Agencies
New Delhi
The countdown to the 79th National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy 2025-26 began in earnest on Wednesday, as the Final Round draw was conducted at the Football House in New Delhi. Hosts Assam will welcome the country’s top state sides to Dhakuakhana and Silapathar, with the tournament set to kick off on January 21, 2026.
Twelve teams have been divided into two groups of six, promising a fiercely contested league phase as the race for knockout spots heats up. Hosts Assam headline Group A, where they will be tested by defending champions West Bengal, along with Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Nagaland and Rajasthan. With a blend of pedigree and emerging forces, Group A shapes up as a demanding opening hurdle.
Group B is equally competitive, featuring former champions Kerala, Services, Punjab, Odisha, Railways and Meghalaya. Kerala, runners-up in the 2024-25 edition, will once again be among the favourites, but the presence of disciplined outfits like Services and Railways ensures there will be little margin for error.
Assam earned direct entry into the Final Round as hosts, while West Bengal and Kerala qualified automatically after finishing winners and runners-up respectively in the previous edition. The remaining nine teams booked their places by topping their respective groups in the recently concluded Group Stage.
The quarter-finals are scheduled for February 2 and 3, followed by the semi-finals on February 5, with the Santosh Trophy final set to be played on February 8.
