Assam to host Santosh Trophy 2025-26 final round in January

NEW DELHI — The final round of the 79th National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy 2025-26 will be held in Assam in January 2026. The group stages will take place across nine venues from December 15 to 26, 2025.

Thirty-five teams will contest the group stage, consisting of nine groups (eight groups with four teams and one group with three). The group winners will join hosts Assam, last season's champions West Bengal and runners-up Kerala in the 12-team final round that will be hosted in Dhakuakhana and Dhemaji.

The last time Assam hosted the Santosh Trophy final round was in the 2010-11 season when West Bengal defeated Manipur to lift the trophy in Guwahati.

Also read: NFA announces 35-player shortlist for Santosh Trophy coaching camp

79th National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy 2025-26 Group Stage Fixtures:

Group A (hosted in Mahilpur, Punjab): Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Punjab

December 15: Jammu & Kashmir vs Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh vs Punjab

December 17: Himachal Pradesh vs Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh vs Punjab

December 19: Ladakh vs Himachal Pradesh, Punjab vs Jammu & Kashmir

Group B (hosted in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh): Chandigarh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand

December 16: Uttarakhand vs Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh vs Haryana

December 18: Haryana vs Uttarakhand, Chandigarh vs Uttar Pradesh

December 20: Chandigarh vs Haryana, Uttarakhand vs Uttar Pradesh

Group C (hosted in Delhi): Bihar, Jharkhand, Railways, Delhi

December 15: Bihar vs Railways, Jharkhand vs Delhi

December 17: Railways vs Jharkhand, Delhi vs Bihar

December 19: Bihar vs Jharkhand, Delhi vs Railways

Group D (hosted in Agartala, Tripura): Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura

December 15: Mizoram vs Nagaland, Manipur vs Tripura

December 17: Nagaland vs Manipur, Tripura vs Mizoram

December 19: Manipur vs Mizoram, Nagaland vs Tripura

Group E (Shillong, Meghalaya): Meghalaya, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh

December 19: Meghalaya vs Sikkim

December 21: Sikkim vs Arunachal Pradesh

December 23: Arunachal Pradesh vs Meghalaya

Group F (hosted in Narainpur, Chhattisgarh): Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana

December 22: Odisha vs Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh vs Telangana

December 24: Telangana vs Odisha, Madhya Pradesh vs Chhattisgarh

December 26: Madhya Pradesh vs Telangana, Chhattisgarh vs Odisha

Group G (hosted in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh): Andaman & Nicobar, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry

December 17: Andaman & Nicobar vs Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh vs Pondicherry

December 19: Tamil Nadu vs Andhra Pradesh, Pondicherry vs Andaman & Nicobar

December 21: Andaman & Nicobar vs Andhra Pradesh, Pondicherry vs Tamil Nadu

Group H (hosted in Bengaluru, Karnataka): Goa, Karnataka, Lakshadweep, Services

December 20: Goa vs Services, Karnataka vs Lakshadweep

December 22: Lakshadweep vs Goa, Services vs Karnataka

December 24: Lakshadweep vs Services, Goa vs Karnataka

Group I (hosted in Jaipur, Rajasthan): Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu

December 17: Gujarat vs Maharashtra, DNH & DD vs Rajasthan

December 19: Maharashtra vs DNH & DD, Rajasthan vs Gujarat

December 21: DNH & DD vs Gujarat, Maharashtra vs Rajasthan