![Manipur champions for the 22nd time in Sr Women's NFC for Rajmata Jijabai Trophy](https://the-aiff.com/media/uploads/2024/05/Manipur-Champions-of-28th-Sr-Womens-NFC-for-Rajmata-Jijabai-Trophy-400x250.jpg)
AIFF Media Team
NEW DELHI: The draw for the group stage of the 29th Senior Women’s National Football Championship for Rajmata Jijabai Trophy 2024-25 was conducted at the Football House, on Monday, September 2, 2024. Manipur are the defending champions after defeating Haryana in last season's final in Kolkata.
Present in the draw was AIFF Secretary General Mr Anilkumar. Representatives of the state associations attended the draw virtually.
A total of 31 teams - excluding last season's finalists Manipur and Haryana, who have received a bye to the Final Round - were drawn into seven groups of four and one group of three. The eight best-performing teams, excluding the finalists, from last season's Final Round are the top seeds for the 2024-25 edition. The top seeded teams - Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Railways, Delhi, Punjab, Odisha, Sikkim, and Jharkhand - were assigned into Groups A to H, respectively. All the remaining participating teams were placed in an open pot and drawn sequentially into Group A to H.
The eight group winners will join Manipur and Haryana in the Final Round, where they will be drawn into two groups of five teams each. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals.
Group Stage Draw for the 29th Senior Women’s National Football Championship for Rajmata Jijabai Trophy 2024-25:
Group A:
Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Goa
Group B:
West Bengal, Karnataka, Jammu & Kashmir, Bihar
Group C:
Railways, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Assam
Group D:
Delhi, Maharashtra, Pondicherry, Andaman & Nicobar
Group E:
Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand
Group F:
Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Ladakh
Group G:
Sikkim, Chandigarh, Tripura, Gujarat
Group H:
Jharkhand, Telangana, Mizoram