Holders Kerala, Goa to play opening match of Hero Santosh Final Round in Bhubaneswar

by FC Admin February 7, 2023

NEW DELHI: The final round of the 76th National Football Championship for the Hero Santosh Trophy will begin on Friday, February 10, 2023 in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The opening day of action will feature three games from Group A.

Defending champions Kerala will take on Goa in the opening match at the Capital Football Arena at 9 AM IST. Later, Odisha, hosting the tournament for the first time since May 2012, will play Maharashtra, while eight-time champions Punjab battle it out against Karnataka at the 7th Battalion Ground; both matches set to kick off at 3 PM IST.

Group B, beginning the next day, features six teams as well, including direct final round entrants Railways and Services. They take on Manipur and Meghalaya, respectively, in their first matches. Last year’s runners-up West Bengal will start their final round campaign against Delhi.

Matches are set to take place in three venues – Capital Football Arena, 7th Battalion Ground and the Kalinga Stadium. The last round of group matches may be played simultaneously across the three stadiums depending upon the standings after the penultimate round of games.

The top two teams from both groups will progress to the knockout rounds (semi-final and final) to be held in Saudi Arabia.

Following are the Fixtures:

Group A: Kerala, Punjab, Goa, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Odisha.

Group B: West Bengal, Meghalaya, Delhi, Manipur, Services, Railways.

For full set of fixtures of the final round, visit – Fixture List

Also Read: India lose lead and match against Nepal in SAFF U-20 Women’s C’ship

Also Read: WIFA announce squad for Santosh Trophy final Round