The 2025-26 Senior Men’s National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy will be the 79th edition of the competition. This edition is groundbreaking in tournament history, as the AIFF has introduced a new rule affecting state squad selections. The new player eligibility rule, effective from this edition, was implemented by the AIFF Competitions Committee. It states that only players born within the territory of a member association are eligible to represent that state in national football championships. This move was made to use the competition to develop local talents, barring teams from fielding out-of-state players, except the two institutional teams, Railways and Services. Up to two players can be registered under the Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) or Players of Indian Origin (PIO) category.
Each member association or states are allowed to register a maximum of 40 players. However, it has been decided that the squad size for the Santosh Trophy will be reinstated to 22 players for each stage of the championship. That includes a minimum of two goalkeepers. The final selection of players from the Final Round of the Santosh Trophy shall be made from the initial list of 40 players registered before the group stage. Additions of further players outside of the list are not permitted. AIFF hopes this will ensure competitive balance in the competition. The first round of the Santosh Trophy begins on 15 December 2025, with 38 teams competing to qualify for the Final Round, where last edition’s winners West Bengal, runners-up Kerala and the round host Assam have received a direct entry.
Here is the full squad list of all teams in the first round of the 2025-26 Santosh Trophy
Group A
Jammu and Kashmir
Goalkeepers: Nirdosh Sagorta, Furqan Ahmad Dar
Defenders: Md Sajid Dhot, Zubair Ahad Akhoon, Fayaz Bhat, Urfan Bhat, Shahid Nazir
Midfielders: Shahmeer Tariq, Shakir Ahmad Sheikh, Ahteeb Dar, Adnan Ayub, Hyder Yousuf, Talib Nazir, Basit Bhat, Hayat Bashir
Forwards: Waris Amin, Sahil Khurshid, Aakif Javed, Md Asrar Rehbar, Mohammad Inam
Head Coach: Ishfaq Ahmed
Ladakh
Goalkeepers: Tsewang Norboo, Stanzin Dawa
Defenders: Tsewang Rahula, Stanzin Wangdan, Tsering Namgial, Imran Ali
Midfielders: Tsewang Sangdup, Stanzin Jigmet, Stanzin Gacho, Altaf Hussain, Mohd Hussain, Padma Wangchok
Forwards: Jigmet Stanzin, Mohammad Hassnain, Imran Hassan, Mohmad Ilyas, Abid Ali, Arif Hussain, Tsewang Chosphel, Rahula Dorjey
Others: Stanzin Sangyas, Stanzin Chosphel, Asif Ali
Head Coach: Tony Thomas
Himachal Pradesh
Goalkeepers: Aditya Kumar, Rahat Wadhawon
Defenders: Sahil, Shameer Khan, Dheeraj Datta, Ayush, Shivan Thakur, Mangat Thakur
Midfielders: Shivam Thakur, Tarun Kumar, Aditya Sindhi, Abhishek Pathania, Hritik Sharma, Vishal Thakur, Ankit Kashyap, Akshay Kumar, Sagar
Forwards: Hemant Thakur, Shubham, Aditya Koundal
Head Coach: Vipin Kumar
Punjab
Goalkeepers: Satbir Singh Dhaliwal, Karandeep Singh, Amit
