Defending Santosh Trophy champions Kerala have been placed in a relatively easier group for the next edition that will be played in a new format.
In the revised structure, 36 state teams will compete in six groups before a final round. In addition to the six group toppers, three best second-placed teams will advance to the final round.
Earlier, zonal qualifiers were held to decide the teams reaching the final round. Kerala had qualified from the south zone and won the championship in May this year with a 5-4 (1-1) win over West Bengal in shootout.
As per the groupings released by the All India Football Federation on Friday, Kerala is in Group II also comprising Mizoram, Rajasthan, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. Mizoram is the strongest among the other teams on the basis on recent history in the competition.
In the final round, the 12 teams will be divided into two groups of six teams each for a round robin event, before proceeding to the knockouts.
The semifinals and the final of the 76th senior men's national championships for the Santosh Trophy will be held in Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, Kerala women are placed in a group with Mizoram, Maharashtra, Pondicherry, Uttarakhand, Chandigarh for the senior national championship.
Railways and Services will get direct entry into the senior men's national championship. Railways will get direct entry into the senior women's national championship final round.
Groupings for the 76th national football championships for Santosh Trophy:
Group I: Karnataka, Delhi, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Tripura, Leh & Ladakh.
Group II: Kerala, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir.
Group III: Goa, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland.
Group IV: West Bengal, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Daman & Dadra, Haryana.
Group V: Meghalaya, Odisha, Sikkim, Telangana, Pondicherry, Andaman & Nicobar.
Group VI: Punjab, Manipur, Jharkhand, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Lakshadweep.
Groupings for the 76th senior women's national football championships:
Group I: Haryana, Punjab, Sikkim, Telangana, Meghalaya, Nagaland.
Group II: Kerala, Mizoram, Maharashtra, Pondicherry, Uttarakhand, Chandigarh.
Group III: Odisha, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tripura.
Group IV: Jharkhand, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Leh & Ladakh.
Group V: Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh, Daman & Dadra, Uttar Pradesh, Lakshadweep.
Group VI: Manipur, Assam, Karnataka, Gujarat, Bihar, Andaman & Nicobar.
