Santosh Trophy

Before the arrival of the National Football League, Santosh Trophy was India's premier football tournament. The tournament, which was kicked-off in 1941, was named after the late Maharaja Sir Manmatha Nath Roy Chowdhary of Santosh, who had been the President of the Indian Football Association.

In Santosh Trophy, instead of clubs, various Indian states vie for the top honour. In the present format, eight teams that are selected through a qualifying round join the four seeded teams in the quarterfinal league stage. These twelve teams are then divided into four groups of three each and 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.