MDFA officials and members of the organizing committee during the press conference announcing the 27th MDFA Trophy 2025 at the MDFA office, Mokokchung, on September 27. (Morung Photo)
Morung Express News
Mokokchung | September 27
The Mokokchung District Football Association (MDFA) has officially announced that the 27th edition of the MDFA Trophy 2025 will commence on October 14 at the Imkongmeren Sports Complex, Mokokchung.
Addressing a press conference at the MDFA office on Saturday, Burakum, Convenor of the organizing committee, shared key details of the upcoming tournament. He stated that the champions will receive a cash prize of Rs 2, 00,000, while the runners-up will be awarded Rs 1, 00,000. The losing semi-finalists will each take home Rs 25,000.
In addition, five individual awards will be presented: Best Defender, Best Goalkeeper, Best Midfielder, Highest Goal Scorer, and Player of the Tournament—each carrying a cash prize of Rs 5,000 and citations. “We will also be giving honorariums to all the teams participating in the 27th edition of the MDFA Trophy 2025,” Burakum added.
The opening ceremony will be graced by H. Sethrongkyu Sangtam, MLA & Advisor, Information Technology & Communication, Economics & Statistics, and Evaluation, while the closing ceremony will be attended by Lanuchuba Imchen, DMC Councillor and President of Longterok FC, who also serves as President of the Youth Wing, NDPP Dimapur Region.
Highlighting the technical aspects of the tournament, Bendangnukshi, Vice President (Technical), MDFA, informed that 10 teams have already registered, with 2–3 more expected, bringing the total to around 13–14 teams. He announced that the MDFA has introduced tournament by-laws for the first time in its history.
“These by-laws will govern the entire tournament—guiding both the technical committee and the participating teams,” he said. “By bringing up these regulations, we believe that discipline, professionalism, and the overall standard of the tournament will be strengthened.”
Bendangnukshi further explained that while teams must represent Mokokchung, players from other districts, states, or even across the Northeast are eligible to participate. He also revealed that Nagaland University has been invited to participate, continuing a tradition of including institutional teams.
The fixture draw for the tournament will be held on October 6, he announced.
Expressing optimism about the event, Bendangnukshi said, “This will be a special edition for all of us. We invite the people of Mokokchung to come together and celebrate football. From next year onwards, we will continue to bring more technical developments that align with the philosophy of football in our area.”
