Association football is one of the most popular sports inIndia.[5][6] According to a survey, 305 million Indians or around 21% of the Indians are football fans.[7] Association football is the most popular sport in some Indian states, likeAssam,Goa,Kerala,Manipur,Meghalaya andWest Bengal.[8] InOdisha,field hockey is number one.[9] In the other Indian states,cricket is the main sport.
The2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup was the firstFIFA event the country hosted. It was called the most successfulFIFA U-17 World Cup ever, with a record-breaking attendance of 1,347,133, exceedingChina's record of 1,230,976 from 1985. India also hosted the2022 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup and bid to host the2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup.[10]
TheIndian national football team qualified for the1950 FIFA World Cup but did not participate.[11]
British soldiers introduced football into India in the mid-nineteenth century.[12][13] Games were initially played between army teams but clubs were soon set up around the country. In 1872,Calcutta FC was the first football club to be established, though the side may have originated as a rugby club that switched codes as late as 1894. Other early clubs includeDalhousie AC, Traders Club and Naval Volunteers Club.[14] Several other football clubs such as Sovabazar,Mohun Bagan andAryan Club were established inCalcutta in the 1890s. Calcutta was then the capital of British India and soon became the hub of football. Tournaments like theGladstone Cup, theTrades Cup and theCooch Behar Cup were started around this time.[15] TheDurand Cup andIFA Shield were both started in the late nineteenth century.
The first Indian team to achieve success was Sovabazar Club, which won the Trades Cup in 1892.[16]Mohun Bagan Athletic Club, which was set up in modern-day West Bengal in 1889, became famous in 1911 when it became the first Indian team to win theIFA Shield, a tournament previously won only by British teams based in India.[17] They defeatedEast Yorkshire Regiment 2–1 in the tournament's final in a victory that is still regarded as one of the greatest win by an Indian football team before independence.[12]
_Football_Club_team_1910_-11.jpg)
TheIndian Football Association (IFA) was established in Calcutta in 1893 but had no Indians on its board until the 1930s. TheAll India Football Federation (AIFF), the national governing body of football in India, was formed in 1937 but did not become affiliated withFIFA until at least a decade later. India insisted on playing barefoot whereas other national sides wore boots.[18] FootballerJyotish Chandra Guha brought global attention to Indian football when he became the first Indian to appear with theEnglish Football League clubArsenal in 1930.[19]
India qualified by default for the1950 FIFA World Cup in Brazil because all of their scheduled opponents withdrew. India did not compete in the tournament. It was not because of a lack of financial assistance, particularly to purchase tickets for the sea journey, or because the team were not allowed to play barefoot.[18][20] According to sports journalistJaydeep Basu, the financial barrier was solved as state associations provided financial help to the AIFF and that FIFA also promised to provide money.[11]
FIFA had imposed a rule banning barefoot play following the1948 Olympics where India had played barefoot. According to then-captainShailen Manna, this story was circulated to justify the AIFF's decision to not participate. Since 1950, the Indian national team has not come close to qualifying for the World Cup.[20][21][22][23] The AIFF had organised training is Calcutta for the 1950 World Cup and the board organised a series of meetings relating to India's participation but was not able to reach a decision. One to two weeks before the World Cup, the AIFF resorted to coming up with excuses to abandon the World Cup trip. This did not face much criticism in 1948 because the FIFA World Cup was not as popular as it is now.[11]
1951–1962 is widely considered the "golden age" of Indian football. Until the mid‑1960s, India was one of Asia’s top three football teams.[24] In this period, the national team won numerous titles under the coaching ofSyed Abdul Rahim. India won the gold medal in the firstAsian Games in1951, beating Iran by one goal. In 1956, no longer playing barefoot, India reached thesemi-final in the 1956Melbourne Olympics, becoming the first Asian country to do so and ranking fourth in the tournament. In 1962, India again won the gold in theAsian Games at Jakarta, defeatingSouth Korea 2–1.[18] India also won theMerdeka Cup and theAsian Quadrangular Football Tournament, whileEast Bengal garnered good reviews after touring Romania. Also in 1951, India achieved their highestWorld Football Elo Rating of 31. According to former FIFA presidentSepp Blatter, India is "The sleeping giant of world football".[25]
