Shillong, Jan 19: Meghalaya have set their immediate sights on advancing to the quarterfinals as they prepare to compete in the 79th Senior Men’s National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy, facing a stern test in a highly competitive Group B. The state team departed for Silapathar in Assam on January 19, ahead of their opening match scheduled for January 22 against Odisha.
Qualification from the group stage will be the first major hurdle, with only four teams progressing to the knockout phase. Meghalaya’s campaign begins in Upper Assam with confidence tempered by realism, as the group features a mix of former champions, recent titleholders and strong contenders. The squad received an official send-off at the MFA Ground in Polo, where Meghalaya Football Association president Hamletson Dohling and senior officials encouraged the players and expressed faith in their preparations.
The team continues under the guidance of head coach Khlain Pyrkhat Syiemlieh, who has overseen changes since Meghalaya advanced from the preliminary round last month. While a few players are unavailable due to club duties and other commitments, the extended preparation period has allowed the coaching staff to fine-tune combinations and build cohesion ahead of the demanding group fixtures.
Group B is widely regarded as one of the toughest pools in the tournament. Kerala, multiple-time champions and runners-up last season, last lifted the Santosh Trophy in 2021–22. Services arrive as the most recent champions, having claimed the title in 2023–24, and were also responsible for ending Meghalaya’s run in last year’s quarterfinals. Punjab, champions in 2007–08, have finished runners-up on three occasions since, while Railways, whose last title came nearly 60 years ago, reached the final as recently as 2013–14. Odisha, like Meghalaya, are still chasing their maiden Santosh Trophy triumph.
In contrast, Group A features hosts Assam alongside defending champions West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Nagaland and Rajasthan. Meghalaya’s own history in the tournament offers encouragement, having reached the final in 2022–23 under the same coach before narrowly losing 3–2 to Karnataka, which remains the state’s best performance in the championship.
As the tournament approaches, expectations are high among players, officials and supporters back home. However, the focus within the camp remains firmly on taking one step at a time, starting with securing a place in the quarterfinals from a group that allows little margin for error.
