up. Punjab have won it eight times and has been runners-up eight times. Kerala have a seven and nine record in terms of wins and runners-up performances. Services have won it seven times and have been runners-up five times. Railways have won it thrice and have been runners-up six times. Meghalaya were the runners-up once, while Odisha are the only team not to have gone all the way to the final.
In the Group Stage, Punjab emerged as the Group A winners with an all-win record with Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh in their group. Uttarakhand topped Group B, defeating Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Chandigarh to bag all nine points.
Railways got seven points after their draw against Delhi and full points against Jharkhand and Bihar to top Group C. Nagaland defeated Manipur and Mizoram, and were held to a draw by Tripura to also bag seven points and top Group D.
Meghalaya defeated Arunachal Pradesh, but lost to Sikkim in the three-team Group E and qualified on the basis of more head-to-head goals scored.
Odisha won all three Group F games with wins over Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh to qualify. Similarly, Tamil Nadu won Group G with nine points, defeating Pondicherry, Andhra Pradesh and Andaman & Nicobar.
Services topped a tough Group H with wins over Goa, Karnataka and Lakshadweep to come through with nine points.
Rajasthan topped Group I with seven points with a draw against Gujarat and wins over Maharashtra and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.
That gives an indication of the fierce contests among the state teams to figure in the final rounds. The surprise absentees in the final rounds this year are former champions Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka. Yet, this is a reflection of the improved standards of football all over the country, with teams capable of matching strides with the best and dethroning traditional powerhouses.
The net has been spread wider and wider and is a good augury for Indian football.
Obviously, the two groups will be hotly contested, with the top four making the knock-out rounds. The Santosh Trophy has witnessed some absolutely thrilling and nail-biting contests in previous years, and this season too appears to be no different.
Crowds have always flocked in huge numbers, with the football lovers from neighbouring states not missing the opportunity of watching exciting action. The enthusiasm and support from the stands can be infectious and inspiring for players on the field. With Assam, Nagaland and Meghalaya in the fray, the decibel levels are bound to be high-pitched.
Legends of Indian football and many illustrious names have emerged from the Santosh Trophy. The teams have come well prepared for some fiery battles, and the kick-off of the Santosh Trophy 2025-26 Final Round is awaited with bated breath.
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