The National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy, due to ties with FIFA, also known as the FIFA Santosh Trophy, or simply Santosh Trophy, is an inter-state national football competition contested by the state associations and government institutions under the All India Football Federation (AIFF), the sport's governing body in India. Before the launch of the first national club league, the National Football League in 1996, the Santosh Trophy was considered the top domestic tournament in India. Many players who have represented India internationally have played and gained honour while playing in the Santosh Trophy. The tournament is held every year with eligible teams who are divided into zones, must play in the qualifying round and can progress into the tournament proper. The current champions are Karnataka, who won their title after 54 years during the 2022–23 edition. This was the first trophy for Karnataka, which had previously won four times as the princely state of Mysore, after 1968-69.
The Sikkim football team is an Indian football team represents Sikkim in Indian state football competitions including the Santosh Trophy.
The Nagaland football team is the football team of Nagaland, India. The team mainly competes in the Santosh Trophy and in the NE Dr. T. Ao Trophy, among other Indian state football competitions.
The Kerala football team, also earlier the Travancore-Cochin football team, is an Indian state level football team representing Kerala in Indian state football competitions including the Santosh Trophy.
The Goa football team is an Indian football team representing the state of Goa in Indian state football competitions including the Santosh Trophy.
The Karnataka football team, also earlier the Mysore football team, is an Indian football team representing Karnataka in Indian state football competitions including the Santosh Trophy.
The Andhra Pradesh football team is an Indian football team representing Andhra Pradesh in Indian state football competitions including the Santosh Trophy.
The Manipur football team is an Indian football team representing Manipur in Indian state football competitions including the Santosh Trophy.
The Tamil Nadu football team, also earlier the Madras football team, is an Indian football team representing Tamil Nadu in Indian state football competitions including the Santosh Trophy. They have appeared in the Santosh Trophy finals twice, in 1972–73 and 2012, and have never won. Tamil Nadu team reached semi-finals of the Santosh Trophy in 2009, where they lost to Goa. Prior to 1972, the team competed as Madras.
The Uttarakhand football team is an Indian football team representing Uttarakhand in the Santosh Trophy.
The Tripura football team is an Indian football team that represents Tripura in Indian state football competitions, including at the Santosh Trophy.
The Meghalaya football team is an Indian football team representing Meghalaya in Indian state football competitions including the Santosh Trophy, which is the national football championship.
The Odisha football team, also earlier the Orissa football team, is an Indian football team representing the state of Odisha, India. The Football Association of Odisha, a state association of All India Football Federation, controls the team. The team competes in Indian state football competitions including the Santosh Trophy. Prior to 2014, the team competed as the Orissa.
The Mizoram football team is an Indian football team representing Mizoram in Indian state football competitions. They were the champions of the Santosh Trophy in the 2013–14 season.
The Haryana football team is a football team of India representing Haryana in Indian state football competitions including the Santosh Trophy.
The Gujarat football team is an Indian football team representing Gujarat in Indian state football competitions including the Santosh Trophy. The team is currently governed by Gujarat State Football Association.
The Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu football team is an Indian football team representing the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu in Indian state football competitions including the Santosh Trophy. The Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu football teams participated in the national competitions until they were merged in the 2022–23 Indian football season and made its senior national debut in the 2022–23 Santosh Trophy edition.
The Assam football team is an Indian football team representing Assam in Indian state football competitions including the Santosh Trophy.
The Bihar football team is an Indian football team representing Bihar in Indian state football competitions including the Santosh Trophy. They have failed to qualify for the final rounds of most Santosh Trophy editions.
The Ladakh football team is an Indian football team representing Ladakh in Indian state football competitions including the Santosh Trophy. It is governed by the Ladakh Football Association, affiliated to the AIFF. The team made its senior national debut in the 2022–23 Santosh Trophy edition.
