New Delhi, Jan 14 (IANS): The fixtures for the 77th National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy 2023-24 Final Rounds were announced on Sunday. The tournament will take place in Yupia, Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, from February 21 to March 9. All matches will take place at the Golden Jubilee Stadium.
Twelve teams were divided into two groups of six each in the draw conducted in November. Hosts Arunachal Pradesh, last season's champions Karnataka and finalists Meghalaya qualified automatically for the Final Round. The rest nine spots were booked by the six group stage winners (Goa, Delhi, Manipur, Assam, Services and Maharashtra), and the three best second-placed teams (Kerala, Mizoram and Railways).
Meghalaya, hoping to recreate their sensational run into the final last year, will take on Services in the opening match of Group A on February 21 at 10:00 IST. Former champions Kerala will meet Assam at 14:30. Arunachal Pradesh, hosting the Santosh Trophy for the first time, will get their campaign underway against Goa at 19:00 IST on the same day.
Group B will kick off on February 22, with Karnataka taking on Delhi to get their title defence underway at 10:00. Manipur and Railways will meet at 14:30 before Maharashtra face Mizoram at 19:00 to wrap up the opening round of fixtures.
The new format for the tournament will see an expanded knockout stage, with the top four teams from each group progressing to the quarter-finals, scheduled for March 4 and 5. The semi-final will take place on March 7 before the all-important final on March 9 at 19:00 IST.
The 77th National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy 2023-24 Final Rounds fixtures:
Group A: Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Goa, Assam, Services, Kerala
Group B: Karnataka, Maharashtra, Delhi, Manipur, Mizoram, Railways
Fixtures:
February 21: Meghalaya vs Services (10 am), Assam vs Kerala (2.30 pm), Goa vs Arunachal Pradesh (7 pm).
February 22: Delhi vs Karnataka (10 am), Manipur vs Railways (2.30 pm), Maharashtra vs Mizoram (7 pm).
February 23: Arunachal Pradesh vs Services (10 am), Meghalaya vs Assam (2.30 pm), Goa vs Kerala (7 pm).
February 24: Karnataka vs Mizoram (10 am), Maharashtra vs Manipur (2.30 pm), Delhi vs Railways (7 pm).
February 25: Services vs Goa (10 am), Kerala vs Meghalaya (2.30 pm), Arunachal Pradesh vs Assam (7 pm).
February 26: Mizoram vs Delhi (10 am), Railways vs Maharashtra (2.30 pm), Karnataka vs Manipur (7 pm).
February 28: Assam vs Services (10 am), Kerala vs Arunachal Pradesh (2.30 pm), Meghalaya vs Goa (7 pm).
February 29: Manipur vs Mizoram (10 am), Railways vs Karnataka (2.30 pm), Maharashtra vs Delhi (7 pm).
March 1: Services vs Kerala (10 am), Goa vs Assam (2.30 pm), Arunachal Pradesh vs Meghalaya (7 pm).
March 2: Mizoram vs Railways (10 am), Delhi vs Manipur (2.30 pm), Karnataka vs Maharashtra (7 pm).
Quarter-finals:
March 4: Group A Position 1 vs Group B Position 4 (2.30 pm), Group A Position 2 vs Group B Position 3 (7 pm).
March 5: Group B Position 1 vs Group A Position 4 (2.30 pm), Group B Position 2 vs Group A Position 3 (7 pm).
Semi-finals:
March 7: Winners QF 1 vs Winners QF 4 (2.30 pm), Winners QF 3 vs Winners QF 2 (7 pm).
Final: March 9: Winners SF 1 vs Winners SF 2 (7 pm).