Correspondent

KOHIMA, NOV 11 (NPN): The 26th edition of the NSF Martyrs Memorial Trophy is scheduled to be held from November 13 to December 3, 2026, at the Indira Gandhi Stadium, Kohima. The tournament will be inaugurated by the speaker of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) Sharingain Longkumer.
A total of 22 teams, including three teams from Manipur have confirmed their participation in this edition.
Addressing a press conference at the Angami Students’ Union (ASU) office, organising committee convenor Kesosul Christopher Ltu and ASU sports secretary Seyielhousa Keyho informed that the tournament is being organised with the support of the Nagaland Olympic Association and in collaboration with the Hornbill Festival.
The organisers said that several former champions would also be competing in this edition, which is expected to provide a highly competitive platform for participating teams.
They informed that the official fixtures have already been released and are available through media platforms and the tournament’s official Instagram page, NSF Martyrs Memorial Trophy.
A major feature of this year’s tournament will be the introduction of a double-legged semi-final format. Under this system, the four semi-finalists will compete in two-legged encounters, resulting in four semi-final matches, with the objective of ensuring that the best teams advance to the final.
Regarding the match format, the organisers informed that matches in the league stage will be played for 80 minutes, with a 15-minute interval, while matches from the quarter-final stage onwards will be played for 90 minutes. All matches from the quarter-finals onwards will be scheduled at 4 pm.
Clarifying the number of participating teams, the organisers said that although the tournament had been widely advertised and a provision was made to accommodate additional teams, the timing of the competition coincided with academic examinations, particularly in November and the first week of December. As a result, several clubs and college teams that had participated in previous editions were unable to take part.
However, they expressed confidence that the 22 participating teams would make the 26th edition competitive and successful, emphasising that the NSF Trophy remains one of the state’s important grassroots football tournaments.
The inaugural programme will also be attended by presidents of the 17 tribal federating units of the NSF.
The organisers further announced that entry tickets would be priced at Rs. 50 for the initial matches and Rs. 100 from the quarter-final stage onwards. Invited guests and students wearing uniforms will be allowed free entry.
The prize money for this year’s tournament is Rs. 3.50 lakh for the champions, Rs. 2 lakh for the runners-up, Rs. 60,000 each for the losing semi-finalists and Rs. 30,000 each for the losing quarter-finalists.
The ASU has appealed to football enthusiasts from across the state and beyond to attend the matches and extend their support to the tournament.
The official partners for this edition include Yes Coffee, Progressive Motors, PepsiCo, NSRLM, G-Sport, Polo Hotel Kohima and Fan Plaza.