Here's all you need to know about Santosh Trophy 2022

This will be the 75th edition of the prestigious tournament.

The National Football Championship or Santosh Trophy is all set to kick-off a brand new edition in God’s Own Country, Kerala. Over the years, the tournament has been a great platform for young footballers to showcase their talent and will continue to do so come its 75th edition.

The tournament will kick off on April 16 with West Bengal taking on their Punjab. The final will take place on May 2 at the Manjeri Payyanaad. It will be a 17-day extravaganza and will be played across two venues in Kerala’s Malappuram, with logistical and infrastructural aid from the Government of Kerala.

As India gears up to witness a new chapter of the tournament, Khel Now takes a look at everything you need to know about the 75th Santosh Trophy.

About the League

Santosh Trophy is a prestigious interstate domestic competition played by the state teams of the country alongside some government institutions. It has been a part of the Indian football calendar ever since 1941 and has successfully hosted 84 editions prior to the upcoming one.

In 1990, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) converted the Santosh Trophy into an U-23 football tournament to give the young players more game time. However, it couldn’t last for long and the tournament was reversed back to a senior competition after three seasons.

West Bengal are the most successful team having won a record 32 titles, while Services are the defending champions after they secured their sixth title in the previous edition.  This season, 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 28 and 29).

Venues

All the matches in the tournament will take place at two venues in Malappuram – the Manjeri Payyanaad Stadium, and the Kottappadi Stadium.

Santosh Trophy Groups & Fixtures

Group A: Meghalaya, Punjab, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Kerala

Group B: Gujarat, Karnataka, Odisha, Services, Manipur

Group A Fixtures

West Bengal 1-0 Punjab, Match Report

Kerala 5-0 Rajasthan, Match Report

Rajasthan 2-3 Meghalaya, Match Report

Kerala 2-0 West Bengal, Match Report

Punjab 4-0 Rajasthan, Match Report

Meghalaya 2-2 Kerala, Match Report

West Bengal 4-3 Meghalaya, Match Report

Punjab 1-2 Kerala, Match Report

Rajasthan 0-3 West Bengal, Match Report

Meghalaya 0-1 Punjab, Match Report

Group B Fixtures

Odisha 3-3 Karnataka

Manipur 3-0 Services

Services 3-1 Gujarat

Manipur 0-1 Odisha

Gujarat 0-2 Manipur, Match Report

Karnataka 1-0 Services, Match Report

Karnataka 0-3 Manipur, Match Report

Odisha 3-2 Gujarat, Match Report

Services 2-0 Odisha, Match Report

Gujarat 0-4 Karnataka, Match Report

Santosh Trophy Semi-Finals

Kerala 7-3 Karnataka, Match Report

Manipur 0-3 West Bengal

Santosh Trophy Final

Kerala 1-1 West Bengal (5-4), Match Report

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