THE BLOG BY CPD FOOTBALL | The World of Indian football and beyond by Chris Punnakkattu Daniel

75th Hero Santosh Trophy NFC Zonals to get underway on November 21

The coveted Santosh Trophy. (Photo courtesy: AIFF Media)
The coveted Santosh Trophy. (Photo courtesy: AIFF Media)

The 75th edition of the Hero Santosh Trophy National Football Championship is just around the corner, as the states from across various parts of the country prepare for their respective zonal groups.

The teams from across India have been divided into groups across five zones – North Zone, West Zone, South Zone, East Zone, and the North-East Zone. The teams finishing at the top of their respective groups will then progress to the Final Round of the Hero Santosh Trophy, which is set to take place in Kerala, later this year.

East Zone

Group A: Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar

Fixtures:

December 1: Odisha vs Bihar, Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar

December 3: Bihar vs Jharkhand, Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar

December 5: Jharkhand vs Odisha, Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar

Group B: West Bengal, Sikkim, Chhattisgarh

Fixtures:

November 21: Chhattisgarh vs West Bengal, Kalyani Municipal Stadium, Kalyani

November 23: Sikkim vs Chhattisgarh, Kalyani Municipal Stadium, Kalyani

November 25: West Bengal vs Sikkim, Kalyani Municipal Stadium, Kalyani

North-East Zone

Group A: Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam

Fixtures:

November 28: Assam vs Meghalaya, JLN Stadium, Shillong.

November 30: Arunachal Pradesh vs Assam, JLN Stadium, Shillong.

December 2: Meghalaya vs Arunachal Pradesh, JLN Stadium, Shillong.

Group B: Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland.

Fixtures:

November 28: Manipur vs Nagaland, Khuman Lampak Stadium, Imphal

November 28: Mizoram vs Tripura, Khuman Lampak Stadium, Imphal

November 30: Tripura vs Manipur, Khuman Lampak Stadium, Imphal

November 30: Nagaland vs Mizoram, Khuman Lampak Stadium, Imphal

December 2: Tripura vs Nagaland, Khuman Lampak Stadium, Imphal

December 2: Manipur vs Mizoram, Khuman Lampak Stadium, Imphal

North Zone

Group A: Chandigarh, Services, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh

Fixtures:

November 21: Services vs Himachal Pradesh, Sports Complex, Sector 7, Chandigarh

November 21: J&K vs Chandigarh, Sports Complex, Sector 7, Chandigarh

November 23: Chandigarh vs UP, Sports Complex, Sector 7, Chandigarh

November 23: J&K vs Services, Sports Complex, Sector 7, Chandigarh

November 25: UP vs J&K, Sports Complex, Sector 7, Chandigarh

November 25: Himachal Pradesh vs Chandigarh, Sports Complex, Sector 7, Chandigarh

November 27: Himachal Pradesh vs J&K, Sports Complex, Sector 7, Chandigarh

November 27: Services vs UP, Sports Complex, Sector 7, Chandigarh

November 29: UP vs Himachal Pradesh, Sports Complex, Sector 7, Chandigarh

November 29: Chandigarh vs Services, Sports Complex, Sector 7, Chandigarh

Group B: Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand

Fixtures:

December 1: Delhii vs Uttarakhand, JLN Stadium, New Delhi

December 1: Punjab vs Haryana, JLN Stadium, New Delhi

December 3: Haryana vs Delhi, JLN Stadium, New Delhi

December 3: Uttarakhand vs Punjab, JLN Stadium, New Delhi

December 5: Haryana vs Uttarakhand, JLN Stadium, New Delhi

December 5: Delhi vs Punjab, JLN Stadium, New Delhi

West Zone

Group A: Gujarat, Goa, Daman & Diu, Dadra & Nagar Haveli

Fixtures:

November 24: Gujarat vs D&N, MK Bhavnagar University, Bhavnagar

November 24: Goa vs D&D, MK Bhavnagar University, Bhavnagar

November 26: D&D vs Gujarat, MK Bhavnagar University, Bhavnagar

November 26: D&N vs Goa, MK Bhavnagar University, Bhavnagar

November 28: D&D vs D&N, MK Bhavnagar University, Bhavnagar

November 28: Gujarat vs Goa, MK Bhavnagar University, Bhavnagar

Group B: Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh

December 1: MP vs Rajasthan, Poornima University, Jaipur

December 3: Maharashtra vs MP, Poornima University, Jaipur

December 3: Rajasthan vs Maharashtra, Poornima University, Jaipur

South Zone

Group A: Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu

Fixtures:

November 23: Karnataka vs Tamil Nadu, BFS, Bengaluru

November 23: Telangana vs Andhra Pradesh, BFS, Bengaluru

November 25: Andhra Pradesh vs Karnataka, BFS, Bengaluru

November 25: Tamil Nadu vs Telangana, BFS, Bengaluru

November 27: Andhra Pradesh vs Tamil Nadu, BFS, Bengaluru

November 27: Karnataka vs Telangana, BFS, Bengaluru

(AIFF Media)