Shillong, Aug 10: Meghalaya will begin their Junior Boys National Football Championship 2026-27 (Tier 1) campaign for the Dr BC Roy Trophy on September 1 against Tamil Nadu, according to fixtures published by the All India Football Federation.
Meghalaya have been drawn in Group C with Tamil Nadu, Mizoram and Maharashtra.
All the Tier 1 matches will take place in Bangalore, while Tier 2 will be played in Narainpur, Chhattisgarh.
Both tiers will see 16 teams divided into four groups of four, with the group winners qualifying for the semifinals. 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 Tier 1 defending champions, having defeated West Bengal 3-0 in last year’s final in Amritsar.
Meghalaya just managed to avoid relegation from Tier 1. They lost all three of their group games in 2025-26, to Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Kerala.
The squad for this year’s tournament is expected to be announced by the Meghalaya Football Association closer to the team’s first match.
