Picture Credit: Twitter
The Hero 75th National Stadium Football Championship for Santosh Trophy is all set to kick start on Saturday, April 16 at Kottappadi Football Stadium in Malappuram. As per reports, all the matches in the tournament are set to be held across two venues in Malappuram - the Manjeri Payyanaad Stadium and the Kottappadi Stadium.
The final of the championship for the Santosh Trophy will take place on May 2 at the Manjeri Payyanaad. A total of ten teams will participate in the tournament, with old foes West Bengal and Punjab set to face each other in the season's opener. The 10 teams have been divided into two groups of five each, with the top two teams from each group set to proceed to the semi-finals (April 28th & 29th).
It is to be noted that the government of Kerala is providing all the logistical and infrastructural aid for the Championship. Let's take look at all the specific details regarding Hero 75th National Stadium Football Championship for Santosh Trophy.
Groups
Group A: Meghalaya, Punjab, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Kerala
Group B: Gujarat, Karnataka, Odisha, Services, Manipur
Venue
The tournament will take place across two venues - Payyanad Sports Complex at Manjeri & Kottappadi Stadium in Malappuram
Fixtures:
Group A: Meghalaya, Punjab, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Kerala
| April 16, | 9:30 AM | West Bengal vs Punjab | KFS |
| April 16 | 8 PM | Kerala vs Rajasthan | MPFS |
| April 18 | 4 PM | Rajasthan vs Meghalaya | KFS |
| April 18 | 8 PM | Kerala vs West Bengal, | MPFS |
| April 20 | 4 PM | Punjab vs Rajasthan, | KFS |
| April 20 | 8 PM | Meghalaya vs Kerala | MPFS |
| April 22 | 4 PM | West Bengal vs Meghalaya | KFS |
| April 22 | 8 PM | Punjab vs Kerala, | MPFS |
| April 24 | 4 PM | Rajasthan vs West Bengal | KFS |
| April 24 | 8 PM | Meghalaya vs Punjab | MPFS |
Group B: Gujarat, Karnataka, Odisha, Services, Manipur
| April 17, | 8 PM | Manipur vs Services | MPFS |
| April 17 | 8 PM | Manipur vs Services, | MPFS |
| April 19 | 4 PM | Services vs Gujarat | KFS |
| April 19 | 8 PM | Manipur vs Odisha | MPFS |
| April 21 | 4 PM | Gujarat vs Manipur | KFS |
| April 21 | 8 PM | Karnataka vs Services, | MPFS |
| April 23 | 4 PM | Karnataka vs Manipur | KFS |
| April 23 | 8 PM | Odisha vs Gujarat | MPFS |
| April 25 | 4 PM | Services vs Odisha | KFS |
| April 25 | 8 PM | Gujarat vs Karnataka | MPFS |
Semi-Finals
April 28, 8 PM: Winner Group A vs Runners-up Group B, MPFS
April 29, 8 PM: Winner Group B vs Runners-up Group A, MPFS
Final
May 2, 8 PM: Winner Match 21 vs Winner Match 22