Rahim's death in the year 1963 on 11 June, caused the Indian national team to gradually lose their position as a top Asian team. India has not qualified for the Olympics since 1960.[18] India qualified for their first Asian Cup in 1964 but failed to win the title.[26][27] In an international tournament at the 1970 Asian Games, India won the bronze medal after defeating Japan 1–0.[28] The Indian national team qualified for the1984 AFC Asian Cup for the first time since 1964 but failed to qualify for the knockout stage after finishing last in their group of five teams.[29]
The Indian youth team jointly won theYouth Asian Cup withIran in1974, the first and only title for India at the youth level.[30][31][32] In club football, on 24 September 1977,Mohun Bagan held onto a 2–2 draw at theEden Gardens stadium in Calcutta, against aPelé-ledNew York Cosmos.[33] Mohun Bagan would have won the tie had it not been for a controversial penalty awarded to the visiting team that ensured the draw.[34] The next day, the newspaperAnanda Bazar Patrika described Goutam Sarkar as "India's very own Beckenbauer".[35]
The Indian women's team as they began playing in the 1970s. In 1975, their first manager wasSushil Bhattacharya.[36] The Indian women's team were runners-up in theAFC Women's Asian Cup in1980 and1983. In the 1990s, the women's team rapidly declined and a series of defeats followed. In 2009, FIFA delisted the Indian women's team from the world rankings.[37]
In August 2007, the Indian national team won theNehru Cup for the first time, beatingSyria 1–0.[38] In August of the following year, India defeatedTajikistan 4–1 to win theAFC Challenge Cup and qualified for the2011 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar.[39] In August 2009, India again won the Nehru Cup, beating Syria on penalties (6–5).[40]
In January 2011, India played in the2011 Asian Cup, the country's firstAsian Cup for 24 years. India was eliminated in the group stage, which includedSouth Korea,Australia, andBahrain.[41]
Since the 2011 Asian Cup, theAll India Football Federation (AIFF) has been working to improve Indian football. They allowed former coachBob Houghton to coach the Indian team in the2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers.[42] After going first in theirAFC Challenge Cup group, Houghton was replaced byWim Koevermans.[43] TheIndia national under-23 football team won the first round of the2012 Olympics qualifiers against Myanmar but were eliminated by Qatar.[44] India played their next official matches againstUnited Arab Emirates in the2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, which India lost on aggregate 5–2.[45]
In 2014, India hosted the firstUnity World Cup inGoa,Hyderabad andBangalore. India has participated in and hosted the2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup tournament. This was the first time a team representing India participated in the finals of a FIFA-organised world tournament. India was placed in Group A along with theUnited States,Ghana andColombia.[46] On 6 October 2017, India played their first match in the FIFA U-17 World Cup in front of 47,000 people against the United States, losing the match 0–3.[47] India played their second match against Colombia. In the 82nd minute,Jeakson Singh became the first Indian goal scorer in the finals of a FIFA-organised tournament.[48] For the third match of the group stage, India played Ghana, losing the match 4–0 and finishing at the bottom of Group A.[49]
In 2018 Indian youth football teams made history by defeatingArgentina U-20 2–1 in theCOTIF cup, as well asIraq U-16, the defending champions of theAFC U-16 Championship (now the AFC U-17 Championship), by 1–0. The U-16 team qualified for the2018 AFC U-16 Championship, where they came close to qualifying for the2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup, but lost toSouth Korea by a single goal in the quarterfinal.[50]
The Indian national team qualified for the2019 AFC Asian Cup after missing the2015 edition. India beatThailand by 4–1, their biggest-ever win at the Asia Cup and their first win in 55 years.[51][52] Nevertheless, they lost both of their next two group matches againstUAE andBahrain by 0−2 and 0−1 respectively[53][54] and finished at the bottom of the group, thus failing to move to the knockout stage.[55]
Football in India is administered by theAll India Football Federation (AIFF), which is affiliated with theAsian Football Confederation (AFC) and the worldwide football governing bodyFIFA.[56][57][58] TheIndia national football team has entered the regional Asian Cup competition but has never competed in aWorld Cup. TheIndia women's national football team has also played in competitions, and has its own inter-state and state competitions. Youth football is administered by theSports Authority of India.
TheIndia national football team is governed by the AIFF and is a member of the Asian Football Confederation. Since 1948, the AIFF has been affiliated with FIFA, the international governing body for world football. In 1954, the AIFF became one of the founding members of the AFC.[56][57][59] There are other Indian national teams, such as theunder-23 team and theunder-17 team.
The following list includes the performance of all of India's national teams at major competitions.
