The 64th Subroto Cup International Football Tournament got underway with a victory for the Government Higher Secondary School of Arunachal Pradesh, who defeated the Sainik School of Odisha in the opening match. The match was played at the BR Ambedkar Stadium in New Delhi on August 19, with Arunachal Pradesh winning 1-0. The tournament’s inauguration included an opening ceremony, featuring Air Marshal S. Shivkumar VSM, Air Officer-in-Charge Administration, and Subroto Mukherjee, the Vice President of the Sports Education Society.
Air Marshal S. Shivkumar emphasized that the Subroto Cup represents the lasting passion for football in India. He anticipated that the tournament would highlight the skills of young athletes and encourage more individuals to participate in the sport.
The tournament commenced with a match in the Junior Girls (Under-17) category. Laky Liam Tamin scored the decisive goal in the ninth minute. The Junior Girls category includes 31 teams, split into 8 groups, with teams from Sri Lanka also participating. The group winners will progress to the knockout phase.
A total of 106 teams are competing across the Junior Boys (Under-17), Junior Girls (Under-17), and Sub-Junior Boys (Under-15) categories, with the competition continuing until September 25. Top players will have the chance to participate in trials in Germany, as part of the TV9 Network’s News9 Indian Tigers and Tigresses Talent Hunt initiative. Over 200 matches will be held in Delhi-NCR and Bengaluru. Following the matches, a final trial will determine which players will be chosen for training in Germany.
The competition features a total prize money of ₹35,60,000. Matches will be held across multiple venues in New Delhi, including the Tejas Football Ground, Subroto Park Football Ground, and Pinto Park Football Ground. Bengaluru will host matches at the Air Force School Jalahalli, Air Force School Yelahanka, and the Headquarters Training Command Football Ground.