Assam set to host 79th Santosh Trophy as national football returns to the heartland

The 79th National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy is set to kick off with Assam hosting the prestigious tournament for the seventh time in its long and storied history. 

All matches will be streamed live on FIFA+, expanding the tournament’s reach to football fans across the country and beyond.

Known as the land of the Brahmaputra and the one-horned rhinoceros, Assam has been at the forefront of taking football to the grassroots. The state first hosted the Santosh Trophy in Nowgong in the 1959–60 season, followed by another edition in 1969–70, with four more editions successfully staged in Guwahati. This time, the championship moves deeper into the hinterland, offering football enthusiasts the chance to witness top national talent in Dhakuakhana near Lakhimpur and Dhemaji on the northern bank of the Brahmaputra, as well as in Silapathar.

Often described as the bedrock of Indian football, the Santosh Trophy has seen teams from across the country compete through a rigorous qualification process. For the current edition, state teams were divided into nine groups in the qualifying rounds, with group winners earning a place in the final phase. Hosts Assam and last season’s finalists West Bengal and Kerala were directly seeded into the final round and exempted from the initial group-stage fixtures. The final round features 12 teams, divided into two groups of six.

Group A comprises reigning champions West Bengal, hosts Assam, Nagaland, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Tamil Nadu. Group B features Railways, Services, runners-up Kerala, Punjab, Meghalaya and Odisha.

The top four teams from the group stage will advance to the knockout quarter-finals scheduled for February 2 and 3, 2026. The semi-finals will be played on February 5, with the final set for February 8, 2026.

In Group A, West Bengal stand out as the most decorated side, having won the Santosh Trophy 33 times and finished runners-up on 14 occasions. Tamil Nadu have reached the final twice, while Assam, Nagaland, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand are yet to make an appearance in the title match.

Group B presents a highly competitive field, featuring four former champions and one former runner-up. Punjab have lifted the trophy eight times and finished second on eight occasions. Kerala boast seven titles and nine runners-up finishes, while Services have claimed the championship seven times and finished second five times. Railways have won the title three times and been runners-up on six occasions. Meghalaya have finished runners-up once, while Odisha are yet to reach the final.

The qualification stage offered a glimpse of the intense competition that lies ahead. Punjab topped their group with a perfect record, winning all matches against Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Himachal Pradesh. Uttarakhand secured maximum points in their group with victories over Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Chandigarh.

Railways topped their group with seven points after a draw against Delhi and wins over Jharkhand and Bihar. Nagaland also finished with seven points, defeating Manipur and Mizoram and drawing with Tripura to top their group. Meghalaya qualified from their three-team group after beating Arunachal Pradesh and narrowly missing out against Sikkim, advancing on the basis of superior head-to-head goals.

Odisha progressed by winning all three of their group matches against Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, while Tamil Nadu topped their group with nine points after defeating Pondicherry, Andhra Pradesh and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Services emerged from a tough group with wins over Goa, Karnataka and Lakshadweep, while Rajasthan qualified with seven points following a draw with Gujarat and victories over Maharashtra and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.

The absence of former champions Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka from the final round has been one of the major talking points of this edition. However, it also reflects the rising standard of football across the country, with emerging teams increasingly capable of challenging and displacing traditional powerhouses.

With the competitive net cast wider than ever, the stage is set for closely fought encounters in both groups. The Santosh Trophy has a rich tradition of producing thrilling and closely contested matches, and the current edition is expected to continue that legacy.

Large crowds are anticipated at the venues, with football lovers from neighbouring states traditionally turning out in big numbers. The presence of teams from Assam, Nagaland and Meghalaya is expected to add to the intensity, with passionate support ensuring high-voltage atmospheres in the stands.

Over the decades, the Santosh Trophy has produced many legends of Indian football, serving as a vital platform for emerging talent. With teams well prepared for intense battles, anticipation is running high as the 2025–26 Santosh Trophy Final Round awaits kickoff.