The Indian senior national team had several successes during their initial years, but is no longer considered one of the best in Asia.[60] The national team's highest achievement is winning two gold medals at the Asian Games.
| Tournament | Appearance in finals | Last appearance | Best performance |
|---|---|---|---|
| FIFA World Cup | 0 out of 22 | —[61] | – |
| AFC Asian Cup | 1 out of 18 | 2023 | Runners-up (1964) |
| Summer Olympics | 0 | 1960 | Fourth-place (1956) |
| Asian Games | 2 | 1998 | Champions (1951,1962) |
| SAFF Championship | 13 | 2023 | Champions (1993,1997,1999,2005,2009,2011,2015,2021,2023) |
| South Asian Games | 4 | 1999 | Champions (1985,1987,1995) |
The women's national team was started in the 1970s; they were twice runners-up in the Women's Asian Cup in the early 1980s. After the AIFF took charge of the team, they began to suffer massive defeats and declined in the late 2000s.[62] In the late 2010s, the AIFF revived the team to empower women's football.[63] The AIFF won the hosting bid for the2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup.
| Tournament | Appearance in finals | Last appearance | Best performance |
|---|---|---|---|
| AFC Women's Asian Cup | 2 | 2022 | Runners-up (1980,1983) |
| Asian Games | 0 | 2022 | Eighth-place (1998) |
| SAFF Women's Championship | 5 | 2024 | Champions (2010,2012,2014,2016,2019) |
| South Asian Games | 3 out of 3 | 2019 | Champions (2010,2016,2019) |
| Tournament | Appearance in finals | Last appearance | Best performance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian Games | 0 | 2022 | Ninth-place (2022) |
| South Asian Games | 2 | 2016 | Runners-up (2004,2016) |
Includes U-19 and U-18 teams' performance.
| Tournament | Appearance in finals | Last appearance | Best performance |
|---|---|---|---|
| AFC U-20 Asian Cup | 1 | 2006 | Champions (1974) |
| SAFF U-20 Championship | 4 | 2024 | Champions (2019,2022,2023) |
Includes U-16 and U-15 teams' performance.
| Tournament | Finals appearance | Last appearance | Best performance |
|---|---|---|---|
| FIFA U-17 World Cup | 1 | 2017 | Group stage (2017) |
| AFC U-17 Asian Cup | 3 | 2023 | Quarterfinals (2002,2018) |
| SAFF U-17 Championship | 8 | 2024 | Champions (2013,2017,2019,2022,2024) |
Includes U-19 and U-18 teams' performance.
| Tournament | Finals appearance | Last appearance | Best performance |
|---|---|---|---|
| AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup | 2 | 2006 | Quarterfinals (2004) |
| SAFF U-20 Women's Championship | 3 | 2024 | Champions (2022,2024) |
Includes U-16 and U-15 teams' performance.
| Tournament | Finals appearance | Last appearance | Best performance |
|---|---|---|---|
| FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup | 1 | 2022 | Group stage (2022) |
| AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup | 1 | 2005 | Group stage (2005) |
| SAFF U-17 Women's Championship | 4 | 2024 | Champions (2018,2019) |
There are currently 36 state associations and 2 affiliates associations with the All India Football Federation.[64]
| No. | Association | Department | President |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Railways Sports Promotion Board | Indian Railways | D. K. Gayen |
| 2 | Services Sports Control Board | Indian Armed Forces | Dinesh Suri |
.jpg)
International football in India generally takes place between September and November for Men's according toFIFA Men's International Match Calendar (2023-2030)[65] and between February–July and October–December for Women's according toFIFA Women's International Match Calendar (2023-2025).[66] Football in India is managed by theAll India Football Federation (AIFF).The Indian national football team has also provided some of the greatest players to the world, the biggest example of which isSunil Chhetri. Indian football has a rich history. The Indian men's national team is currently ranked 124 (as of 18 July 2024) inFIFA Men's World Ranking and Women's national team is currently ranked 67 (as of 14 June 2024) inFIFA Women's World Ranking.
As of 2023[update], India has four national-level leagues. TheIndian Super League is the top league, followed byI-League,I-League 2 andI-League 3. I-League 3 currently acts as a final round for the top teams in thestate leagues that are nominated bystate football associations. India has several cup tournaments, including theDurand Cup,Super Cup andIFA Shield.[81][82]
| Competition | Organizer | Host city/state |
|---|---|---|
| Durand Cup | DFTS (Durand Football Tournament Society) andAIFF | Various |
| Super Cup | AIFF | Various |
The competitions currently active in Indian football in the2024–25 season.
| State competition | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tournament | Current champions | |
| Santosh Trophy | West Bengal | |
| National Games (Men) | Kerala | |
| Swami Vivekananda NFC (U20) | Delhi | |
| Junior NFC (U19) | West Bengal | |
| Sub-Junior NFC (U16) | Mizoram | |
| National Beach Soccer Championship | Kerala | |
| Club competition | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tournament | Current champions | |
| Indian Super League |
| |
| I-League | Churchill Brothers | |
| I-League 2 | Diamond Harbour | |
| I-League 3 | Diamond Harbour | |
| Super Cup | Goa | |
| Durand Cup | North East United | |
| Youth League (U-17) | Punjab (R) | |
| Youth League (U-15) | Punjab (R) | |
| Youth League (U-13) | Minerva Academy | |
| Futsal Club Championship | Corbett | |
The competitions currently active in Indian football in the2024–25 season.