Defenders: Sangamdeep Singh, Ekmeet Singh, Akashmaan Chaudhary, Harpreet Singh, Harjit
Midfielders: Abhishek Rattu, Arshvir Singh, Damanpreet Singh, Sandeep Singh, Harmandeep Singh, Kamaldeep
Forwards: Palwinder Singh, Himanshu Jangra, Jatinder Singh Rana, Akashdeep Singh, Gurdeep Singh, Gaurav
Head Coach: Jaswant Singh Parmar
Group B
Chandigarh
Squad: Harry, Anto V, Gaurav, Raman Singh, Jatin Yadav, Bhupender, Karanvir Singh, Utkarsh, Manveer Singh, Virender Singh, Pradeep Kumar, Udayveer Singh Sran, Navjot Singh, Abhinav
Head Coach: Ashish Malik
Uttarakhand
Goalkeepers: Aayush Deshwal, Harshit Bisht, Saurav Negi
Defenders: Ajay Bisht, Neeraj Bhandari, Shashank Rana, Akshay Thapa, Rahul Singh Bora, Abhishek Rawat, Hitik Walia
Midfielders: Ajendra Singh, Gaurav Rawat, Navin Rawat, Rajender Singh, Shashwat Panwar, Bharat Mehra
Forwards: Pravesh Bisht, Nirmal Singh, Anurag Singh, Bhupender Singh
Head Coach: Jatin Singh
Haryana
Goalkeepers: Gurjeet Singh, Aman Kumar
Defenders: Chaman, Suraj Vijay, Sanjay, Prince Kumar, Deepak, Rakshit
Midfielders: Mukesh, Sahil, Asish, Ankit, Parv Arora, Hitesh, Anurag
Forwards: Jeevesh, Vineet, Nirbhay Thapa, Hitesh Kadian
Head Coach: Sudharshan Singh
Uttar Pradesh
Goalkeepers: Anuj Kumar, Ghano Shyam Shee
Defenders: Mukesh Gupta, Rupesh Yadav, Arjun Amist, Satendra Singh Yadav, Mohammed Areeb, Aditya Singh, Aman Gaur
Midfielders: Yashraj Thapa, Tejas Pathak, Mohammed Anas, Mohd Tarik Ansari, Divyanshu Verma, Suhel Khan, Asif Khan, Sunny Kumar
Forwards: Ashish Verma, Akash Tiwari, Mohammad Tauseef
Head Coach: Irfan Zama Khan
Group C
Railways
Goalkeepers: Jaskaranbir Singh, Christurajan T
Defenders: Sukhandeep Singh, Urjoy Brahma, Faseen PK, Saurabh Bhanwala, Prabin Tigga, Abhinash Singh, Akashdeep Singh
Midfielders: Prabik Ghising, Sufiyan Shaikh, Pacha Singh, Imarson Meitei, Adwin Tirkey, Joel Beckham Simon
Forwards: Raheem K, Johnson Mathews, Kamalesh P, Naresh B, Muhammed Safnad
Head Coach: Paritosh Kumar Sharma
Jharkhand
Goalkeepers: Budheswar Hansda
Defenders: Pawan Kumar, Somra Munda, Kishan Sardar, Samir Murmu, Sanjay Murmu, Kaushik Das, Md Zaid Hassan, Satish Soren, Ejaj Quraishi
Midfielders: Aashaman Hembrom, Thakur Das, Somchand Hansda, Sumit Kujur, Vishal Mahato
Forwards: Nikhil Barla, Mohammad Mobashir, Rohit Tigga, Daksh Kumar Mahli, Manoj Marandi
Head Coach: Ranjit Kumar Halder
Delhi
Goalkeepers: Nitesh Mehra, Karan Makkar
Defenders: Milind Negi, Aryan, Sumit, Nitin Bhandari, Biswadev Basumatary, Zahid Zahoor, Abhishek Baxla
Midfielders: Himanshu Rai, Letginlal Singson, Rahul Rawat, Prananjay Singh, KS Shikhar, Rajeshwor Singh
Forwards: Ashu, Piyush Bhandari, Ejaj, Manav Sharma, Dhruv Sharma
Head Coach: Dipankur Sharma
Bihar
Goalkeepers: Sunny Raj, Kulveer Singh
Defenders: Omnarayan Kumar, Sarwar Ali, Anil Kumar, Irfan Alam, Shankar Kumar, Shubham Singh
Midfielders: Karan Prajapati, Babulal Soren, Rakesh Ranjan, Sunny Kumar, Rahul Pv Santhosh, Rajan Kumar
