The 79th National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy 2025–26 is set to return to Assam, with the Final Round scheduled for January 2026. The Group Stage will precede the finals, running from December 15 to 26, 2025, across nine venues nationwide.
A total of 35 teams will compete in the Group Stage, divided into nine groups—eight groups featuring four teams each, and one group comprising three teams. The winners of each group will progress to the Final Round, where they will join hosts Assam, defending champions West Bengal, and runners-up Kerala, completing a 12-team final lineup.
Dhakuakhana and Dhemaji will serve as the host cities for the decisive phase.
The last time Assam hosted the Santosh Trophy Final Round was in the 2010–11 season, when West Bengal triumphed over Manipur in Guwahati to lift the title.
79th National Football Championship – Group Stage Fixtures
GROUP A – Mahilpur, Punjab
Teams: Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Punjab
December 15
• 1:00 PM – Jammu & Kashmir vs Ladakh
• 4:00 PM – Himachal Pradesh vs Punjab
December 17
• 1:00 PM – Himachal Pradesh vs Jammu & Kashmir
• 4:00 PM – Ladakh vs Punjab
December 19
• 1:00 PM – Ladakh vs Himachal Pradesh
• 4:00 PM – Punjab vs Jammu & Kashmir
GROUP B – Meerut, Uttar Pradesh
Teams: Chandigarh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand
December 16
• 1:00 PM – Uttarakhand vs Chandigarh
• 4:00 PM – Uttar Pradesh vs Haryana
December 18
• 1:00 PM – Haryana vs Uttarakhand
• 4:00 PM – Chandigarh vs Uttar Pradesh
December 20
• 1:00 PM – Chandigarh vs Haryana
• 4:00 PM – Uttarakhand vs Uttar Pradesh
GROUP C – Delhi
Teams: Bihar, Jharkhand, Railways, Delhi
December 15
• 1:00 PM – Bihar vs Railways
• 4:00 PM – Jharkhand vs Delhi
December 17
• 1:00 PM – Railways vs Jharkhand
• 4:00 PM – Delhi vs Bihar
December 19
• 1:00 PM – Bihar vs Jharkhand
• 4:00 PM – Delhi vs Railways
GROUP D – Agartala, Tripura
Teams: Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura
December 15
• 1:00 PM – Mizoram vs Nagaland
• 4:00 PM – Manipur vs Tripura
December 17
• 1:00 PM – Nagaland vs Manipur
• 4:00 PM – Tripura vs Mizoram
December 19
• 1:00 PM – Manipur vs Mizoram
• 4:00 PM – Nagaland vs Tripura
GROUP E – Shillong, Meghalaya
Teams: Meghalaya, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh
(Three-team group; only one match per day)
December 19 – 1:00 PM
Meghalaya vs Sikkim
December 21 – 1:00 PM
Sikkim vs Arunachal Pradesh
December 23 – 1:00 PM
Arunachal Pradesh vs Meghalaya
GROUP F – Narainpur, Chhattisgarh
Teams: Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana
December 22
• 1:00 PM – Odisha vs Madhya Pradesh
• 4:00 PM – Chhattisgarh vs Telangana
December 24
• 1:00 PM – Telangana vs Odisha
• 4:00 PM – Madhya Pradesh vs Chhattisgarh
December 26
• 1:00 PM – Madhya Pradesh vs Telangana
• 4:00 PM – Chhattisgarh vs Odisha
GROUP G – Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh
Teams: Andaman & Nicobar, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry
December 17
• 1:00 PM – Andaman & Nicobar vs Tamil Nadu
• 4:00 PM – Andhra Pradesh vs Pondicherry
December 19
• 1:00 PM – Tamil Nadu vs Andhra Pradesh
• 4:00 PM – Pondicherry vs Andaman & Nicobar
December 21
• 1:00 PM – Andaman & Nicobar vs Andhra Pradesh
• 4:00 PM – Pondicherry vs Tamil Nadu
GROUP H – Bengaluru, Karnataka
Teams: Goa, Karnataka, Lakshadweep, Services
December 20
• 1:00 PM – Goa vs Services
• 4:00 PM – Karnataka vs Lakshadweep
December 22
• 1:00 PM – Lakshadweep vs Goa
• 4:00 PM – Services vs Karnataka
December 24
• 1:00 PM – Lakshadweep vs Services
• 4:00 PM – Goa vs Karnataka
GROUP I – Jaipur, Rajasthan
Teams: Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, DNH & DD
December 17
• 1:00 PM – Gujarat vs Maharashtra
• 4:00 PM – DNH & DD vs Rajasthan
December 19
• 1:00 PM – Maharashtra vs DNH & DD
• 4:00 PM – Rajasthan vs Gujarat
December 21
• 1:00 PM – DNH & DD vs Gujarat
• 4:00 PM – Maharashtra vs Rajasthan