By Our Reporter
Shillong, May 22: The Shillong Sports Association (SSA) will launch its 2025 football season with the U-20 Fourth Division, set to begin on June 2 at the SSA Stadium, First Ground, Polo.
A total of 29 clubs have confirmed participation and have been placed into six groups—five groups with five teams each and one group with four.
All matches will be 80 minutes long and hosted exclusively at the Polo venue.
The competition will follow a multi-phase format. The top two teams from each group will advance to the second round, which will feature four groups of three teams each. From there, the best two teams in each group will qualify for the knockout stage, leading to quarterfinals, semifinals, and the final.
Unlike last season, no overage players will be permitted, with age screening already completed to ensure strict adherence to the U-20 rule.
An important incentive for the teams is that the semifinalists will earn promotion to the Third Division in the 2026 season. In a new rule introduced this year, the team finishing bottom of each group will be barred from entering next year’s edition of the U-20 Fourth Division, adding a layer of competitiveness to every group fixture.
With high stakes on both ends—promotion to the Third Division and the risk of elimination from next year’s tournament—the U-20 Fourth Division 2025 promises to be an intense and competitive affair. As young talents take centre stage at Polo Ground, the tournament is expected to provide a vital platform for future stars of Meghalaya football to make their mark.