78th Zomi Namni Football Tournament Kicks Off at Lamka Public Ground

The 78th edition of the Zomi Namni Football Tournament was kicked off with much enthusiasm and fanfare on Tuesday at the Lamka Public Ground, Churachandpur, marking the beginning of one of the region’s most anticipated sporting events.

The opening ceremony was attended by Vungzagin Valte, MLA, 56-Thanlon; L.M. Khaute, MLA, 58-Churachandpur; Vumsuan Naulak, Chairman, Zomi Council; and Thangkhosuanmung Guite, Chief of Hiangtam Lamka, who graced the occasion as Chief Guest, Guest of Honour, Chief Host, and Functional President respectively. Following a brief inaugural programme, Chief Guest SVungzagin Valte formally kicked off the tournament.

The inaugural match saw SYMROPIA FC register a convincing 2–0 victory over Papa FC to take an early lead in Group A. Paokhongam Haokip opened the scoring midway through the first half, heading home a fine cross delivered by William Neihsial. Despite dominating possession, SYMROPIA FC were nearly caught out against the run of play when a lapse by their custodian, Lamgoulian Tungnung, almost resulted in an equaliser for Papa FC.

In the second half, Papa FC showed little improvement, and SYMROPIA FC sealed the contest in the 56th minute when William Neihsial calmly converted a penalty after right-back Paul Paumuan Khongsai was tripped inside the box. With no effective response from Papa FC, SYMROPIA FC comfortably saw out the match to emerge 2–0 winners.

The 78th Zomi Namni Football Tournament 2026 is being jointly managed by Lamka Event, the Churachandpur District Sports Association (CDSA), and My Bharat Churachandpur. This year’s edition features 25 teams, including two invited teams from Kangpokpi—Football 4 Change and Sadar Hills Football Academy—who will enter the competition from the knockout stage.

The tournament carries a total prize pool of Rs. 3.50 lakh and is expected to draw large crowds and keen competition in the days ahead.