 | |||
| Nickname(s) | The Blue Colts | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | All India Football Federation | ||
| Confederation | AFC (Asia) | ||
| Sub-confederation | SAFF (South Asia) | ||
| Head coach | Ishfaq Ahmed | ||
| Captain | Ngamgouhou Mate | ||
| FIFA code | IND | ||
| |||
| First international | |||
 China 2–1India  (Bangkok,Thailand; 20 August 1984) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
India 13–0Macau  (Bangkok, Thailand; 27 August 1984)[1] India 13–0Brunei  (Chonburi, Thailand; 23 October 2024) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
 Russia 8–0India (St. Petersburg,Russia; 8 January 2017) | |||
| World Cup | |||
| Appearances | 1 (first in2017) | ||
| Best result | Group stage (2017) | ||
| Asian Cup | |||
| Appearances | 9 (first in1990) | ||
| Best result | Quarter-final (2002,2018) | ||
| SAFF Championship | |||
| Appearances | 9 (first in2011) | ||
| Best result | Champions (2013,2017,2019,2022,2023,2024) | ||
| WAFF Championship | |||
| Appearances | 1 (first in2018) | ||
| Best result | Runners-up (2018) | ||
TheIndia national under-17 football team representsIndia in internationalfootball at the under-17 level. Controlled by theAll India Football Federation, the governing body for football in India, the team is part of theAsian Football Confederation and theSouth Asian Football Federation.
India has participated for the first time inFIFA U-17 World Cup as hosts in the2017 edition of the tournament. This was the first time ever[2] that a team representing India would participate in the finals of a FIFA organized world tournament. India was placed ingroup A along with,United States,Ghana andColumbia. On 6 October 2017, India played their first ever match in FIFA-U17 World Cup history against United States in front of 47,000 spectators. But unfortunately, India lost the match by 3–0. India played their Second match against Colombia. In 82nd minuteJeakson Singh Thounaojam became the first Indian goalscorer in any FIFA tournament. In the third match of group stage, India faced Ghana where they lost 4–0, finishing bottom of the group A.[3] India also failed to qualify for 2019 edition when they lost by 1–0 in the Quarter final match against South Korea at the 2018 AFC U-16 Championship.[4]
TheAFC U-16 Championship is the top level tournament for under-16 football teams inAsia and began in 1985.[5] India participated in the tournament for the first time in1990. They were knocked-out of the tournament in the group stage, finishing third in their four-team group with one againstJordan.[6] The team qualified again for the tournament in1996 where they finished last in their group which includedBahrain,China,Iran, andThailand. The team lost three of their four matches, with their sole victory coming against China.[7] Dipayan Bose scored 12 goals in the match most by any player.
India qualified again for the tournament in2002, where they reached the quarter-final round, in their best result to date. The team took onSouth Korea in the quarter-finals but lost 3–1, and thus failed to advance further.[8] Following the 2002 tournament, India qualified for the next tournament inJapan. Two defeats and one victory in the group stage saw India finish third in their group, and were knocked out from the tournament.[9]
After failing to qualify for2006 AFC U-17 Championship, India qualified for the2008 edition. Two defeats before a sole victory overIndonesia saw India once again make it no further than the group stage.[10] The same result followed in2012, only this time with no wins in the group stage.[11]
India, for the seventh time, participated in the tournament in2016 with the nation hosting the tournament. Despite home advantage, India once again could not make it beyond the group stage and finished last in their group which consisted of themselves, Iran,Saudi Arabia, andUnited Arab Emirates.[12]
India qualified for2018 AFC U-16 Championship by participating in thequalification round. India defeated Palestine, 3–0, then played a 2–2 draw against Nepal and finally qualified for the 2018 edition when they played a goalless draw against the defending championIraq. India played its group stage matches againstVietnam,Iran andIndonesia at the 2018 edition in Malaysia. They defeated Vietnam by 1–0, then held Iran to a goal less draw and finally qualified for the knock out stages by holdingIndonesia to a 0–0 draw. In the quarter finals they were defeated 1–0 by heavy weights South Korea, ending their run in the tournament.[4]
India has also qualified for the2020 AFC U-16 Championship by participating in the qualifying round. In the first game they defeatedTurkmenistan 5–0. In the second game also they defeatedBahrain by an identical score line. They finally qualified for the finals by holdingUzbekistan to a 1–1 draw. India was clubbed withKorea Republic,Australia and Uzbekistan in Group C for the tournament.[13] But the tournament was called of due toCOVID-19.[14]
India qualified for the2023 AFC U-17 Asian Cup for third consecutive time. India defeated Maldives by 5–0, Kuwait by 3–0 and Myanmar by 4–1 but fell to Saudi Arabia by 1–2. India qualified as second placed best ranked teams making their 9th appearance in the tournament.[15][16] In 2023, India was clubbed with Vietnam, Uzbekistan and Japan in group stage of2023 AFC U-17 Asian Cup in Thailand. India began their Asian campaign with a draw with Vietnam by 1–1 with a spectacular long shot by Malemnganba Singh Thokchom but fell to Uzbekistan by a solitary goal. The team faced a huge defeat against Japan but have put a valiant performance scoring 4 goals, concluding by score of 8–4 ending their campaign with a draw and two losses.
