Shillong, Dec 18: Meghalaya will face Sikkim in the Group E opening match of the Senior Men’s National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy 2025-26 preliminary round at the SSA Stadium at First Ground, Polo, here on Friday. Kick-off will be at 4pm.
With only one team of the three – the other being Arunachal Pradesh – able to qualify for next month’s final round in Assam, every match will be important and the hosts will want to start off positively with the cheers of the local fans behind them. Tickets will be on sale at the venue ahead of the game.
It has been a challenge for Meghalaya to narrow down on a squad, such is the level of talent available to choose from for coach Khlain Pyrkhat Syiemlieh. It was under his tutelage that Meghalaya went all the way to the final of the Santosh Trophy in 2022-23 where they lost to Karnataka.
That was Meghalaya’s best ever result in the prestigious national tournament and, while this team will want to better that performance, they must first focus on the preliminaries and the opening encounter against Sikkim.
The Meghalaya team of today is very different to past Santosh Trophy squads and the same is undeniably true for Sikkim.
The two states have met several times across various age categories in men’s and women’s football. In the Santosh Trophy, their last meeting was in Meghalaya’s special season – 2022-23. Although Meghalaya defeated big names on the way to their historic second place finish, against Sikkim they were held to a 0-0 draw in the group stage.
Opposite Syiemlieh will be Sikkim coach Gyaltshen D Moktan, an AFC B Licence holder. Some of the players in his squad include Sanjay Rai, who as a youth player was part of ATK (now Mohun Bagan Super Giant) and Narayan Chettri, formerly of the Kerala Blasters’ reserve side. The squad is largely made up of players from Sikkim’s A and B Divisions, the top two tiers of football in the state, as well as some plying their trade in other states.
In Shillong this morning, the Meghalaya team were given words of encouragement by Meghalaya Football Association President Hamletson Dohling, General Secretary Sunesh Syiem and Executive Member Freddy Kharpran. Dohling expressed full confidence in the players selected and reminded them that this tournament will be important in formulating Meghalaya’s strategy and selection process for the 2027 National Games, which will be held in this state.
Meghalaya squad: Goalkeepers – Wanteilang Malngiang, Banshanskhem Kharsyntiew, Nister Roy Suting Defenders – Wanboklang Lyngkhoi, Apborlang Kurbah, Wilbert D Marbaniang, Iohborlang L Lyngkhoi, Allen Camper L Nongbri, Arlangky Nongsiej, Mebankhraw K Wahlang
Midfielders – Hamedamanbha Wahlang, Riborlang L Lyngkhoi, Babysunday Marngar, Dibormi Kassar, Mebanshngain Kurkalang, Fairming Suting, Robertson M Khongriah, Hardy Cliff Nongbri, Kynsaibor Lhuid
Forwards – Shano Tariang, Deibormame Tongper, Dawanchwa C Challam
Support staff: Khlain Pyrkhat Syiemlieh (Head Coach), Sailon Syngkrem (Assistant Coach), Dious Lapasam (Goalkeeping Coach), Cliff R Nongrum (Manager), Wanbokstar Syiemiong (Physio)