| State competition | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tournament | Current champions | |
| Rajmata Jijabai Senior Women's NFC | Manipur | |
| National Games (Women) | Haryana | |
| Junior Girl's NFC (U19) | Manipur | |
| Sub-Junior Girl's NFC (U17) | Manipur | |
| Club competition | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tournament | Current champions | |
| Indian Women's League | East Bengal | |
| Indian Women's League 2 | Garhwal United | |
| Level | Years | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1888–1893 | 1898–1941 | 1941–1977 | 1977–1996 | 1996–1997 | 1997–2001 | 2001–2006 | 2006–2007 | 2007–2011 | 2011–2014 | 2014–2017 | 2017–2022 | 2022–2023 | 2023–present | ||||
| 1893 | 1937 | ||||||||||||||||
| National leagues | 1 | None | Formation ofIndian Football Association (IFA) | Calcutta Football League | Santosh Trophy | National Football League | I-League | Indian Super League | Indian Super League | ||||||||
| I-League | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | None | Formation ofAll India Football Federation (AIFF) | None | NFL Second Division | I-League 2nd Division | I-League | |||||||||||
| 3 | None | NFL Third Division | Discontinued | I-League 2 | |||||||||||||
| 4 | None | I-League 3 | |||||||||||||||
| Regional leagues | 5–11 | State leagues | |||||||||||||||
| Cup competitions | Durand Cup | ||||||||||||||||
| Federation Cup | AIFF Super Cup | ||||||||||||||||
| Indian Super Cup | Discontinued | ||||||||||||||||
| Level | Years | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | 1991–2016 | 2016–2023 | 2023-present | ||
| National leagues | 1 | Formation of All India Football Federation (AIFF) | Senior Women's National Football Championship | Indian Women's League | |
| 2 | None | Indian Women's League 2 | |||
| Regional leagues | 3– | State leagues | |||
| Competition | Qualifying team | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| AFC Champions League Two | Premiers ofIndian Super League | Qualification to the Group stage |
| AFC Champions League Two | Winners ofSuper Cup | Qualification to the Qualifying play-off |
| AFC Women's Champions League | Champions ofIndian Women's League | Qualification to the Preliminary stage |
As of 2023[update], few of India's national football stadiums meet current world standards. The largest football stadiums in India are theSalt Lake Stadium inKolkata with a seating capacity of 68,000 and theJawaharlal Nehru Stadium inNew Delhi with a capacity of over 60,000. TheBarabati Stadium inCuttack andKalinga Stadium inBhubaneswar are major arenas for football events inOdisha. In Sikkim, the 30,000-capacityPaljor Stadium inGangtok is famous as one of the most beautiful stadiums in the world because of its backdrop of the Himalayas. The main stadium inShillong is theJawaharlal Nehru Stadium with a capacity of 30,000 standing. Both the Paljor and the JLN in Shillong have been renovated withartificial playing surfaces. Some other important stadiums are theShree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex inPune,Barasat Stadium inBarasat, theFatorda Stadium inGoa, theKaloor International Stadium inKochi, theMunicipal Corporation Stadium inKozhikode, theJawaharlal Nehru Stadium inGuwahati and theEKA Arena inAhmedabad. There are hundreds of other stadiums in the country. The following stadiums are affiliated byAll India Football Federation.[112][113][114][115][116][117][118][119][120][121][122]
Note. †denotes stadiums that have hosted international football matches.