In 2009, theSAFF U-16 Championship was launched.[17] India participated in the first edition of the tournament in2011. After an opening day surprise defeat toPakistan, India qualified for the next round after defeating theMaldives 5–0. India then made it to the final, defeatingNepal on penalties, but again lost to Pakistan in the final 2–1.[18] India fared much better in the2013 edition, finishing first in their group ofBangladesh andSri Lanka, before defeatingAfghanistan in the semi-final on penalties. In the final, India defeated Nepal 1–0 to win the tournament for the first time.[19]
As reigning champions, India entered the2015 edition of the tournament with a 5–0 victory over Sri Lanka. India then suffered a 2–1 defeat to Bangladesh to finish second in the group, and but still qualified for the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, India once again defeated Nepal 1–0, but lost to Bangladesh in the final on penalties.[20]
At the2017 edition India entered into semi-final, defeatingMaldives andNepal by 9–0 and 2–1 respectively. In the semi-final they defeatedBhutan by 3–0 and entered to the final and faced Nepal again and defeated them by 2–1 to become SAFF champion for the second time after 2013.[21]
2019 edition of the tournament was their third title. In this edition the tournament was played in round robin, thus India played against all other teams and managed to win all their matches without a goal conceded. In the final they facedNepal whom they easily defeated by 7−0 margin, thus scoring 28 goals in 5 matches, becoming champions for the third time.[22]
2022 edition was their fourth title. In this edition, India was clubbed withBhutan andNepal. India began their SAFF campaign with a comfortable 3–0 win over Bhutan but surprisingly lost to Nepal by 1–3. Though, India qualified for semi finals where they defeatedBangladesh by 1–2 score line. India again faced Nepal in the finals where now they defeated Nepal with 4–0.[23][24]
At the2023 edition India entered into semi-final, defeatingNepal andBangladesh by the scoreline of 1–0 in both games.[25][26] In the semi-final they defeatedMaldives by 8–0 and entered to the final and faced Bangladesh.[27] India defeated them by 2–0 to become SAFF champion for the fifth time.[28]
2024 edition turned out to be another title for them. India entered the semi finals by defeatingBangladesh andMaldives by 1–0 and 3–0 in both group games. In the semi-finals, they thrashedNepal by score line of 4–2 and entered the final facing Bangladesh once again. India defeated them by 2–0 and won the title for sixth time.[29]
The AIFF Youth Cup was first competed for in 2016. It was organized by theAll India Football Federation (AIFF) as a preparatory tournament for the India under-17 team for the2016 AFC U-16 Championship and the2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup. The first tournament was held from 15 May to 25 May 2016 at theTilak Maidan Stadium inVasco,Goa.[30] A total of five teams participated in the tournament after being invited by the All India Football Federation. The final was won 2–1 by South Korea over the United States.[31]
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Ishfaq Ahmed |
| Assistant coach | MG Ramachandran |
| Goalkeeping coach | Mohammed Zakeer Hussain |
| Fitness coach | Chelston Pinto |
| Physiotherapist | Kiran Kumar |
| Team manager | Majid Yousuf Dar |
| Performance analyst | Prajval V Chakravarthy |
| Media manager | Akhil Rawat |
For past match results of the under-17 team, see the results inIndian football seasons.
