The final round of the 76th National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy will begin on Friday in Bhubaneswar. 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.