TheNehru Cup was an international invitationalassociation football tournament organised by the AIFF and named after the First Prime Minister of IndiaJawaharlal Nehru.[123]
| Editions | Winners |
|---|---|
| 1982 |  Uruguay |
| 1983 |  Hungary |
| 1984 |  Poland |
| 1985 |  Soviet Union |
| 1986 | Soviet Union |
| 1987 | Soviet Union |
| 1988 | Soviet Union |
| 1989 | Hungary |
| 1991 |  Romania |
| 1993 |  North Korea |
| 1995 |  Iraq |
| 1997 | Iraq |
| 2007 |  India |
| 2009 | India |
| 2012 | India |
TheTri-Nation Series is a three-team football tournament organised by the AIFF. The first edition was held in 2017.[124]
| Editions | Winners |
|---|---|
| 2017 | India |
| 2023 | India |
TheIntercontinental Cup is a four-team association football tournament organised by the AIFF. The first edition was held in 2018.[125]
| Editions | Winners |
|---|---|
| 2018 | India |
| 2019 | North Korea |
| 2023 | India |
| 2024 |  Syria |
TheGold Cup is a 4-team women's [association football tournament organised by the AIFF.[126] It was launched in 2019 with the first edition being held at theKalinga Stadium in association with the Government of Odisha.[127] The tournament naming rights were purchased byHero MotoCorp which also sponsors the national team.[128][129]
| Editions | Winners |
|---|---|
| 2019 |  Myanmar |
A red box around the year indicates tournaments played withinIndia
India has never played in the finals of theFIFA World Cup.[11] After gaining independence in 1947, India managed to qualify for the World Cup held in1950.[130] This was due toMyanmar,Indonesia, and thePhilippines withdrawing fromqualification round.[11] However, prior to the start of the tournament, India withdrew due to the expenses required in getting the team toBrazil.[11] But this reason was untrue because FIFA was ready to give money to India (AIFF) for their trip to Brazil.[131] Other reasons cited for why India withdrew includeFIFA not allowing Indian players to play in the tournamentbarefoot and the All India Football Federation not considering the FIFA World Cup an important tournament compared to theOlympics.[132][11][133]
After withdrawing from the 1950 FIFA World Cup, India did not enter the qualifying rounds of the tournament between1954 and1982.[134] Since the1986 qualifiers, with the exception of the1990 edition of the tournament, the team participated in World Cup qualification, but has yet to qualify for the finals again.[134]
| FIFA World Cup record | Qualification record | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Squad | Pos | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Ref. | |
| 1930 to  1938 | Not a FIFA member | Not a FIFA member | – | ||||||||||||||
 1950 | Qualified, withdrew | Qualified by default | [135] | ||||||||||||||
 1954 | Denied by FIFA | Denied by FIFA | [136] | ||||||||||||||
 1958to  1982 | Did not enter | Did not enter | – | ||||||||||||||
 1986 | Did not qualify | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 6 | [137] | |||||||||
 1990 | Withdrew from qualification | [138] | |||||||||||||||
 1994 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 22 | [139] | ||||||||||
 1998 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | [140] | ||||||||||
  2002 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 5 | [141] | ||||||||||
 2006 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 18 | [142] | ||||||||||
 2010 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | [143] | ||||||||||
 2014 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | [144] | ||||||||||
 2018 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 18 | [145] | ||||||||||
 2022 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 7 | [146] | ||||||||||
 2026 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 7 | – | ||||||||||
  2030 | To be determined | To be determined | |||||||||||||||
 2034 | |||||||||||||||||
| Total | — | 0/20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 57 | 12 | 17 | 28 | 52 | 101 | — | |
India has qualified for theAFC Asian Cup five times. The team played their first Asian Cup in1964. The team managed to qualify following other nations' refusal to play against India due to political reasons.[26][27] India managed to finish the tournament as runners-up to hostsIsrael, withInder Singh finishing as joint top-scorer.[27] Since then, India has failed to progress beyond the first round of the Asian Cup, with their participation at the1984[147] and2011 Asian Cups,[148] and most recently the2019 Asian Cup.[55]
In June 2022, India qualified for the2023 AFC Asian Cup after winning all the matches in the third round of2023 AFC Asian Cup qualification. This is the first time ever India qualified consecutively for the continental championship.
