81st All India Inter Railway Football Championship 2026 Concludes at Pandu
· Free Press Journal
The knockout phase of the 81st All India Inter Railway Football Championship 2026, organised by the Northeast Frontier Railway Sports Association (NFRSA) was inaugurated on 3rd October 2026 at the NFRSA Football Stadium, Pandu. The championship concluded on 7th October 2026 with an exciting final between Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW) and Northern Railway (NR). CLW emerged victorious in the final to clinch the championship title, while NR secured the second position.
The championship featured the participation of eight railway teams that qualified for the knockout phase after successfully progressing through the league phase held at Chennai and Jabalpur. The eight qualified teams were Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), Northern Railway (NR), Rail Coach Factory (RCF), West Central Railway (WCR), Southern Railway (SR), Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW), Central Railway (CR) and North Eastern Railway (NER). In the final standings, Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW) secured the championship title, Northern Railway (NR) finished as the runner-up, while Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) secured the third position and won the bronze medal under the guidance of Ranjan Debbarma, Football Secretary and Coach, NFRSA.
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The final and prize distribution ceremony was held in the presence of Mohit Chandra, General Manager, Chittaranjan Locomotive Works and Ramesh Kumar, Additional General Manager, Northeast Frontier Railway along with the Navin Kumar Singh (PCMM/CON) & General Secretary of NFRSA and other senior railway officials from N.F. Railway Headquarters. The dignitaries appreciated and thanked all the participating teams, players and officials for their enthusiastic participation, sporting spirit, competitive performance and discipline, which contributed to the success of the championship.
The knockout phase was conducted from October 3rd to October 7th 2026, providing an important platform for railway football teams to showcase their talent and competitive excellence at the national level. The championship at Maligaon highlighted the active role of the Northeast Frontier Railway Sports Association in promoting sports and fostering sporting talent among railway employees.