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Santosh Trophy 2025-26 Group Stage: Teams, Groups and Fixtures

Get the full Santosh Trophy 2025-26 group stage breakdown, including all teams, groups, fixtures, venues and schedule for the National Football Championship.

Moinak Banerjee

Last updated: 28.11.2025

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4 min read

The group stages of the 79th edition of the National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy 2025-26 will kick off on 15th December 2025, with 35 teams competing for the coveted title. The group stage consists of nine groups, with eight groups containing four teams and only one having three teams. Only 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 group stage will be played across nine venues and will conclude on 26 December 2025, with the Final Round starting in January 2026.

Group A will be hosted in Mahilpur, Punjab, containing Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh and eight-time winners Punjab. Chandigarh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand are placed in Group B with the matches scheduled to be played in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. 1944-45 winners Delhi will host the Group C matches with Bihar, Jharkhand and three-time champions Railways as their opposition, whereas Group D matches will be played in Agartala with Mizoram, Nagaland, 2002-03 winners Manipur and group host Tripura going against each other. Group E is the only team with three sides, containing 2022–23 runners-up Meghalaya, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, with the former hosting the games in Shillong.

Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana form Group F with the matches set to be played in Narainpur in Chhattisgarh. Group G consist of Andaman & Nicobar, the 1965-66 winners and group host Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry, with the games played in Anantapur. Group H might be the group of death with three previous winners of the competition in the same group, namely Goa, Karnataka and Services, alongside minnows Lakshadweep, with matches hosted in Bengaluru. Meanwhile, Jaipur will host the final group, Group I, with four-time winners Maharashtra going against Gujarat, Rajasthan and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.

Group A

Himachal Pradesh

Jammu & Kashmir

Ladakh

Punjab

Fixtures & Schedule

15 December 2025

Jammu & Kashmir vs Ladakh

Himachal Pradesh vs Punjab

17 December 2025

Himachal Pradesh vs Jammu & Kashmir

Ladakh vs Punjab

19 December 2025

Ladakh vs Himachal Pradesh

Punjab vs Jammu & Kashmir

(All matches to be played in Mahilpur, Punjab)

Group B

Chandigarh

Haryana

Uttar Pradesh

Uttarakhand

Fixtures & Schedule

16 December 2025

Uttarakhand vs Chandigarh

Uttar Pradesh vs Haryana

18 December 2025

Haryana vs Uttarakhand

Chandigarh vs Uttar Pradesh

20 December 2025

Chandigarh vs Haryana

Uttarakhand vs Uttar Pradesh

(All matches to be played in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh)

Group C

Bihar

Jharkhand

Railways

Delhi

Fixtures & Schedule

15 December 2025

Bihar vs Railways

Jharkhand vs Delhi

17 December 2025

Railways vs Jharkhand

Delhi vs Bihar

19 December 2025

Bihar vs Jharkhand

Delhi vs Railways

(All matches to be played in Delhi)

Group D

Mizoram

Nagaland

Manipur

Tripura

Fixtures & Schedule

15 December 2025

Mizoram vs Nagaland

Manipur vs Tripura

17 December 2025

Nagaland vs Manipur

Tripura vs Mizoram

19 December 2025

Manipur vs Mizoram

Nagaland vs Tripura

(All games will be played in Agartala, Tripura)

Group E

Meghalaya

Sikkim

Arunachal Pradesh

Fixtures & Schedule

19 December 2025

Meghalaya vs Sikkim

21 December 2025

Sikkim vs Arunachal Pradesh

23 December 2025

Arunachal Pradesh vs Meghalaya

(All games will be played in Shillong, Meghalaya)

Group F

Odisha

Madhya Pradesh

Chhattisgarh

Telangana

Fixtures & Schedule

22 December 2025

Odisha vs Madhya Pradesh

Chhattisgarh vs Telangana

24 December 2025

Telangana vs Odisha

Madhya Pradesh vs Chhattisgarh

26 December 2025

Madhya Pradesh vs Telangana

Chhattisgarh vs Odisha

(All games will be played in Narainpur, Chhattisgarh)

Group G

Andaman & Nicobar

Andhra Pradesh

Tamil Nadu

Pondicherry

Fixtures & Schedule

17 December 2025

Andaman & Nicobar vs Tamil Nadu

Andhra Pradesh vs Pondicherry

19 December 2025

Tamil Nadu vs Andhra Pradesh

Pondicherry vs Andaman & Nicobar

21 December 2025

Andaman & Nicobar vs Andhra Pradesh

Pondicherry vs Tamil Nadu

(All games will be played in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh)

Group H

Goa

Karnataka

Lakshadweep

Services

Fixtures & Schedule

20 December 2025

Goa vs Services

Karnataka vs Lakshadweep

22 December 2025

Lakshadweep vs Goa

Services vs Karnataka

24 December 2025

Lakshadweep vs Services

Goa vs Karnataka

(All games will be played in Bengaluru, Karnataka)

Group I

Maharashtra

Gujarat

Rajasthan

Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu

Fixtures & Schedule

17 December 2025

Gujarat vs Maharashtra

DNH & DD vs Rajasthan

19 December 2025

Maharashtra vs DNH & DD

Rajasthan vs Gujarat

21 December 2025

DNH & DD vs Gujarat

Maharashtra vs Rajasthan

(All games will be played in Jaipur, Rajasthan)

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