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 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 Senior Women's National Football Championship for Rajmata Jijabai Trophy, also known as Senior Women’s National Football Championship or simply the Rajmata Jijabai Trophy since 2024, is a women's football tournament contested by state associations and government institutions in India. The first edition was held in 1991 and is organized by the All India Football Federation to crown the national women's football champion each year. It is based on a league and knockout format.
The West Bengal football team, also known as IFA Bengal football team or earlier the Bengal football team, is an Indian football team representing West Bengal in Indian state football competitions including the Santosh Trophy. They were the second Indian team to participate in the continental top tier tournament – Asian Champion Club Tournament, by playing in the 1970 edition following Mysore in 1969.
The Punjab football team is an Indian football team representing Punjab 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 Maharashtra football team, also earlier the Bombay football team, is an Indian football team representing Maharashtra 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 Services football team is a football section of the Indian Armed Forces, representing them in various regional competitions. It is operated by the Services Sports Control Board, and competes in Santosh Trophy.
The Manipur football team is an Indian football team representing Manipur in Indian state football competitions including 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 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 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 Arunachal Pradesh football team is an Indian football team representing Arunachal Pradesh in the Indian state football competitions including the Santosh Trophy. Arunachal's sub-juniors team was runner up in the 2018 Hero Sub-Juniors Boys' National Championship and the 2019 Hero Sub Juniors Girls' National Championship. In the tournament, Tallo Ana from the Apatani community of Arunachal Pradesh was the top scorer with 15 goals in five matches.
Football is one of the most popular sports in Kolkata, West Bengal. East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan are the heart of Kolkata football. The rivalry between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, originating from the Calcutta Football League as the Kolkata derby, is one of the fiercest in the world and considered among the flagship events in the Indian footballing calendar. Kolkata is known to be the Mecca of Indian football, with the two most supported teams in the country being based within the city – Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. The city is also home to the biggest football stadium in India, the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, which as of 2015 has a capacity of 85,000. The record attendance of 131,781 came in a match between the said two teams in the semifinal of the 1997 Federation Cup.
The Jammu and Kashmir football team is an Indian football team representing Jammu and Kashmir in Indian state football competitions including the Santosh Trophy.
The Indian football league system is the league structure of football club competitions in India. The highest level of men's club football competition is the Indian Super League. Indian Women's League, founded in 2016, is the highest level of women's football club competition in India.
The 1941–42 Santosh Trophy was the first edition of the Santosh Trophy, the main state competition for football in India. It was held in July, 1941. Bengal won the title beating Delhi 5–1 in the final.
The 2022–23 Santosh Trophy was the 76th edition of the Santosh Trophy, the premier competition in India for senior men's football teams representing their respective states/union territories and government institutions.
The 1944–45 Santosh Trophy was the second edition of the Santosh Trophy, the main State competition for football in India. It was resumed in 1944 after a break of two years. Delhi defeated the defending champions Bengal in the final.
