Kerala football team

Kerala
**കേരള**
Full name	Kerala State Football Team
Founded	1948; 78 years ago
Ground	Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
Capacity	41,000
Owner	Kerala Football Association
Head coach	Biby Thomas
League	Santosh Trophy
2024–25	Runner-up
	Current season

The Kerala football team (Malayalam: കേരള കാൽപന്തുകളി ഗണം), formerly known as Travancore-Cochin football team, is an Indian state level semi-professional football team representing Kerala in Indian state football competitions including the Santosh Trophy and National Games of India.^[1]^[2]

The team appeared in the Santosh Trophy finals 15 times, and have won the trophy 7 times. Kerala last won the Santhosh Trophy in 2022 by defeating Bengal in the final on 2 May at the Payyanadu Stadium in Malappuram. The Kerala team was captained by Jijo Joseph under head coach Bino George, being unbeaten during the tournament.

Statistics and records

Season-by-season

As of 15 February 2024

Champions Runners-up Semifinal

Season	Santosh Trophy							Qualifiers						Top Scorer
Season	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Player	Goals
1959–60	3	0	1	2	1	9	Final round	3	1	2	0	2	1
1963–64	1	0	0	1	0	3	First round
1968–69	1	0	0	1	0	3	First round
1969–70	1	0	0	1	1	7	First round							Joseph Raju	1
1973–74^[3]	6	5	1	0	18	8	Champions							TKS Mani	7
1981–82	N/a	N/a	N/a	2	N/a	N/a	Semifinal							Appukuttan	9
1983–84	N/a	N/a	N/a	N/a	N/a	N/a	Semifinal							Ranjith	6
1984–85	2	1	1	0	5	0	Preliminary league							5 players	1
1985–86	4	2	0	2	6	3	Semifinal
1986–87	3	1	2	0	3	2	Semifinal
1987–88	6	4	2	0	10	1	Runners Up							C. V. Pappachan	5
1988–89^[4]	N/a	N/a	N/a	N/a	N/a	N/a	Runners up							N/a	N/a
1989–90	6	3	1	2	11	9	Runners Up							I. M. Vijayan, Santosh	3
1990–91^[5]	N/a	N/a	N/a	N/a	N/a	N/a	Runners Up							N/a	N/a
1991–92	4	3	0	1	12	0	Champions							PS Asheem, Harshan, Rajeev	3
1992–93	6	4	0	1	8	3	Champions							I. M. Vijayan	3
1993–94	2	1	0	1	6	1	Runners Up							Jo Paul Ancheri	3
1994–95	N/a	N/a	N/a	N/a	N/a	N/a	Semifinal
1995–96	N/a	N/a	N/a	N/a	N/a	N/a	Semifinal
1996–97	4	2	1	1	6	1	Semifinal							VP Shaji	3
1997–98	3	0	2	1	0	3	Group Stage							N/a	N/a
1998–99	1	0	0	1	1	3	Semifinal	2	2	0	0	5	1	Asif Saheer	3
1999–00	5	3	1	1	10	5	Runners up							Asif Saheer	4
2001–02	4	4	0	0	16	8	Champions							Abdul Hakim	7
2002–03	4	3	0	1	10	7	Runners Up							Sylvester Ignatius	3
2004–05	4	3	1	0	9	4	Champions							Abdul Naushad	2
2005–06	3	2	0	1	4	1	Semifinal							Abdul Hakkim	2
2006–07	4	2	2	0	5	1	Semifinal							Pradeep	3
2007–08	3	1	2	0	3	9	Group Stage							Asif Saheer Abdul Naushad Javed OK	1
2008–09	1	0	0	1	0	1	Pre Quarter	2	2	0	0	8	0	Zubair KP	3
2009–10	1	0	0	1	0	1	Pre Quarter	3	3	0	0	18	3	Javed OK	4
2010–11	1	0	1	0	0	0	Pre Quarter	3	2	1	0	8	1	NA	NA
2011–12	5	3	2	0	8	4	Semifinal							Kannan	2
2012–13	5	3	2	0	8	4	Runners Up							Kannan	4
2013–14	4	2	0	2	6	4	Group Stage	4	3	0	1	23	4	NA	NA
2014–15	5	3	1	1	4	4	Semifinal	2	2	0	0	10	0	V P Suhair	3
2015–16	did not qualify							2	1	1	0	3	1	Firos Seesan Askhar	1
2016–17	5	2	1	2	11	9	Semifinal	3	2	1	0	6	2	Jobby Justin	5
2017–18	6	5	1	0	18	3	Champions	2	1	1	0	7	0	Rahul KP Afdal VK Jithin MS	5
2018–19	did not qualify							3	0	2	1	0	1
2019–20	Not held due to covid							2	2	0	0	11	0	Emil Benny	3
2021–22	6	4	2	0	19	7	Champions	3	3	0	0	18	1	Jesin TK	12
2022–23	5	2	2	1	9	8	Final Round	5	5	0	0	24	2	Nijo Gilbert	8
2023–24	6	2	3	1	7	5	Quarter Finalist	4	3	0	1	12	2	Nijo Gilbert

