| Nickname | The Blue Colts | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | AIFF | ||
| Confederation | AFC (Asia) | ||
| Sub-confederation | SAFF (South Asia) | ||
| Head coach | Naushad Moosa | ||
| Captain | Bikash Yumnam | ||
| FIFA code | IND | ||
| |||
| First international | |||
| India (Hyderabad, India; 4 August 1991) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
| India (Doha, Qatar; 9 September 2025) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
(Guangzhou, China; 16 November 2010) India (Incheon, South Korea; 15 September 2014) | |||
| Asian Games | |||
| Appearances | 5 (first in2002) | ||
| Best result | Round of 16 (2010,2022) | ||
| SAFF Championship | |||
| Appearances | 1 (first in2009) | ||
| Best result | Champions (2009) | ||
| South Asian Games | |||
| Appearances | 4 (first in2004) | ||
| Best result | Runners–up (2004,2016) | ||
TheIndia national under-23 football team representsIndia in international under-23football and is controlled by theAll India Football Federation (AIFF). A member of theAsian Football Confederation (AFC), the team is eligible to compete in theSummer Olympic Games, theAFC U-23 Asian Cup, and theAsian Games, subject to qualification.
Since only allowing under-23 sides to compete in the Olympic Games in 1992, India have never qualified for the summer games. The under-23 side have also never participated in the AFC U-23 Asian Cup while at best only making it to the round of 16 in the Asian Games.
The under-23 side participated in their first ever tournament during the2002 Asian Games inBusan,South Korea. They were put into a group withChina,Turkmenistan, andBangladesh. Their first match was against Bangladesh. India won 3–0 through a brace from futuresenior captainBaichung Bhutia and a strike fromRenedy Singh. India played their second match two days later against Turkmenistan. They won 3–1. Bhutia again scored a brace whileAbhishek Yadav scored the third goal as India ran out 3–1 winners. Unfortunately, in their final match against China, India could not find the net as they fell 2–0 and thus were knocked-out of the Asian Games.[1]
During the2006 Asian Games India were placed in a group withIran,Hong Kong, andMaldives. In their first match against Hong Kong, India drew 1–1 withPappachen Pradeep scoring the lone Indian goal. In their second match, India faced off against Maldives and won 2–1.Irungbam Surkumar Singh andSubhas Sumbhu Chakrobarty were the scorers for India that night. Finally, in their last match against Iran, India once again lost 2–0 and thus were once again knocked-out of the Asian Games.[2]
During the2010 Asian Games inGuangzhou,China, India were placed in a group withQatar,Kuwait Athletes, andSingapore. India lost their first match against the Kuwait Athletes 2–0 and then lost their second match against Qatar 2–1 with the lone India goal coming fromDharmaraj Ravanan. India went on to win their final match of the group stage against Singapore 4–1. Four players scored each goal,Jewel Raja,Balwant Singh,Jibon Singh, andManish Maithani. The victory managed to help India finish in third-place which then helped India become the best third-place team out of all the other third-placed teams and thus qualified them for the Round of 16.
In the Round of 16, India took on powerhouseJapan at theHuangpu Sports Center. India went on to lose the match 5–0 withKensuke Nagai scoring a brace andRyohei Yamazaki,Kazuya Yamamura, andKota Mizunuma scoring a goal each.[3]
For the2014 Asian Games inIncheon,South Korea, India were placed in Group G withJordan and theUnited Arab Emirates. In their first match against the United Arab Emirates, India went down 5–0. Seven days later, India were defeated by Jordan 2–0 to end their Asian Games participation.[4]
At the2022 Asian Games inHangzhou,China, India were placed in Group A withChina,Myanmar and theBangladesh. In the first match China defeated India 1–5.[5] India won their next Match against Bangladesh 1–0 and played out a 1–1 draw with Myanmar.[6][7] But in the Round of 16 they lost againstSaudi Arabia 0–2.[8]
Before the2009 SAFF Championship inBangladesh, it was announced that India would send the under-23 side to the tournament.[9] India were placed in Group A withAfghanistan,Maldives, andNepal. In their first match against Afghanistan, India won 1–0 throughJeje Lalpekhlua.[10] In their next match against Nepal, aSushil Kumar Singh goal was the difference as India won again 1–0.[11] Despite losing the last match of the group stage to Maldives 2–0 India were still through to the semi-finals.