| AFC Asian Cup record | Qualification record | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Squad | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Ref. | |
 1956 | Did not enter | Did not enter | – | ||||||||||||||
| 1960 | Did not qualify | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 9 | [149] | |||||||||
 1964 | Runners-up | 2nd | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | Squad | Qualified by default | [150] | ||||||
 1968 | Did not qualify | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | [151] | |||||||||
 1972 | Did not enter | Did not enter | [152] | ||||||||||||||
| 1976 | [153] | ||||||||||||||||
 1980 | [154] | ||||||||||||||||
 1984 | Group stage | 10th | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 7 | Squad | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 2 | [155] | |
| 1988 | Did not qualify | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 6 | [156] | |||||||||
| 1992 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | [157] | ||||||||||
 1996 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 12 | [158] | ||||||||||
 2000 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 9 | [159] | ||||||||||
 2004 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | [160] | ||||||||||
   2007 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 24 | [161] | ||||||||||
| 2011 | Group stage | 16th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 13 | Squad | AFC Challenge Cup | [162] | ||||||
 2015 | Did not qualify | [163] | |||||||||||||||
| 2019 | Group stage | 17th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | Squad | 18 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 25 | 24 | [164] | |
| 2023 | Group stage | 24th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | Squad | 11 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 14 | 8 | [165] | |
| 2027 | To be determined | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 7 | – | |||||||||
| Total | Runners-up | 2nd | 16 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 12 | 33 | — | 69 | 20 | 13 | 36 | 76 | 113 | — | |
India competed in four straight Olympic football tournaments between 1948 and 1960.[166] Their sole1948 Olympics match againstFrance was also India's first ever international match since the country gained independence in 1947. During the match, a majority of the Indian side played barefoot. The match ended in a 2–1 defeat, withSarangapani Raman scoring the lone goal for India. India then returned to the Olympics four years later where they took onYugoslavia in the preliminary rounds. The team suffered a 10–1 defeat, India's largest margin of defeat in a competitive match, and were knocked out.[167]
Four years later, during the1956 Olympics, India managed to reach the semi-finals and finish fourth. After India's first round opponents,Hungary, withdrew from the tournament, the team played against hostsAustralia in the quarter-finals. ANeville D'Souza hat-trick, the first by an Asian footballer in the Olympics, helped India win 4–2.[168] However, in the semi-finals, India once again suffered defeat against Yugoslavia, going down 4–1. In the bronze medal match, India were defeated 3–0 byBulgaria.[168]
In 1960, India competed in Group D with Hungary, France andPeru. India ended the group in last place, drawing once.[169] India have since failed to qualify for another Olympic games.
| Summer Olympics record | Qualification record | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Squad | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Ref. | |
 1908 to 1936 | Did not enter | Did not enter | – | ||||||||||||||
| 1948 | Round 1 | 11th | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | Squad | Qualified automatically | [170] | ||||||
 1952 | Preliminaries | 25th | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | Squad | Qualified automatically | [171] | ||||||
| 1956 | Semi-finals | 4th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 9 | Squad | Bye | [172] | ||||||
| 1960 | Round 1 | 13th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | Squad | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 4 | [173] | |
1964 to 1988 | Did not qualify | 20 | 6 | 1 | 13 | 34 | 38 | – | |||||||||
| 1992–present | SeeIndia national U-23 team | SeeIndia national U-23 team | |||||||||||||||
| Totals | Semi-finals | 4th | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 27 | — | 23 | 9 | 1 | 13 | 45 | 42 | — | |
India competed in eleven Asian Games, starting from1951 to1998, except the1990 and1994 editions.[174] In1951 Asian Games India won their first match againstIndonesia in the first round and then defeated Japan in semi-final and went on to win against Iran in the final in front of the home crowd. The achievement of the Indian team was a special one as they became the first everAsian Games gold medalists in football.[175]
Though the next two tournaments proved to be less successful for the team, they bounced back by winning gold at the1962 Asian games by defeating theAsian Cup winners South Korea. The team failed to defend their title in1966 and went on to claim the bronze medal in1970.[28]
This was the last time India ever finished on the medal podium, the next years proved to be hard to regain their dominance as the side went through a sharp decline.[176] The team made their return in1998.
| Asian Games record | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Squad | Ref. |
| 1951 | Champions | 1st | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | Squad | [177] |
 1954 | Round 1 | 8th | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | Squad | [178] |
| 1958 | Semi-finals | 4th | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 13 | Squad | [179] |
| 1962 | Champions | 1st | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 6 | Squad | [180] |
| 1966 | Round 1 | 8th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | Squad | [181] |
| 1970 | Third place | 3rd | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 5 | Squad | [182] |
