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The schedule for the 2018 Santosh Trophy has been officially announced by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). The tournament will include 10 teams which p rogressed from the qualifying rounds, including defending champions West Bengal.
The Santosh Trophy this year will feature two groups comprising five teams each. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals which shall be played on March 30, 2018.
The final phase of the 2018 Santosh Trophy will feature some big matches and the first of these games will be held in Kolkata when West Bengal take on Manipur on March 19, 2018. This will be the 72nd edition of the Santosh Trophy. West Bengal have been the most dominant team with 32 titles.
Group A will include the likes of West Bengal, Chandigarh, Manipur, Kerala and Maharashtra while Group B will see Goa, Mizoram, Odisha, Punjab and Karnataka lock horns for a spot in the coveted semifinals.
Some mouth-watering ties are in store for fans with West Bengal still considered the firm favourites. The entire schedule for the Santosh Trophy is given below:
Group A - West Bengal, Chandigarh, Manipur, Kerala, Maharashtra
Group B - Goa, Mizoram, Odisha, Punjab, Karnataka
Group A Schedule:
March 19: WB vs Manipur
March 19: Chandigarh vs Kerala
March 21: WB vs Maharashtra
March 21: Chandigarh vs Manipur
March 23: Chandigarh vs Maharashtra
March 23: Kerala vs Manipur
March 25: WB vs Chandigarh
March 25: Kerala vs Maharashtra
March 27: WB vs Kerala
March 27: Manipur vs Maharashtra
Group B Schedule
March 20: Mizoram vs Goa
March 20: Odisha vs Punjab
March 22: Odisha vs Mizoram
March 22: Karnataka vs Goa
March 24: Goa vs Odisha
March 24: Punjab vs Mizoram
March 26: Punjab vs Karnataka
March 26: Karnataka vs Odisha
March 28: Goa vs Punjab
March 28: Mizoram vs Karnataka
March 30: Semi-Finals
April 1: Final
