New Delhi, April 17 (IANS) Karnataka were crowned champions of the U13 ASMITA National Football League, defeating hosts Punjab 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the final played in Mahilpur.

Placed in Group B, Karnataka began their campaign with a 2-1 win against Rajasthan, followed by a 2-2 draw against Jharkhand, and a 3-0 victory over Assam to secure qualification for the knockout stage.

In the semi-final, Karnataka defeated Mizoram 2-0 to book their place in the final.

The final against hosts Punjab ended 1-1, with Karnataka prevailing 5-4 in the penalty shootout to lift the title on Thursday. Karnataka’s Subhathra A scored the opening goal in the 31st minute before Tanveer Kaur equalised for Punjab in the 38th. Madhumetha K netted Karnataka’s winning penalty in sudden death.

The national round featured eight teams divided into two groups, with the top two sides from each group progressing to the semi-finals.

The 2025-26 U13 ASMITA Football League season began with the City Leagues, which were conducted by 25 state associations across India. Each featured eight teams that played knockout tournaments in a 9v9 format, resulting in 392 teams, and over 6,500 players taking part nationwide.

From the City Leagues, the teams advanced to the Zonal Round, where 20 teams and 280 players competed in a round-robin format. The eight best teams from their respective zones progressed to the national round.

The ASMITA Football League 2025-26 marked another milestone in grassroots women’s football with the successful completion of the City League phase across the country. The competition will now move into the Zonal and National stages, with 20 state associations participating in four zones. The City Leagues were conducted in the under-13 girls’ category in a 9v9 format, with 49 leagues organised across India by 25 state associations. Each league featured eight teams, resulting in a total of 392 teams taking part nationwide.

The Youth League of AIFF consists of three age group competitions: U17 (AIFF Youth League), U15 (Junior League), and U13 (Sub-Junior League).

It was founded as the I-League U19 in 2008, which was to give youth teams of the I-League a national league to play in. 16 teams were split into four groups of four. A few years ago, the women’s section was named ASMITA.

–IANS

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