AIFF Media Team
NEW DELHI: The National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy breaks new ground every year. Quite literally. After a historic final four stage in Saudi Arabia where Karnataka were crowned champions after 54 years, the nation’s premier state tournament is set to be held in Arunachal Pradesh for the first time.
On March 9, 2024, after 18 days of uninterrupted action at the Golden Jubilee Stadium in Yupia, the Santosh Trophy will be lifted for the 77th time. 12 teams (nine qualifiers from the group stage and three automatic qualifiers – hosts Arunachal Pradesh and last year’s finalists Karnataka and Meghalaya) have been divided into two groups of six in the final round. A total of 37 matches will be played due to the expansion of the knockout stage, where the top four teams from each group will progress to the quarter-finals. The ongoing I-League 2 season has taken a break to allow players to represent their states in the Santosh Trophy.
AIFF Technical Committee chairperson Mr IM Vijayan said, “The importance of the Santosh Trophy cannot be stressed enough as it gives young players the chance to shine. Clubs can identify and unearth talent. It’s great to see the tournament spread to new places, and I can’t wait to come to Arunachal Pradesh and witness the excitement.”