Forwards: Tauhid Ahmad, Piyush Sikarwar, Bijay Hembrom, Anand Kumar, Sandeep Yadav, Deepak Kumar Singh
Head Coach: Sanjoy Kumar Dey
Group D
Tripura
Goalkeepers: Budha Debarma, Surajit Jamatia
Defenders: Aniket Jamatia, Sabat Jamatia, Raj Jamatia, Asif Ali, Sukanta Jana, Bittu Jamatia
Midfielders: Bhakta Jamatia, Venga Darlong, Dakheswari Singh, Santajoy Reang, Subham Debbarma
Forwards: Javeda Darlong, Debasish Roy, Bilash Debbarma, Pritam Sarkar, Amit Jamatia, John Jamatia
Head Coach: Dinesh Pradhan
Manipur
Goalkeepers: Paonam Singh, Abujam Singh
Defenders: Pritam Kumar, Shanti Kumar, NG. Jarish, Sadananda, Kabiraj, Mattan Ramrar, Amit Kumar, Rohit Takhelmayum
Midfielders: Amarjit Singh, Hemam Singh, CH. Akash, Loyanganba, M. Arif, Armstrong Ramungnao, PH.Sanathoi
Forwards: Dhanachandra, KH. Bidyasagar, L. Ronal
Head Coach: Kamei Rongmei
Nagaland
Goalkeepers: Ato T Awomi, Mengulhoukho Chalie, Chuba Nuchet Longkumer
Defenders: Thejangulie Zatsu, Moalong Jamir, Bokato Awomi, Namang Yimjong, Menoneikho Nakhro, Zarenthung Justin Ngullie, Benrithung
Midfielders: Ato Chophi, Ghuqhe Chishi, Bapenyimjong, Toka Achumi, Hivika Zhimo
Forwards: S Ayenmongba, Yhoto Lohe, Thulunso Yimchunger, Laiwang Bohham, Manton K Wangshu
Head Coach: Lavoriyi Theluo
Mizoram
Goalkeepers: Joel Lalramchhana, RS Lallawmzuala
Defenders: Stephen Lalrinfela, Lalchhanchhuaha, Lalhunruata, Lalhumhima, Lalbiakzuala Diltlang, Lalhmangaihsanga Farkawn, Ricky Venglai
Midfielders: Kiran Chhetri, Ricky Sangau, Champhai, Sailo Venglai, Robena Melbuk / Ramnunpuia Farkawn, Willis Siaha, Freddy Lalrinkima, Lalnunzira Sailo
Forwards: Lalthanzuala Lunglei, Bethlehem Vengthlang
Head Coach: Lalruatliana Sailo
Group E
Meghalaya
Goalkeepers: Wanteilang Malngiang, Banshanskhem Kharsyntiew, Nister Roy
Defenders: Wanboklang Lyngdoh, Apborlang Kurbah, Wilbert Marbaniang, Lohborlang Lyngkhoi, Allen Nongbri, Arlangky Nongsieg, Mebankhraw Wahlang
Midfielders: Hamedamanbha Wahlang, Riborlang Lyngkhoi, Babysunday Marngar, Dibromi Changlang, Mebanshngain Kurkalang, Fairming Suting, Robertson Khongriah, Hardy Nongbri, Kynsaibor Lhuid
Forwards: Shano Tariang, Deibormame Tongper, Dawanchwa Challam
Head Coach: Khlain Syiemlieh
Arunachal Pradesh
Goalkeepers: Jagom Loyi, Alakkho Lingi
Defenders: Techi Tatra, Yowa Takam, Akash Kino, Taw Tapu, Tania Raji, Jenko Gadi
Midfielders: Olik Tayeng, Joseph Yorpen, Toku Panung, Tobong Langkam, Takio Tadap, Hage Sarbo
Forwards: RD Karma, Midul Doley, Tarh Dolu, Vivek Gurung, Tagru James, Dorjee Tswang
Head Coach: Kipa Bharat
Sikkim
Goalkeepers: Abhjeet Subba, Pranup Limboo
Defenders: Narayan Chettri, Sagar Gurung, Kunal Tamang, Tshering Lepcha, Ongda Lepcha, Robin Nepal, Tsetan Bhutia
Midfielders: Raj Rai, Boxer Pradhan, Surag Chettri, Pranil Gurung, John Lepcha, Prashant Chetri, Bivek Bhutia, Kiran Gurung, Sailesh Pradhan
Forwards: Sanjay Rai, Sangay Bhutia
Head Coach: Gyaltshen Dorjee
Group F
Madhya Pradesh
Goalkeepers: Aman Kumar, Pranay Yadav