| 1974 | Round 1 | 13th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 14 | Squad | [183] |
| 1978 | Round 2 | 8th | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 13 | Squad | [184] |
| 1982 | Quarter-finals | 6th | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | Squad | [185] |
| 1986 | Round 1 | 16th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 8 | Squad | [186] |
| 1990 | Did not enter | |||||||||
| 1994 | ||||||||||
| 1998 | Round 2 | 16th | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 8 | Squad | [187] |
| 2002–present | SeeIndia national U-23 team | |||||||||
| Totals | 2 titles | 1st | 44 | 18 | 2 | 24 | 61 | 83 | — | – |
India has been the most successful team in the competition, winning overall eight titles.[188] The team played in the knockout stage of every tournament except in1993, when the tournament was in a league format.[189] The team also boasts a prestigious record of claiming medal at every championship played so far.[190] India has played in the final of every championship except the2003, tournament where they claimed bronze medal.[191]
| SAFF Championship record | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Squad | Ref. |
 1993 | Champions | 1st | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | [192] |
 1995 | Runners-up | 2nd | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | Squad | [193] |
 1997 | Champions | 1st | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 3 | — | [194] |
| 1999 | Champions | 1st | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | Squad | [195] |
 2003 | Third place | 3rd | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 5 | Squad | [196] |
| 2005 | Champions | 1st | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 2 | Squad | [197] |
 2008 | Runners-up | 2nd | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 3 | Squad | [198] |
| 2011 | Champions | 1st | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 2 | Squad | [199] |
| 2013 | Runners-up | 2nd | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | Squad | [200] |
| 2015 | Champions | 1st | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 4 | Squad | [201] |
| 2018 | Runners-up | 2nd | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 3 | Squad | [202] |
| 2021 | Champions | 1st | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 2 | Squad | [203] |
| 2023 | Champions | 1st | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 2 | Squad | [204] |
| Total | 8 titles | 1st | 57 | 36 | 14 | 7 | 105 | 36 | — | – |
India has participated in every edition of seniorfootball at theSouth Asian Games, except in1984. The team emerged as champions in1985,1987, and1995. They also took home silver in1993, and bronze medals in1989 and1995.[205]
| South Asian Games record | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Squad | Ref. |
| 1984 | Did not enter | |||||||||
| 1985 | Champions | 1st | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | — | [206] |
| 1987 | Champions | 1st | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | [207] |
| 1989 | Third place | 3rd | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | — | [208] |
| 1991 | Group stage | 6th | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | [209] |
| 1993 | Runners-up | 2nd | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 4 | — | [210] |
| 1995 | Champions | 1st | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | [211] |
| 1999 | Third place | 3rd | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 4 | — | [212] |
| 2004–present | SeeIndia national U-20 team &India national U-23 team | |||||||||
| Totals | 3 titles | 1st | 22 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 44 | 14 | — | — |
| Nehru Cup | AFC Challenge Cup | Tri-Nation Series | Intercontinental Cup |
|---|---|---|---|
| FIFA Women's World Cup record | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 1991 | Did not enter | ||||||||
| 1995 | |||||||||
| 1999 | Did not qualify | ||||||||
| 2003 | |||||||||
| 2007 | |||||||||
| 2011 | Did not enter | ||||||||
| 2015 | Did not qualify | ||||||||
| 2019 | |||||||||
 2023 | Withdrew from qualification | ||||||||
| 2027 | To be determined | ||||||||
| Total | 0/9 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Summer Olympics record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 1996 to  2004 | Did not enter | |||||||
| 2008 | Did not qualify | |||||||
| 2012 | ||||||||
| 2016 | ||||||||
| 2020 | ||||||||
| 2024 | ||||||||
| 2028 | To be determined | |||||||
| 2032 | ||||||||
| Total | 0/8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Notes: |
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India has won theSAFF Women's Championship five times in a row.[214]
| SAFF Women's Championship record | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 2010 | Winners |  | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 0 | +40 |
| 2012 | Winners | | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 1 | +32 |
| 2014 | Winners | | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 1 | +35 |
| 2016 | Winners | | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 3 | +8 |
| 2019 | Winners | | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 1 | +17 |
| 2022 | Semi-final |  | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 4 | +8 |
| 2024 | TBD | TBD | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 6/6 | 5 titles | 27 | 24 | 1 | 2 | 150 | 10 | +140 |
India has won theSouth Asian Games three times.
| South Asian Games record | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 2010 | Winners | | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 2 | +27 |
| 2016 | Winners | | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 1 | +13 |
| 2019 | Winners | | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | +14 |
| Total | 3/3 | 3 titles | 14 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 57 | 3 | +54 |
Red border indicates, India had hosted the games.