India defeatedBangladesh in the semi-finals 1–0 through Sushil Kumar Singh.[12] Finally, in the final against Maldives, India won through penalties 3–1 after finishing extra-time with the score at 0–0 to win the championship.[13]
For past match results of the national team, see the team'sresults page.
Matches in the last 12 months, and future scheduled matches
Win Draw Loss Fixture
| 18 June 2025 (2025-06-18)Friendly | Tajikistan | 3–2 | Tursunzoda, Tajikistan | |
| 20:30IST (UTC+05:30) | Report | Stadium:TALCO Arena Referee: Nasrullo Kabirov (Tajikistan) |
| 21 June 2025 (2025-06-21)Friendly | India | 0–0 | Hisor, Tajikistan | |
| 20:30IST (UTC+05:30) | Report | Stadium:Hisor Central Stadium Referee: Abdullo Davlatov (Tajikistan) |
| 25 August 2025 (2025-08-25)Friendly | India | 1–2 | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | |
| 14:30 IST |
| Report | Stadium:UM Arena Stadium |
| 28 August 2025 (2025-08-28)Friendly | India | 1–3 | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | |
| 13:30 IST | Report | Stadium:Kuala Lumpur Stadium |
| 3 September 2025 (2025-09-03)2026 AFC U23 Qualifiers | Bahrain | 0–2 | Doha, Qatar | |
| 18:15 UTC+3 | Report | Stadium:Suheim bin Hamad Stadium |
| 6 September 2025 (2025-09-06)2026 AFC U23 Qualifiers | India | 1–2 | Doha, Qatar | |
| 20:00 UTC+3 |
| Report |
| Stadium:Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium |
| 9 September 2025 (2025-09-09)2026 AFC U23 Qualifiers | India | 6–0 | Doha, Qatar | |
| 18:15 UTC+3 |
| Report | Stadium:Suheim bin Hamad Stadium |
| 10 October 2025 (2025-10-10)Friendly | Indonesia | 1–2 | Jakarta, Indonesia | |
| 18:30 IST | Pamungkas | Report | Bhat | Stadium:Gelora Bung Karno Madya Stadium |
| 13 October 2025 (2025-10-13)Friendly | Indonesia | 1–1 | Jakarta, Indonesia | |
| 18:30 IST | Pamungkas | Report | Thingujam | Stadium:Gelora Bung Karno Madya Stadium |
| 15 November 2025 (2025-11-15)Friendly | Thailand | 4–0 | Pathum Thani, Thailand | |
| 17:00 UTC+7 | Report | Stadium:Thammasat Stadium |
| 18 November 2025 (2025-11-18)Friendly | Thailand | 1–0 | Pathum Thani, Thailand | |
| 17:00 UTC+7 | Report | Stadium:Thammasat Stadium |
| 28 March 2026 (2026-03-28)U-23 Tri-Nation Championship | India | v | Yupia, India | |
| ––:––IST | Stadium:Golden Jubilee Stadium |
| 31 March 2026 (2026-03-31)U-23 Tri-Nation Championship | India | v | Yupia, India | |
| ––:––IST | Stadium:Golden Jubilee Stadium |
The current coaching staff of the team are:[14]
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | |
| Assistant coach | |
| Goalkeeping coach | |
| Fitness coach |
The following 23 players were called up for the friendlies againstThailand U23.[15]
Caps and goals are correct as of 15 November 2025, after the match againstThailand.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1GK | Dipesh Chauhan | (2003-11-20)20 November 2003 (age 22) | 3 | 0 | ||
| 1GK | Mohanraj Kaithamalai | (2004-06-24)24 June 2004 (age 21) | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1GK | Kamaludheen AK | (2004-10-09)9 October 2004 (age 21) | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2DF | Harsh Palande | (2005-01-26)26 January 2005 (age 21) | 6 | 0 | ||
| 2DF | Joseph Justin | (2004-10-30)30 October 2004 (age 21) | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2DF | Raj Basfore | (2003-03-15)15 March 2003 (age 22) | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2DF | Ronney Kharbudon | (2003-03-02)2 March 2003 (age 22) | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2DF | Sumit Sharma Brahmacharimayum | (2007-03-05)5 March 2007 (age 18) | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2DF | Sanatomba Singh Yanglem | (2006-05-15)15 May 2006 (age 19) | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2DF | Yaipharemba Chingakham | (2008-02-06)6 February 2008 (age 18) | 1 | 0 | ||
| 3MF | Ayush Chhetri | (2003-04-16)16 April 2003 (age 22) | 10 | 1 | ||
| 3MF | Lalrinliana Hnamte | (2003-04-29)29 April 2003 (age 22) | 9 | 0 | ||
| 3MF | Manglenthang Kipgen | (2005-06-03)3 June 2005 (age 20) | 1 | 0 | ||
| 3MF | Singamayum Shami | (2007-04-18)18 April 2007 (age 18) | 0 | 0 | ||