Defenders: Aryaman Tripathi, Suyash Kannojiya, Ritik Sarel, Yogesh Taram, Saif Khan, Aman Singh, Ritik Rajak, Gourav Bondhed, Sanjay Oraon
Midfielders: Rahul Yadav, Dupesh Kaushal, Shubhankar Roy, Priyam Singh, Shrey Rai, Lakshya Parihar
Forwards: Prajjwal Ahir, Anurag Mathur
Head Coach: Roopesh Singh
Chhattisgarh
Goalkeepers: Naveen Nayak, Prateek Kumar Singh
Defenders: Nitesh Yadav, Rajesh Kumar, Sanjay Vishwakarma, Somnath Bhuarya, Prakash Potai, Prakash Gupta, Nitesh Lakra, Rakesh Kumar
Midfielders: Pratham Sais, Niranjan Potai, Avishek Kunjam, Santosh Korram, Ajay Kumar Kashyap, Nitesh Gupta
Forwards: Ashok Kujur, Nirmal Munda, Praveen Kumar Netam
Head Coach: Santanu Ghosh
Odisha
Goalkeepers: Soumya Das, Sidhant Pradhan
Defenders: Rakesh Oram, Ashok Bag, Bishal Tigga, Abhinash Muduli, Pintu Samal, Hari Nayak, Manesh Hansda, Ranjan Soren
Midfielders: Arpan Lakra, Mohan Murmu, Gaurav Negi, Ganesh Sethi, Suresh Khadia, Arbin Lakra
Forwards: Jitu Muduli, Kartik Hantal, Srikant Gadaba, Raisen Tudu
Head Coach: Akshya Das
Telangana
Goalkeepers: Ishan Sarkar, Faizan Ahmed Ansari
Defenders: Bathala Sunil, Shashank Kanoujia, Mohammed Aman, Pitla Saiyashwanth, Ashish Marco, Saif Hussain Ansari, P Vinod Kumar
Midfielders: D I Dhanpal, Shaik Sadaan, Ch Aravind Reddy, Imran Ali, Tejavath Kartik, Shaikh Saleem, Syed Ahmed
Forwards: Syed Yousuf, Kunal Chhetri, Md Yousha, Karan Kumar Singh
Head Coach: Mohammed Zakeer Hussain
Group G
Tamil Nadu
Goalkeepers: Mohanraj K, Murugan
Defenders: R Karthikiyen, Henry Immanuel, Karthick Thirumalai, Henry Stalin, Boobalan, Harikrishnan M, Suraj Kumar P
Midfielders: Pandiyan Sinivasan, Ganesan, Mayakkannan, Jockson Dhas, S Prakadeswaran, Dinesh G, Mohamed Musharaf
Forwards: Nandha Kumar, Devadath S, Romario Jesuraj, Vineeth Velmurugan
Head Coach: Dharmaraj Ravanan
Andhra Pradesh
Goalkeepers: Naveen Kumar,
Defenders: Dova Silva, Babu Boya, V Venkatesh, Yerramsetty, Senapathi Pavan, Mellamkonda Narasimhudu, Boya Ranga Swamy
Midfielders: Shaikh Abdulla, Avva Vasu, Pradeep Kumar, Bhanukota Veera, Ramakrishana Pavan, Eswar Kumar, B Mahendra, Pagidipalli Ravi Kumar
Forwards: Satti Akshay, Nivas Kumar, B Achyuth, Subhash Babu
Head Coach: Shyam Ellimishetty
Pondicherry
Goalkeepers: Sreejith PR, Vikram
Defenders: Maniyasaran, Sunil C, Dhanush Kumar, Rajmohan, Aghin TS
Midfielders: Kumaran, Vignesh, Danush, Kangeyan, Nethaji, Ajmal MP, Hariganesh
Forwards: Madhan, Minnarasan
Others: Hariram, Harivarman, Mohanraj, Ajay Kumar
Head Coach: A Praveen
Andaman & Nicobar
Goalkeepers: Mohammed Irfan
Defenders: Morvin Moses, Mariya Immanuel, Jayant Barla, Avinash Bara, Vipul Ohadar
Midfielders: Simon, Abdul Aahil, Ashish Bhatrai, Lava, Ricky Ponting
Forwards: Mohd Basir, Mohammed Aakif, Abdul Anwar, Micah, Xavier Raj
Others: Mohammed Shafi, Rahul Kumar, Akash Ekka, Teophil Soy
Head Coach: Zuber Desai
Group H
Goa
Goalkeepers: Sanij Bugde, Crysler Afonso
Defenders: Tipanna Bhavikatti, Pratik Naik, Brian Faria, Reezvon Fernandes, Clemente Joseph, Kunal Kundaikar, Umang Gaikwad