Players

Current squad

As of 14 January 2026:^[6]

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Club
1GK	Alkesh Raj		Kannur Warriors
1GK	Hajmal Sakeer		Calicut
1GK	Muhammed Jaseem

2DF	Sanju Ganesh		Malappuram
2DF	Ajay Alex		Calicut
2DF	Manoj M	(1996-08-21) 21 August 1996 (age 29)	Calicut
2DF	Bibin Ajayan		Thrissur Magic
2DF	Abdul Badish		Thiruvananthapuram Kombans
2DF	Sandeep S		Kannur Warriors
2DF	Tejas Krishna		Thrissur Magic

3MF	Asif OM		Kannur Warriors
3MF	Arjun V	(1999-04-30) 30 April 1999 (age 26)	Calicut
3MF	Arjun MM		Kannur Warriors
3MF	Viknesh Mariya		Thiruvananthapuram Kombans
3MF	Aboobacker Dilshad		Kannur Warriors

4FW	Muhammed Riyas		Calicut
4FW	Sajeesh E	(1997-01-29) 29 January 1997 (age 29)	Forca Kochi
4FW	Muhammad Ajsal	(2003-03-28) 28 March 2003 (age 22)	Calicut
4FW	Shijin Thadhayouse	(1996-12-19) 19 December 1996 (age 29)	Kannur Warriors
4FW	Muhammed Ashar		Thiruvananthapuram Kombans
4FW	Muhammed Sinan		Kannur Warriors
4FW	Muhammed Ashique		Calicut

Current technical staff

As of 14 January 2026

Position	Name
Head coach	Shafeeq Hassan^[7]
Assistant coach	Ebin Rose
Goalkeeping coach	Thomas Chacko
Physio	Ahmed Nihal Rasheed
Manager	Shaji PK
Analyst	Kiran K Narayanan

Results and fixtures

11 October 2023 2023–24 Santosh Trophy	Gujarat	0–3	Kerala	Benaulim
09:00			Akbar 12', 33' Nijo Gilbert 36'	Stadium: SAG Benaulim Ground

13 October 2023 2023–24 Santosh Trophy	Kerala	6–1	Jammu and Kashmir	Benaulim
09:00	Jithin 8', 54' Sajeesh 13' Ashiq 45+1' Abdhu Raheem 66' Riswan Ali 75'			Stadium: SAG Benaulim Ground

15 October 2023 2023–24 Santosh Trophy	Chhattisgarh	0–3	Kerala	Benaulim
09:00			Sajeesh 6' Junain 56' Nijo Gilbert 68'	Stadium: SAG Benaulim Ground

17 October 2023 2023–24 Santosh Trophy	Kerala	0–1	Goa	Benaulim
16:00				Stadium: SAG Benaulim Ground

21 February 2024 2023–24 Santosh Trophy	Assam	1–3	Kerala	Yupia
14:30	Dipu Mirdha 77'	Report	Abdu Raheem K 19' Sajeesh E 67' Nijo Gilbert 90+5'	Stadium: Golden Jubilee Stadium

23 February 2024 2023–24 Santosh Trophy	Goa	2–0	Kerala	Yupia
19:00				Stadium: Golden Jubilee Stadium

25 February 2024 2023–24 Santosh Trophy	Kerala	1–1	Meghalaya	Yupia
14:30				Stadium: Golden Jubilee Stadium

28 February 2024 2023–24 Santosh Trophy	Kerala	2–0	Arunachal Pradesh	Yupia
14:30				Stadium: Golden Jubilee Stadium

01 March 2024 2023–24 Santosh Trophy	Services	1–1	Kerala	Yupia
10:00				Stadium: Golden Jubilee Stadium

20 November 2024 Santosh Trophy Qualification	Kerala	1–0	Railways	Kozhikode
TBD				Stadium: EMS Stadium

22 November 2024 Santosh Trophy Qualification	Kerala	10–0	Lakshadweep	Kozhikode
TBD				Stadium: EMS Stadium

24 November 2024 Santosh Trophy Qualification	Kerala	7–0	Pondicherry	Kozhikode
TBD				Stadium: EMS Stadium

Honours

State (senior)

Santosh Trophy
- Winners (7): 1973–74, 1991–92, 1992–93,^[8] 2001–02,^[9] 2004–05, 2017–18, 2021–2022
- Runners-up (9): 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1993–94, 1999–2000, 2002–03, 2012–13, 2024–25
National Games
- Gold medal (3): 1987, 1997, 2025
- Silver medal (2): 1994, 2022^[10]^[11]
- Bronze medal (1): 2023

