2025-26 Santosh Trophy National Football Championship Draw Announced
Overview of the Championship Draw
The draw for the 79th National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy 2025-26 Final Round took place at the Football House in New Delhi on Wednesday. This event is set to be hosted in Dhakuakhana and Silapathar, Assam, with the tournament commencing on January 21, 2026. A total of 12 teams will compete, organized into two groups of six.
Group Stage Composition
In Group A, the host team Assam will compete alongside West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Nagaland, and Rajasthan. Group B consists of Kerala, Services, Punjab, Odisha, Railways, and Meghalaya.
Format for Qualification and Knockout Stages
As the host, Assam has secured a direct spot in the Final Rounds. West Bengal and Kerala have also qualified automatically, having finished as the winners and runners-up of the previous 2024-25 edition. The remaining nine teams earned their places by topping their respective groups in the earlier Group Stage held this month. The knockout phase will see the top four teams from each group advance, with quarter-finals scheduled for February 2 and 3, semi-finals on February 5, and the final match on February 8.
Group Draw Summary
79th National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy 2025-26 Final Round Draw:
- Group A: Assam (hosts), West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Nagaland, Rajasthan.
- Group B: Kerala, Services, Punjab, Odisha, Railways, Meghalaya.