Midfielders: Shridharnath Gawas, Denil Rebello, Narendra Naik, Ariston Costa, Vellington Fernandes, Arnold Oliveira, Stendly Fernandes, Selwyn Miranda, Salgeo Dias, Lloyd Cardozo
Forwards: Sankalp Kankonkar, Joshua Dsilva
Head Coach: Keenan Almeida
Karnataka
Goalkeepers: Sujay S, Sahil
Defenders: Subrahmanian, Kiran Saravanan, Arvind Babu G, Rajil Saji, Arjun Gouda, Ajith Arasu, Aby S
Midfielders: Godwin Johnson, Karthik Govindswamy, Louis Nickson, Arun Kumar D, Crispin Cleetus, Shreyas Ketkar, Manglenthang Singsit, Dhanush R
Forwards: Nikhil Raj, Rohen Singh, Vishal R
Head Coach: Ravi Babu Raju
Lakshadweep
Goalkeepers: Shameer Shaikh, Shafeeque, Afthab Raheem
Defenders: Mudassir Khan, Muhammed Khubaib, Mohammed Rafi, Sabirali Babu, Sayid Muhammed, Mohammed Shammas
Midfielders: Thafruque, Noorudheen, Nizamudheen, Mohammed Sinan, Shanawaz Khan, Mohammed Bilal
Forwards: Nizamudheen, Akhtarudheen, Mohammed Thouyyib, Abul Mazroor, Mohammed Aslam
Head Coach: CM Deepak
Services
Goalkeepers: Gagandeep Singh, Muhammed Shanoos PP
Defenders: Navjot Singh, Brijesh Singh, Maibam Singh, Samananda Singh, Boinao Singh, Harman Singh Sidhu, Commandant Singh, Jijo Jerone
Midfielders: Lalhmingchhuanga, Vijay J, Shubham Rana, Wangden Tamang, Vijay Marandi, Sadananda Singh, Akhish Cyril, Roshan Panna
Forwards: Zahir Khan, Abhishekh Powar
Head Coach: Govindaraju Ramachandran
Group I
Maharashtra
Goalkeepers: Pramjeetshing Baghel, Mukunthan Ravikumar
Defenders: Mohammad Huzaif, Sahil Meshram, Vishal Patil, Umesh Perambra, Darshan Shah, Abhishek Jadav, Sayyam Desai, Vinayak Hatti
Midfielders: Prabhu Pawar, Shivam Yadav, Miit Adekar, Harsh Utekar, Akash Nagarygoje, Rehan Mulla
Forwards: Aditya Chandane, Karan Bandare, Zeeshan Ahmed, Mohammad Owais
Head Coach: Santosh Kashyap
Gujarat
Goalkeepers: Shubham Chauhan, Vishal Dube
Defenders: Neeraj Kumar, Rudrarajsinh Jadeja, Brajeshkumar Yadav, Pradison Mariyadasan, Anirudhsinh Thakor, Dhiraj Prakash Meher, Yash Chudasama
Midfielders: Totan Das, Siddhanth Pranay, Moinuddin, Akshay Mall, Musamiyan Saiyed
Forwards: Jay Kanani, Rohit Chawla, Tufel Hingora, Shantanu Ningurkar, Dharmesh Parmar
Head Coach: Salim Akbar Pathan
Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu
Goalkeepers: Ubaid Ali, Vimal Mahala
Defenders: Ankit Singh, Irshan Hamad, Paul Raj, Rahul Laxman, Ammar Momin, Arun Yashvan Kuvara
Midfielders: Santu Pati, Jeff Fernando, Amit Verma, Hitesh Gangoda, Amaldev Panikar, Manas Rout
Forwards: Markus Bhurkud, Aniket Joseph, Hiren Gavit
Head Coach: Climax Lawrence
Rajasthan
Goalkeepers: Mohit Sikhwal, Dushyant Singh
Defenders: Aman Tyagi, Aditya Chahar, Altaf Hussain, Himmat Singh, Vishal Kaloshiya, Dushyant Chaudhary
Midfielders: Bappi Barman, Yash Vardhan Rajpurohit, Suveen Swami, Mohd Riyaz, Santosh Bishnoi, Angad Singh, Tanush Sharma, Chetan Choudhary
Forwards: Mukesh Kumar, Amit Kumar, Milan Poonia, Neeraj Nirwan
Head Coach: Lovekesh Sheria