| OtherTournaments | ||
|---|---|---|
| Gold Cup | Turkish Women's Cup | Torneio Internacional de Futebol Feminino |
|
| |
List ofcurrent broadcasters:
| Competition | Period | Television rights | Streaming rights | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conglomerate | Channel(s) | Conglomerate | Platform | ||
| Santosh Trophy | 2024–25[216][217] | None | Shrachi Sports Endeavour Private Limited | SSEN | |
| Senior Women's NFC | |||||
| National Beach Soccer Championship | 2023[218] | AIFF | Indian Football | ||
List ofcurrent broadcasters:
| Competition | Period | Television rights | Streaming rights | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conglomerate | Channel(s) | Conglomerate | Platform | ||
| Indian Super League | 2024-25[219][220] | JioStar | Star Sports,Asianet Plus | JioStar | JioHotstar |
| I-League | 2024-25[216][221] | Culver Max Entertainment | Sony Sports Network | Shrachi Sports Endeavour Private Limited | SSEN |
| I-League 2 | 2024-25[216] | None | AIFF | Indian Football | |
| I-League 3 | 2024-25[222] | ||||
| Indian Women's League | 2025[216][223] | Shrachi Sports Endeavour Private Limited | SSEN | ||
| Indian Women's League 2 | 2024-25 | AIFF | Indian Football | ||
| Super Cup | 2025[224] | JioStar | Star Sports | JioStar | JioHotstar |
| Durand Cup | 2025-27[225] | Culver Max Entertainment | Sony Sports Network | Culver Max Entertainment | Sony LIV |
| Futsal Club Championship | 2023-24[226] | None | AIFF | Indian Football | |
List ofcurrent broadcasters:
| State | League | Period | Television rights | Streaming rights | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conglomerate | Channel(s) | Conglomerate | Platform | |||
| West Bengal | Calcutta Football League | 2025 | None | Shrachi Sports Endeavour Private Limited | SSEN | |
List ofcurrent broadcasters:
| State | Competition | Period | Television rights | Streaming rights | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conglomerate | Channel(s) | Conglomerate | Platform | |||
 Kerala | Super League Kerala | 2024[227] | JioStar | Star Sports | JioStar | JioHotstar |
 Gujarat | Gujarat Super League | 2024[228] | None | FIFA,GSFA | FIFA+,GSFA | |
| West Bengal | Bengal Super League | 2025-35[229] | Zee Entertainment Enterprises | Zee Bangla Cinema | Zee Entertainment Enterprises | Zee5 |
List ofcurrent broadcasters:
| Competition | Period | Television rights | Streaming rights | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conglomerate | Channel(s) | Conglomerate | Platform | ||
| Intercontinental Cup | 2024[230] | JioStar | Star Sports | JioStar | JioHotstar |
| Tri-Nation Series | 2023[231] | ||||
| Gold Cup | TBD | ||||
List ofcurrent broadcasters:
List ofcurrent broadcasters:
Kerala Blasters ranked fifth most popular Asian club on social media as of 31 October 2018.[294] Note that the Chinese football clubsGuangzhou FC,Shandong Taishan,Beijing Guoan, theTianjin Jinmen Tiger andShanghai Shenhua ranked above the Kerala Blasters with millions of followers onWeibo.[295]
| # | Club | Country | Followers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Persib | Indonesia | 15.4 million |
| 2 | Al-Hilal | Saudi Arabia | 11.3 million |
| 3 | Al-Ittihad | Saudi Arabia | 4.6 million |
| 4 | Persija | Indonesia | 4.2 million |
| 5 | Kerala Blasters | India | 3.6 million |
The following articles detail the major results and events in each season of Indian football since 2011.
| 2010s: | 2011–12 | 2012–13 | 2013–14 | 2014–15 | 2015–16 | 2016–17 | 2017–18 | 2018–19 | 2019–20 |
| 2020s: | 2020–21 | 2021–22 | 2022–23 | 2023–24 | 2024–25 | 2025–26 |
| Year | Recipient | Award | Gender |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Sunil Chhetri | Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna | Male |
| 1961 | P. K. Banerjee | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1962 | Tulsidas Balaram | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1963 | Chuni Goswami | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1964 | Jarnail Singh | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1965 | Arun Ghosh | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1966 | Yousuf Khan | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1967 | Peter Thangaraj | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1969 | Inder Singh | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1970 | Syed Nayeemuddin | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1971 | C. P. Singh | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1973 | Magan Singh Rajvi | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1978–1979 | Gurdev Singh Gill | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1979–1980 | Prasun Banerjee | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1980–1981 | Mohammed Habib | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1981 | Sudhir Karmakar | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1983 | Shanti Mullick | Arjuna Award | Female |
| 1989 | Subrata Bhattacharya | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1997 | Brahmanand Sankhwalkar | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1998 | Bhaichung Bhutia | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 2001 | Bruno Coutinho | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 2002 | I. M. Vijayan | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 2010 | Deepak Mondal | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 2011 | Sunil Chhetri | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 2016 | Subrata Pal | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 2017 | Oinam Bembem Devi | Arjuna Award | Female |
| 2019 | Gurpreet Singh Sandhu | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 2020 | Sandesh Jhingan | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 2011 | Shabbir Ali | Dhyan Chand Award | Male |
| 2017 | Syed Shahid Hakim | Dhyan Chand Award | Male |
| 2020 | Sukhvinder Singh Sandhu | Dhyan Chand Award | Male |
| 1990 | Syed Nayeemuddin | Dronacharya Award | Male |
| 2022 | Bimal Prafulla Ghosh | Dronacharya Award | Male |
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