Kolkata, Aug 25 — The NCC School Under‑17 Girls Football Team from Aizawl, Mizoram, representing the Shillong‑based NCC Directorate of North Eastern Region, has stormed into the finals of the 65th Subroto Cup (Junior Girls category). The team defeated Chhattisgarh 2‑1 in the semi‑final and will face Jharkhand in the final on Thursday, August 27, 2026.
The 65th edition of the Subroto Cup has brought together 106 teams across categories, with matches played in Delhi NCR and Bengaluru. Till 1997, the tournament was conducted only for the Boys U‑17 category.
In 1998, the tournament introduced a Boys U‑14 category, and in 2012, it added the Girls U‑17 category to encourage football in the country further.
Named after the first Indian Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Subroto Mukerjee, the tournament began in 1960. Conceived in 1958 by Mukerjee, a keen football enthusiast, the Subroto Mukerjee Sports Education Society was formed after his untimely demise in Tokyo.
The first edition drew about 50 school teams, all from Delhi. Today, nearly 34,000 school teams from across India compete at the state level before qualifying for the main tournament.
Over the years, teams from Brazil, Australia, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Switzerland, Sweden, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan, Malaysia, Israel, Bhutan, the UAE, Indonesia and Uzbekistan have participated, giving the competition international status.
Preliminary tournaments are organised at sub‑division, district and division levels, culminating in state finals. State champions then compete in the Subroto Cup, played on a league‑cum‑knockout basis under FIFA laws as adopted by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). Teams from the NCC are also allowed to participate.
On Tuesday, the Army’s Eastern Command congratulated the Aizawl girls on social media, posting: “Into the Final! Eastern Command congratulates the young players on their outstanding performance and wishes them the very best for the Final. Go for glory!”