5th Senior Federation Kabaddi Cup: Date, Venue, Format and Teams
The 5th Senior Federation Kabaddi Cup 2026 is set to bring four days of high‑level men’s and women’s kabaddi to Satna in Madhya Pradesh. The national kabaddi tournament will run from 19 to 22 March 2026 at Shri Narendra Das Modi Stadium and will feature top state and departmental teams from across India in both categories.
The 5th Senior Federation Kabaddi Cup 2026 will again have both men’s and women’s categories, just like the earlier editions of the Senior Federation Cup. In the last edition, the 4th Senior Federation Cup, Indian Railways won the men’s title while Himachal Pradesh lifted the women’s title, and these same teams are returning for the 5th Senior Federation Kabaddi Cup 2026 in Satna. So this senior federation kabaddi tournament keeps a strong link with its own short but rich history.
Dates, venue and format
According to tournament creatives and social media announcements, the 5th Senior Federation Kabaddi Cup 2026 will be played from 19 March to 22 March 2026. The venue mentioned is Shri Narendra Das Modi Stadium in Satna, which will host all matches of this senior federation kabaddi cup. This fixed venue and four‑day window will help teams and media plan travel and coverage around the 5th Senior Federation Kabaddi Cup 2026.
The format will once again have a men’s draw and a women’s draw, with separate groups and knock‑out matches for each section, as is usual in AKFI senior federation kabaddi events. Although the detailed point system and pool structure are yet to be released publicly, earlier federation cups have followed a group stage followed by semi‑finals and finals, so teams can prepare for multiple matches over the four days.
Participating teams – Men
The men’s line‑up for the 5th Senior Federation Kabaddi Cup 2026 is:
- Indian Railways
- Maharashtra
- Chandigarh
- Uttar Pradesh
- Bihar
- Himachal Pradesh
- Tamil Nadu
- Services
- Madhya Pradesh (host)
This means the men’s draw at the 5th Senior Federation Kabaddi Cup Satna will have a mix of strong departmental teams and traditional kabaddi states. Indian Railways come in as the defending champions from the 4th Senior Federation Cup, where they finished first in the men’s event at Amravati. Services also have a deep record in senior federation kabaddi, as they won the 2nd Senior Federation Cup in Indore and the 3rd Senior Federation Cup in Mumbai.
Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh all have active state setups and regular appearances in senior national kabaddi championships, so the 5th Senior Federation Kabaddi Cup 2026 gives them another high‑level platform in March. Meanwhile, Chandigarh, Bihar and host Madhya Pradesh will look to test their squads against these seasoned sides during the 5th Senior Federation Kabaddi Cup 2026 in Satna.
Participating teams – Women
The women’s section of the 5th Senior Federation Kabaddi Cup 2026 will feature eight strong teams:
- Haryana
- Indian Railways
- Himachal Pradesh
- Tamil Nadu
- Madhya Pradesh
- Maharashtra
- Punjab
- Chandigarh
Himachal Pradesh women come into the 5th Senior Federation Kabaddi Cup 2026 after winning the 4th Senior Federation Cup in Amravati, where they defeated Indian Railways in the final to take gold. Indian Railways, on the other hand, are former champions from the 3rd Senior Federation Cup in Mumbai, where they beat Himachal Pradesh 26–25 in a close final. Because of this past record, both Himachal Pradesh and Indian Railways carry a strong senior federation kabaddi history into Satna.
Haryana women have also done very well in many recent national kabaddi events, including the circle style, beach and age‑group nationals, so their presence adds depth to the 5th Senior Federation Kabaddi Cup 2026 women’s field. Punjab, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Chandigarh and host Madhya Pradesh complete the women’s list and make sure that the senior federation kabaddi cup in Satna has wide representation from North, West and South India.
History of the Senior Federation Cup
AKFI’s certificate records for the 2nd Senior Federation Cup, held at Indore from 18–21 May 2017. In the 2nd edition of the tournament, Services Sports Control Board was positioned “FIRST”, which confirmed Services as the men’s champions. In the same edition, Himachal Pradesh women players are listed with the position “FIRST”, showing that Himachal Pradesh were the women’s champions in that second senior federation kabaddi cup.
The 3rd Senior Federation Cup took place at SRPF Ground in Jogeshwari (East), Mumbai, from 9–12 February 2018, with eight men’s and eight women’s teams. In that edition, Services beat Karnataka 28–25 in the men’s final, while Indian Railways edged past Himachal Pradesh 26–25 in the women’s final, as reported by national news agencies and backed by AKFI certificates.
The 4th Senior Federation Cup, which was held in Amravati, Vidarbha, from 2–4 May 2025. In this edition Indian Railways lifted the men’s title and Himachal Pradesh took the women’s title.
The 5th Senior Federation Kabaddi Cup 2026 in Satna comes after four previous editions in Indore, Mumbai and Amravati, and it continues the pattern of rotating the senior federation kabaddi cup between different kabaddi‑rich centres of India.
Key points for viewers and readers
Basic facts about the 5th Senior Federation Kabaddi Cup 2026:
- Name of event: 5th Senior Federation Kabaddi Cup 2026 (Men’s & Women’s).
- Dates: 19 March 2026 to 22 March 2026.
- Location: Satna, Madhya Pradesh.
- Venue: Shri Narendra Das Modi Stadium.
- Organiser: Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI), as part of its 2025–26 national calendar.
- Men’s teams: Indian Railways, Maharashtra, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Services, Madhya Pradesh (host).
- Women’s teams: Haryana, Indian Railways, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Chandigarh.