| 3MF | Vinith Venkatesh | (2005-07-31)31 July 2005 (age 20) | 3 | 0 | ||
| 3MF | Shivaldo Singh Chingangbam | (2004-06-13)13 June 2004 (age 21) | 7 | 2 | ||
| 3MF | Mohammed Aimen | (2003-01-20)20 January 2003 (age 23) | 10 | 2 | ||
| 3MF | Vibin Mohanan | (2003-02-06)6 February 2003 (age 23) | 9 | 3 | ||
| 4FW | Alan Saji | (2006-04-15)15 April 2006 (age 19) | 1 | 0 | ||
| 4FW | Korou Singh Thingujam | (2006-12-03)3 December 2006 (age 19) | 5 | 1 | ||
| 4FW | Lalthankima | (2005-09-16)16 September 2005 (age 20) | 1 | 0 | ||
| 4FW | Rahul Raju | (2003-11-20)20 November 2003 (age 22) | 1 | 0 | ||
| 4FW | Thoi Singh Huidrom | (2004-05-04)4 May 2004 (age 21) | 2 | 0 | ||
The following footballers were part of national selection in the past twelve months, but are not part of the current call-up.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Priyansh Dubey | (2006-07-22)22 July 2006 (age 19) | 2 | 0 | vs | |
| GK | Sahil Poonia | (2003-08-05)5 August 2003 (age 22) | 4 | 0 | 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers | |
| GK | Mohammed Arbaz | (2005-06-07)7 June 2005 (age 20) | 1 | 0 | 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers | |
| DF | Bikash Yumnam | (2003-09-06)6 September 2003 (age 22) | 7 | 0 | vs | |
| DF | Dippendu Biswas | (2003-04-24)24 April 2003 (age 22) | 3 | 0 | vs | |
| DF | Muhammed Saheef | (2003-02-07)7 February 2003 (age 23) | 6 | 0 | vs | |
| DF | Ricky Meetei Haobam | (2006-08-30)30 August 2006 (age 19) | 6 | 0 | vs | |
| DF | Roshan Singh Thangjam | (2007-01-02)2 January 2007 (age 19) | 1 | 0 | vs | |
| DF | Nikhil Barla | (2003-08-05)5 August 2003 (age 22) | 1 | 0 | vs | |
| DF | Abhishek Singh Tekcham | (2005-01-02)2 January 2005 (age 21) | 2 | 0 | vs | |
| DF | Pramveer Singh | (2005-01-02)2 January 2005 (age 21) | 5 | 0 | 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers | |
| DF | Subham Bhattacharya | (2006-08-02)2 August 2006 (age 19) | 0 | 0 | 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers | |
| MF | Bekey Oram | (2003-12-23)23 December 2003 (age 22) | 2 | 0 | vs | |
| MF | Danny Meitei Laishram | (2007-11-20)20 November 2007 (age 18) | 2 | 0 | vs | |
| MF | Lalremtluanga Fanai | (2002-07-10)10 July 2002 (age 23) | 5 | 0 | 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers | |
| MF | Macarton Nickson | (2005-06-03)3 June 2005 (age 20) | 5 | 0 | 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers | |
| MF | Soham Varshneya | (2004-08-14)14 August 2004 (age 21) | 1 | 0 | 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers | |
| FW | Muhammad Suhail F | (2005-09-12)12 September 2005 (age 20) | 6 | 2 | vs | |
| FW | Parthib Gogoi | (2003-01-30)30 January 2003 (age 23) | 7 | 1 | vs | |
| FW | Sreekuttan M. S. | (2004-11-30)30 November 2004 (age 21) | 4 | 0 | vs | |
| FW | Suhail Ahmad Bhat | (2005-04-08)8 April 2005 (age 20) | 4 | 3 | vs | |
| FW | Mohammed Sanan | (2003-10-13)13 October 2003 (age 22) | 6 | 1 | 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers | |
| FW | Joseph Sunny | (2003-10-13)13 October 2003 (age 22) | 1 | 0 | vs | |
| FW | Sahil Harijan | (2003-10-13)13 October 2003 (age 22) | 3 | 0 | 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers | |
From1908 to1988, football at the Olympics was played by senior national teams.[16] and between these yearsIndia national football team competed at all Games from 1948 to 1960.[16] From1992, FIFA allowed only U-23 national teams to play the tournament at the Olympics.[16] Though U-23 players were allowed, the qualifying matches of1992 Olympics to2012 Olympics were played by theSenior national team of India but failed to qualify to the Olympics finals from 1992 to 2012.AFC startedAFC U-23 Championship from 2013 which is now acted as the qualifying tournament for the Olympics for the Asian countries, where top three teams are allowed entry to Olympic finals.[17] India is yet to qualify for theAFC U-23 Championship and thus also atOlympics since then.
| Summer Olympics record | Summer Olympics qualification record | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Host/Year | Result | Position | Pld | W | T | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | T | L | GF | GA | |
