2026 Dr B.C. Roy Trophy: Telangana drawn with defending champions Manipur in Tier 1

Telangana have been drawn alongside defending champions Manipur, Kerala and Assam in Group A of Tier 1 of the 2026-27 Junior Boys' National Football Championship for the Dr B.C. Roy Trophy, scheduled from August 25 to September 9

Hyderabad: The 2026-27 seasons of the Junior Boys’ National Football Championship for Dr BC Roy Trophy, Tiers 1 and 2, will be held from August 25 to September 9, 2026.

The Tier 1 will be hosted at the Bangalore Football Stadium in Bengaluru, while Tier 2 will take place at the RK Ashram Ground in Narainpur, Chhattisgarh.

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Both tiers will see 16 teams divided into four groups of four, with the group winners qualifying for the semi-finals. Continuing with the promotion-relegation system implemented three seasons ago, the two finalists from 2025-26 — Uttar Pradesh and Assam — have been promoted to Tier 1 for 2026-27. They replace Tier 1’s bottom two sides from last season — Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, who will compete in Tier 2 this season.

Manipur are the defending champions, having defeated West Bengal 3-0 in last year’s final in Amritsar.

Group Stage Draw of Junior Boys’ National Football Championship for Dr BC Roy Trophy 2026-27 Tier 1

Group A: Manipur, Kerala, Telangana, Assam
Group B: West Bengal, Punjab, Karnataka, Chandigarh
Group C: Mizoram, Meghalaya, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra
Group D: Delhi, Goa, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh

Group Stage Draw of Junior Boys’ National Football Championship for Dr BC Roy Trophy 2026-27 Tier 2

Group A: Andhra Pradesh, Pondicherry, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh
Group B: Tripura, Andaman & Nicobar, Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu
Group C: Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan
Group D: Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Sports Authority of India