By Our Reporter
Shillong, Sep 3: Meghalaya will not participate in the 2024-25 edition of the Senior Women’s National Football Championship, according to the draw conducted on Monday.
This marks another instance of the state opting out of the tournament, following their absence in the 2022-23 edition. Last season, Meghalaya endured a tough campaign, losing all four of their group matches.
The upcoming championship will see 31 teams competing in the preliminary group stage, with the participants divided into seven groups of four and one group of three.
Defending champions Manipur, who claimed the title by defeating Haryana in the previous season’s final in Kolkata, will receive direct entry into the final round alongside Haryana. These two teams will be joined by the eight best-performing teams from the group stage.
The top-seeded teams—Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Railways, Delhi, Punjab, Odisha, Sikkim, and Jharkhand—have been allocated to Groups A through H, respectively. The remaining teams were placed into an open draw to fill the remaining group slots.
The eight group winners will progress to the final round, where they will join Manipur and Haryana.
These ten teams will be split into two groups of five, with the top two from each group advancing to the semifinals.
Meghalaya’s decision to skip the 2024-25 Senior Women’s National Football Championship reflects the ongoing challenges faced by the state in building a competitive women’s football team.
Their absence from the tournament highlights the need for stronger development programs and support systems to nurture talent and enable future participation at the national level. As the championship progresses without them, the focus will shift to the remaining teams as they vie for a place in the final rounds, with defending champions Manipur and last year’s runners-up Haryana set to lead the charge.