Santosh Trophy

Santosh Trophy was India's premier football tournament, before the inception of the National Football League. Started in 1941, Santosh Trophy was named after the late Maharaja Sir Manmatha Nath Roy Chowdhary of Santosh, who had been the President of the Indian Football Association. Instead of the professional football clubs, various Indian states compete for the much coveted Santosh Trophy. According to the format of the Trophy prevalent in the present time, eight teams are selected through a qualifying round to join the four seeded teams in the quarterfinal league stage. These twelve teams are then divided into four groups, each having three teams. The subsequent group winners complete the semifinal line-up. The state of Bengal has achieved astounding success in the Santosh Trophy, annexing the title a whopping 29 times.