Shillong/Guwahati: Meghalaya will have to deliver top-class performances after being drawn into a formidable Group B for the final round of the 79th Senior Men’s National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy 2025–26. The draw, conducted on 31 December at the All India Football Federation (AIFF) headquarters in New Delhi, has placed Meghalaya alongside Kerala, Services, Punjab, Odisha and Railways.
The final round, to be hosted by Assam from 21 January, will feature 12 teams divided into two groups of six. Group A consists of hosts Assam, defending champions West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Nagaland and Rajasthan.
Group B is packed with pedigree. Kerala, last season’s runners-up, are multiple-time champions, most recently in 2021–22. Services lifted the title in 2023–24 and knocked Meghalaya out in the quarterfinals of the 2024–25 edition. Punjab last won in 2007–08 but have been runners-up three times since, while Railways’ last title came 60 years ago, though they finished second in 2013–14. Meghalaya and Odisha are yet to win the crown, with Meghalaya’s best result being a runners-up finish in 2022–23 under current head coach Khlain Pyrkhat Syiemlieh.
Meghalaya qualified for the final round after topping a tough preliminary group featuring Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. Despite the festive season, the squad has been training hard and will aim to go one step further this year.
Assam qualified directly as hosts, while West Bengal and Kerala earned automatic entry as winners and runners-up of the 2024–25 edition. The top four teams from each group will advance to the knockout stage, with the quarterfinals set for 2–3 February, semifinals on 5 February and the final on 8 February.
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