Santosh Trophy 2025-26 Final Round Draw Announced in New Delhi

Overview of the Santosh Trophy 2025-26 Final Round

The draw for the 79th edition of the National Football Championship, known as the Santosh Trophy for the 2025-26 season, took place at the Football House in New Delhi on Wednesday. This event was organized by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and will see the tournament hosted in Dhakuakhana and Silapathar, Assam.

Set to commence on January 21, 2026, the Final Round will feature 12 teams split into two groups of six.

Group A includes the host team Assam, along with West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Nagaland, and Rajasthan. Meanwhile, Group B consists of Kerala, Services, Punjab, Odisha, Railways, and Meghalaya.

Assam has secured a direct spot in the Final Rounds as the host, while West Bengal and Kerala qualified automatically by finishing as the winners and runners-up of the previous 2024-25 season. 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. The quarter-finals are scheduled for February 2 and 3, followed by the semi-finals on February 5, and the grand final on February 8.

Here’s the draw for the 79th National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy 2025-26 Final Round:

Group A: Assam (hosts), West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Nagaland, Rajasthan.

Group B: Kerala, Services, Punjab, Odisha, Railways, Meghalaya.