| 1908−1988 | SeeIndia national football team | SeeIndia national football team | |||||||||||||
| Did not qualify | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 | |||||||||
| 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 7 | ||||||||||
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||
| 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||
| 8 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 13 | ||||||||||
| 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 6 | ||||||||||
| Since 2016,AFC U-23 Championship acted as the AFC qualifier (top 3 finishers) | |||||||||||||||
| Did not qualify | Did not qualify2016 AFC U-23 | ||||||||||||||
| Did not qualify2020 AFC U-23 | |||||||||||||||
| Did not qualify2024 AFC U-23 | |||||||||||||||
| To be determined | To be determined | ||||||||||||||
| Total | 0/8 | 0 Titles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 4 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 37 | |
AFC U-23 Asian Cup was initially set to be held asAFC U-22 Championships in 2013 and itsqualification matches in 2012, but the finals tournament was postponed to be played in January 2014.[18][19] Till now, six championships held, in2014,2016,2018,2020,2022 and2024.[20] However, India failed to qualify to any of the championships.[21][22]
| AFC U-23 Asian Cup record | AFC U-23 qualification record | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Position | Pld | W | T | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | T | L | GF | GA | |
| Did not qualify | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 10 | |||||||||
| 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | ||||||||||
| 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||||||||||
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | ||||||||||
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | ||||||||||
| 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 2 | ||||||||||
| Total | 0/7 | 0 Titles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 6 | 3 | 12 | 26 | 34 | |
From1951 to1998 India competed in elevenAsian Games except the1990 and the1994 editions, and was competed by the senior national team. As the turn of the century,Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) changed the rules of participation of players in the Asian Games. Since theFootball at the 2002 Asian Games, the age of the players is limited to 23 years while three over–aged players are allowed among each squad, similar to the rules for participation at theSummer Olympics.[23][24][25][26] Though the senior team won the 1951 and the1962 gold medal, and a bronze at the1970 Asian Games but the India U-23 team has yet to win a medal at theAsian Games football tournament.[27][28]
| Asian Games record | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Host/Year | Result | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Squad | Ref. |
| 1951 –1998 | SeeIndia national football team | |||||||||
| Group stage | 10th of 24 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | Squad | [29] | |
| Group stage | 14th of 28 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | Squad | [30] | |
| Round of 16 | 14th of 28 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 10 | Squad | [31] | |
| Group stage | 26th of 32 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | Squad | [32] | |
| Indian Olympic Association did not allow team's participation[33] | [34] | |||||||||
| Round of 16 | 9th of 21 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | Squad | [35] | |
| To be decided | ||||||||||
| Total | 5/6 | 0 Titles | 16 | 5 | 2 | 9 | 17 | 32 | — | — |
First time an Indian under-23 team participated in any championship organised by SAFF was in 2009. For the2009 SAFF Championship, AIFF decided to send the under-23 team instead of thesenior national team.[36] Despite the underage team, India won the championship after beating theMaldives in the final.[37][38]
In January 2025, SAFF announced the inauguralU-23 Championship, which will begin in2026.[39][40]
