Host Arunachal drawn in Group A
ITANAGAR, 30 Nov: The draw for the 77th National Football Championship for the FIFA Santosh Trophy 2023-24 final round was conducted at the Football House in New Delhi on Friday.
The dates for the Santosh Trophy have tentatively been fixed from 21 February to 9 March, 2024.
The participants include six group stage winners (Goa, Delhi, Manipur, Assam, Services and Maharashtra), three best second-placed teams (Kerala, Mizoram and Railways), and three automatic qualifiers – hosts Arunachal Pradesh, last season’s champions Karnataka, and finalists Meghalaya.
For the first time since its inception in 1941, the Santosh Trophy will be held in Arunachal Pradesh. The hosts have been placed in Group A, along with Meghalaya, Goa, Assam, Services and Kerala. Group B comprises Karnataka, Maharashtra, Delhi, Manipur, Mizoram and Railways.
The new format for the tournament will see an expanded knockout stage, with the top four teams from each group progressing to the quarterfinals.
AIFF acting secretary-general Satyanarayan M said, “It’s going to be a very special edition of the Santosh Trophy as we take the tournament to Arunachal Pradesh for the first time.
I thank our president Kalyan Chaubey, treasurer Kipa Ajay, and Chief Minister Pema Khandu for hosting the Santosh Trophy final round.”
Ajay, who was also present during the draw, informed that the Arunachal Pradesh Football Association, with the help of the state government, has been working tirelessly to make the event a grand success and memorable.
The matches will be played in Yupia and Naharlagun.
