ITANAGAR, Nov 30: The draw for the 77th National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy 2023-24 Final Round was conducted by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) in New Delhi today.
The 77th Santosh Trophy final round has tentatively been scheduled to be held in February - March 2024 at Yupia and Naharlagun.
12 teams have been divided into two groups of six each. 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 were placed in Group A. The new format for the tournament will see an expanded knockout stage, with the top four teams from each group progressing to the quarterfinals.
Arunachal Pradesh has been drawn in Group A alongside its Northeastern counterparts Meghalaya and Assam, besides Goa, Services and Kerala.
The Group B comprises Karnataka, Maharashtra, Delhi, Manipur, Mizoram, and Railways.
Arunachal Pradesh Football Association (APFA) secretary-cum-AIFF treasurer Kipa Ajay represented the APFA in the virtual meeting.
In his message, Kipa Ajay congratulated all the qualified teams of the final round and extended a warm welcome to Arunachal Pradesh. He further informed that being the host, APFA with the help of the state government has been working tirelessly to arrange everything in order for the championship and making the event successful as well as memorable for everyone.