Bengaluru FC Crowned Champions at 4th Vedanta Youth Cup 2025-26
Goa, October 30th 2025 : The 4th Vedanta Youth Cup, hosted by Sesa Football Academy , came to a thrilling conclusion with Bengaluru FC edging out AIFF FIFA Talent Academy by a solitary goal to be crowned ‘Champions’.
The final match was an exciting demonstration of young football talent, with both teams matching the other in skill and application. Primarily a mid-field contest, premised on possession and quick transitions that the teams relied on to counter the wet ground conditions posed by the heavy rains. The deadlock was broken in the 89th minute when Bengaluru converted a set piece corner, with Hrishikesh Charan Nanarathi powering a half volley to score the all-important strike.
The victorious Bengaluru FC received the winners trophy as well as a cash prize of 1 lac from Dronacharya Awardee & top coach Mr Armando Colaco and the runner up team receiving Rs 70000/- from Mr. Laxman Hadfadkar, Executive Member, Goa Football Association. The summit clash received encouragement from several prominent individuals from the football fraternity including Mr. Mohd Faizal Md. So’od, AFC Beach Soccer Instructor & India Beach Soccer Head Coach, Mrs. Daliwza Deena Binti Salihin, Executive Member for Women Football Association in Malaysia, and Mr. Vivek Nagul, Head of Coach Development, All India Football Federation (AIFF).
Hrishikesh Charan Manarathi from Bengaluru FC was adjudged the ‘Player of the Tournament’ & ‘Player of the Match’, with Leivon Thangalur Kom from Muthoot FA being adjudged ‘Most Promising Player’, Dhannya Harshit Desai from Bengaluru FC won the ‘Best Goalkeeper’ award, with Prathyush Dev (Muthoot FA) being adjudged the ‘Best Goalkeeper’ of the tournament. The title of the ‘Best Defender’ was bestowed upon Jinesh Thoudam from the AIFF FIFA Talent Academy. Cortalim Villagers received the ‘fair play’ award.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Armando Colaco, Dronacharya Awardee & Former India Football Coach, said: “The Vedanta Youth Cup serves as a remarkable platform for identifying and nurturing young footballing talent in India. The level of competition and professionalism demonstrated by the participants reflects the growing depth of the sport in the country. Initiatives of this nature play a vital role in shaping the next generation of footballers and strengthening the foundation of Indian football.”
Mr. Vivek Nagul, Head of Coach Development, All India Football Federation (AIFF), said:
“The Vedanta Youth Cup exemplifies how structured tournaments can significantly contribute to the development of grassroots and youth football in India. Such initiatives create invaluable opportunities for young players to gain competitive exposure and progress towards professional excellence. AIFF deeply appreciates Vedanta Sesa Goa & Sesa Football Academy’s sustained efforts in fostering football development and promoting the sport at all levels.”
The Vedanta Youth Cup presents a transformational elite-level exposure for the age group players & is an important marker for gauging the depth & extent of football talent & development in India. The successful conduct of the tournament spotlights Sesa Football Academy’s growing prowess in organizing marquee events and helping provide a suitable platform for young and emerging players.
About Vedanta Cares
Vedanta is committed to reinvest in the social good of its neighbourhood communities and the nation. The Group’s flagship CSR project, Nand Ghar, is a network of model anganwadis where the thrust is on inclusive development of women and children at the grassroots level. The Group CSR initiative comprises of seven key verticals – Education, Healthcare, Water and Sanitation, Sustainable Livelihood, Skilling, Sports & Culture and Employee Volunteering. Vedanta Foundation, a philanthropic initiative of Vedanta Group is focused on skill development and vocational training programmes for the underprivileged to make them employable. A key healthcare speciality CSR project is the Balco Medical Center, a 200-bed state-of-the-art Cancer care hospital located in New Raipur, Chhattisgarh. The company supports grassroots level sports through their Football academies in Goa and Udaipur.
About Vedanta Limited
Vedanta Limited, a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources Limited, is one of the world’s leading Oil & Gas and Metals company with significant operations in Oil & Gas, Zinc, Lead, Silver, Copper, Iron Ore, Steel, and Aluminium & Power across India, South Africa, Namibia, and Australia. For two decades, Vedanta has been contributing to India’s growth story, currently contributing 1 percent of India’s GDP. The company is among the top private sector contributors to the exchequer with the highest ever contribution of INR 42,560 Crore in FY 2019. Governance and sustainable development are at the core of Vedanta's strategy, with a strong focus on health, safety, and environment and on enhancing the lives of local communities. The company has been conferred the CII-ITC Sustainability Award, the FICCI CSR Award, Dun & Bradstreet Awards in Metals & Mining, and certified as a Great Place to Work. Vedanta Limited is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange in India and has ADRs listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
About SESA Football Academy
An initiative of SESA Community Development Foundation (SCDF), SESA Football Academy (SFA) was founded in 1999 for the holistic development of the local youths through football. The academy has created the conditions for discovering, creating and building talent for football. SFA does not restrict itself to football trainings but involves in a long term residential program which takes care of the formal education, skill development of the trainees during the four-year training period.
The academy has a strong focus on women empowerment through football. Since inception, SFA has trained around 200 footballers and has made tremendous impact on the football fraternity in Goa as well as across India. The graduates from SFA are serving in the national teams, Indian Super League (ISL), I-League clubs of India and clubs in Goa. 7 players have earned the national team cap and several players played the elite ISL.