Shillong (Meghalaya), Jan 2 : Meghalaya’s football team is gearing up for a tough battle in the 79th Senior Men’s National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy 2025-26. The team, led by coach Khlain Pyrkhat Syiemlieh, has been drawn in Group B with former champions Kerala, Services, Punjab, Odisha, and Railways.
The final round, hosted by Assam, kicks off on Jan 21, with 12 teams divided into two groups of six. Meghalaya’s opponents in Group B are formidable, with Kerala being the last year’s runners-up and Services winning the championship as recently as 2023-24.
Despite the tough competition, Meghalaya is determined to make a mark. The team had a tough fight in the preliminary group stage but managed to qualify for the final round after topping a group that included Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
The top four teams from each group will progress to the knockout stages, with the quarterfinals scheduled for February 2-3, semifinals on Feb 5, and the final on Feb 8.
