AIU NE Zone Inter-University Football Tournament Kicked Off at Royal Global University

GUWAHATI, January 5, 2026: The AIU Northeast Zone Inter-University Football (Men) Tournament 2025–2026 has been inaugurated today at The Assam Royal Global University (RGU), marking the beginning of one of the most prestigious inter-university sporting events in the region. The tournament has been declared open by Sri Kento Jini, Minister of Law, Legislative & Justice, SJETA, Sports & Youth Affairs, Government of Arunachal Pradesh who graced as the Chief Guest of the grand inaugural ceremony at RGU.

Organised by Royal Global University under the aegis of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), the tournament will be held from January 5 to January 11, 2026, and is expected to showcase the rich footballing talent of the Northeast. The inaugural ceremony was also graced by RGU Chancellor Dr AK Pansari, Vice Chancellor Prof AK Buragohain, Prof Dhrubajyoti Borah, Chief Advisor to the Chancellor, Executive Vice President Ankur Pansari, Prof. Amlandeep Das, Associate Dean, Student Affairs, apart from others.

Addressing the gathering, Sri Kento Jini highlighted the importance of sports in youth development and nation-building and lauded the efforts of AIU and Royal Global University in providing a competitive platform for young athletes to excel at higher levels of the sport.

Earlier, welcoming the players and delegates, Prof AK Buragohain said that the tournament would not only celebrate sporting excellence but also foster discipline, teamwork and camaraderie among students from different states. He added that the event reflects RGU’s strong commitment to promoting sports and holistic education.

Overall, the tournament features participation from 31 universities, comprising 613 players and around 60 coaches and managers. Royal Global University is hosting 24 universities on its campus, accommodating nearly 481 players and 49 coaches and managers, demonstrating the university’s robust infrastructure and readiness to organise national-level sporting events.

The participating universities include: Mizoram University; Cotton University; Manipur University; National Sports University, Manipur; Tripura University; Tezpur University; Dibrugarh University; Gauhati University; MIT University Meghalaya; Nagaland University; Dhanamanjuri University; Assam Don Bosco University; Assam University, Silchar; Rajiv Gandhi University; Sikkim Manipal University; Girijananda Chowdhury University; ICFAI University, Tripura; Assam Down Town University; Apex Professional University; Bodoland University; Sri Sri Aniruddhadeva Sports University, Chabua; Sikkim University; University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM); Rabindranath Tagore University; ICFAI University, Meghalaya; Srimanta Sankardeva University of Health Sciences; Sibsagar University; North Eastern Hill University; ICFAI University, Mizoram; Madhabdev University; and The Assam Royal Global University, Guwahati.