State (youth)

B.C. Roy Trophy
- Winners (3): 1968–69, 1971–72, 1972–73
- Runners-up (5): 1973–74, 1974–75, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1985–86
Mir Iqbal Hussain Trophy
- Winners (2): 1981–82, 1983–84
M. Dutta Ray Trophy
- Winners (1): 1995

Others

Sait Nagjee Football Tournament
- Runners-up (1): 1986

References

^ "Kerala Football Association".
^ "West Bengal, Kerala & Punjab drawn together in tantalizing group in 75th edition of Hero Santosh Trophy". the-aiff.com. All India Football Federation. 6 January 2022. Archived from the original on 6 January 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
^ "India - List of Santosh Trophy Finals". Retrieved 2 October 2023.
^ "23rd Santosh Trophy". Retrieved 2 October 2023.
^ "India - List of Santosh Trophy Finals". Retrieved 2 October 2023.
^ "Sanju G to lead Kerala in Santosh Trophy".
^ "Kerala eyes Santosh Trophy glory under Shafeeq". Retrieved 14 January 2026.
^ Bobrowsky, Josef; King, Ian (6 December 2006). "India 1993 – Santosh Trophy". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
^ Chaudhuri, Arunava. "2001/02 Season in Indian Football". indianfootball.de. Indian Football Network. Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
^ "National Games: W Bengal hammer Kerala 5–0 to clinch gold in men's football". wap.business-standard.com. Ahmedabad: Business Standard India. IANS. 12 October 2022. Archived from the original on 12 October 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
^ Sarangi, Y. B. (11 October 2022). "National Games: West Bengal routs Kerala 5–0, wins men's football gold medal after 11 years". sportstar.thehindu.com. Ahmedabad: Sportstar. The Hindu. Archived from the original on 12 October 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022.

[1] "Kerala Football Association".

[2] "West Bengal, Kerala & Punjab drawn together in tantalizing group in 75th edition of Hero Santosh Trophy". the-aiff.com. All India Football Federation. 6 January 2022. Archived from the original on 6 January 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.

[3] "India - List of Santosh Trophy Finals". Retrieved 2 October 2023.

[4] "23rd Santosh Trophy". Retrieved 2 October 2023.

[5] "India - List of Santosh Trophy Finals". Retrieved 2 October 2023.

[6] "Sanju G to lead Kerala in Santosh Trophy".

[7] "Kerala eyes Santosh Trophy glory under Shafeeq". Retrieved 14 January 2026.

[8] Bobrowsky, Josef; King, Ian (6 December 2006). "India 1993 – Santosh Trophy". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2022.

[9] Chaudhuri, Arunava. "2001/02 Season in Indian Football". indianfootball.de. Indian Football Network. Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2021.

[10] "National Games: W Bengal hammer Kerala 5–0 to clinch gold in men's football". wap.business-standard.com. Ahmedabad: Business Standard India. IANS. 12 October 2022. Archived from the original on 12 October 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022.

[11] Sarangi, Y. B. (11 October 2022). "National Games: West Bengal routs Kerala 5–0, wins men's football gold medal after 11 years". sportstar.thehindu.com. Ahmedabad: Sportstar. The Hindu. Archived from the original on 12 October 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022.

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v t e Santosh Trophy
Seasons	1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24
Qualifiers	1999–00 2008–09 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2021–22
Group stage	2021–22 2022–23
Finals	2017 2018 2019
Teams	Andaman and Nicobar Andhra Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh Assam Bihar Chandigarh Chhattisgarh Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu Delhi Goa Gujarat Haryana Himachal Pradesh Jammu and Kashmir Jharkhand Karnataka Kerala Ladakh Lakshadweep Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra Manipur Meghalaya Mizoram Nagaland Odisha Pondicherry Punjab Railways Rajasthan Services Sikkim Tamil Nadu Telangana Tripura Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand West Bengal

v t e Sports teams based in Kerala
Cricket	Ranji Trophy Kerala IPL Kochi Tuskers Kerala (now defunct) CCL Kerala Strikers
Football	ISL Kerala Blasters I-League Gokulam F.C. Chirag United (now defunct) I-League 2nd Division Kerala Blasters (R) F.C. Kerala Kerala United FC Indian Women's League Gokulam F.C. Women Elite League Kerala Blasters (R) Gokulam F.C. F.C. Kerala MSP Football Academy Santosh Trophy Kerala KPL F.C. Kerala FC Thrissur Gokulam F.C. Kerala Blasters (R) Kerala United FC SBI Kerala Sports Academy Tirur
Futsal	APFC Kerala Blasters FC AFCC Kerala Blasters FC
Volleyball	Prime VL Kochi Blue Spikers Calicut Heroes