| SAFF Championship record (Senior &Under-23) | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Host/Year | Result | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Squad | Ref. |
| In the senior championship | ||||||||||
| Champions | 1st | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | Squad | [38] | |
| In the under-23 championship | ||||||||||
| To be determined | Squad | |||||||||
| Total | 1 | 1 Title | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | — | |
| South Asian Games record | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Position | Pld | W | T | L | GF | GA | Ref. |
| 1984–1999 | SeeIndia national football team | [41] | |||||||
| Played byIndia national under-20 football team | [42] | ||||||||
| [43] | |||||||||
| [44] | |||||||||
| Runners–up | 2nd | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 5 | [45] | |
| Did not participate | [46] | ||||||||
| To be determined | |||||||||
| Total | 1 Edition | 0 Title | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 5 | — |
| Competition | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer Olympics | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | !— |
| Asian Games | 16 | 5 | 2 | 9 | 17 | 32 | −15 | 031.25 |
| South Asian Games | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 050.00 |
| AFC Olympic qualifiers | 24 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 24 | 36 | −12 | 020.83 |
| AFC U-23 Asian Cup | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | !— |
| AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qualification | 21 | 6 | 3 | 12 | 26 | 34 | −8 | 028.57 |
| SAFF U-23 Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | !— |
| Total | 65 | 18 | 12 | 35 | 74 | 107 | −33 | 027.69 |
The following table shows India's head-to-head record in the official tournaments ofAsian Games,South Asian Games,AFC U-23 Asian Cup (including qualifiers) andSAFF U-23 Championship.
Positive Record Neutral Record Negative Record
| Opponent | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 100.00 | |
| 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | +7 | 075.00 | |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | +6 | 100.00 | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 9 | −7 | 000.00 | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +0 | 000.00 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 | 000.00 | |
| 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | −4 | 000.00 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | −5 | 000.00 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 | 000.00 | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 000.00 | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | 000.00 | |
| 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 050.00 | |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 100.00 | |
| 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 020.00 | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 000.00 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 000.00 | |
| 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 11 | −5 | 020.00 | |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 100.00 | |
| 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 9 | −5 | 000.00 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 | 000.00 | |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 100.00 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 000.00 | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | −7 | 000.00 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 | 000.00 | |
| 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 025.00 | |
| 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 5 | +6 | 080.00 | |
| 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 10 | −9 | 000.00 | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | −5 | 000.00 | |
| Total | 65 | 18 | 12 | 35 | 74 | 107 | −33 | 027.69 |
| Men's | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senior | Futsal | Beach soccer | Under-23 | Under-20 | Under-17 |
| Women's | |||||
| Senior | Futsal | Under-20 | Under-17 | ||