Matches in the last 12 months, and future scheduled matches
Win Draw Loss Fixture
India| 23 August 2024 (2024-08-23)Friendly | Bali United U20 | 2–2 | India | Badung, Indonesia |
| Report | Stadium:Samudra Kuta Stadium |
v India| 25 August 2024 (2024-08-25)Friendly | Indonesia | 3–1 | India | Gianyar, Indonesia |
| 20:00 UTC+8 |
| Stadium:I Wayan Dipta Stadium Referee:Thoriq Alkatiri (Indonesia) |
v Indonesia| 27 August 2024 (2024-08-27)Friendly | India | 1–0 | Indonesia | Gianyar, Indonesia |
| 18:00 UTC+5:30 |
| Stadium:Kapten I Wayan Dipta Stadium Referee: Ryan Nanda Saputra (Indonesia) |
v India| 20 September 2024 (2024-09-20)2024 SAFF U-17 GS | Bangladesh | 0–1 | India | Thimphu, Bhutan |
| 17:30 | Report | Sumit Sharma Brahmacharimayum 90+1' | Stadium:Changlimithang Stadium Attendance: 300 Referee: Pema Tshewang (Bhutan) |
v
Maldives| 24 September 2024 (2024-09-24)2024 SAFF U-17 GS | India | 3–0 | Maldives | Thimphu, Bhutan |
| 17:30 |
| Report | Stadium:Changlimithang Stadium Attendance: 60 Referee: Sashanka Madushanka (Sri Lanka) |
v
Nepal| 28 September 2024 (2024-09-28)2024 SAFF U-17 SF | India | 4–2 | Nepal | Thimphu, Bhutan |
| 13:30 | Vishal Yadav 61',68' Ningthou Khongjam Rishi Singh 85'Hemneichung Lunkim 90+5' | Report | Subash Bam 82' Mohammed Kaif 89' (o.g.) | Stadium:Changlimithang Stadium Attendance: 82 Referee: Md Symoon Hasan Sany (Bangladesh) |
v Bangladesh| 30 September 2024 (2024-09-30)2024 SAFF U-17 F | India | 2–0 | Bangladesh | Thimphu, Bhutan |
| 17:30 |
| Report | Stadium:Changlimithang Stadium Attendance: 1230 Referee: Sashanka Madushanka (Sri Lanka) |
v Brunei| 23 October 2024 (2024-10-23)2025 AFC U-17 ACQ | India | 13–0 | Brunei | Chonburi, Thailand |
| 14:30IST | Report | Stadium:Chonburi Stadium Referee: Mederbek Taichiev (Kyrgyzstan) |
v India| 25 October 2024 (2024-10-25)2025 AFC U-17 ACQ | Turkmenistan | 0–1 | India | Chonburi, Thailand |
| 16:00UTC+7 | Report | Rishi Singh 44' | Stadium:Chonburi Stadium Referee: Đỗ Khánh Nam (Vietnam) |
v India| 27 October 2024 (2024-10-27)2025 AFC U-17 ACQ | Thailand | 3–2 | India | Chonburi, Thailand |
| 20:00UTC+7 | Report | Stadium:Chonburi Stadium Referee: Ali Ahmadi (Iran) |
The following 23 players are named in the squad for the2025 AFC U-17 Asian Cup qualification.[32]
Caps and goals are correct as of 27 October 2024, after the match against Thailand.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1GK | Rohit Goyat | (2008-03-02)2 March 2008 (age 17) | 1 | 0 | East Bengal |
| 22 | 1GK | Suraj Singh Aheibam | (2008-02-18)18 February 2008 (age 17) | 13 | 0 | Classic FA |
| 23 | 1GK | Nandan Roy | (2008-02-27)27 February 2008 (age 17) | 0 | 0 | Mohun Bagan SG |
| 2 | 2DF | Karish Soram | (2008-02-08)8 February 2008 (age 17) | 12 | 0 | Punjab |
| 3 | 2DF | Usham Thoungamba Singh | (2008-06-24)24 June 2008 (age 16) | 9 | 2 | Punjab |
| 4 | 2DF | Mohammed Kaif | (2008-05-26)26 May 2008 (age 16) | 13 | 3 | Zinc FA |
| 6 | 2DF | Sumit Sharma Brahmacharimayum | (2008-01-01)1 January 2008 (age 17) | 9 | 3 | Classic FA |
| 12 | 2DF | Jodric Abranches | (2008-07-12)12 July 2008 (age 16) | 2 | 0 | Dempo |
| 18 | 2DF | Renin Singh Chingtham | (2008-01-17)17 January 2008 (age 17) | 3 | 0 | Delhi |
| 21 | 2DF | Yaipharemba Chingakham | (2008-02-06)6 February 2008 (age 17) | 12 | 0 | Classic FA |
| 5 | 3MF | Ngamgouhou Mate(Captain) | (2008-05-03)3 May 2008 (age 17) | 12 | 2 | NorthEast United |
| 7 | 3MF | Manbhakupar Malngiang | (2008-01-05)5 January 2008 (age 17) | 13 | 2 | Garhwal |
| 10 | 3MF | Md Arbash | (2008-09-29)29 September 2008 (age 16) | 13 | 4 | Classic FA |
| 13 | 3MF | Levis Zangminlun | (2008-01-07)7 January 2008 (age 17) | 13 | 3 | Sreenidi Deccan |
| 14 | 3MF | Vishal Yadav | (2008-01-15)15 January 2008 (age 17) | 12 | 7 | Punjab |
| 15 | 3MF | Abdul Salha Sheergojri | (2008-03-12)12 March 2008 (age 17) | 1 | 0 | Jammu & Kashmir FA |
| 17 | 3MF | Samson Ahongshangbam | (2008-12-23)23 December 2008 (age 16) | 11 | 1 | Classic FA |
| 19 | 3MF | Mahmad Sami | (2008-02-03)3 February 2008 (age 17) | 4 | 1 | Sudeva Delhi |
| 20 | 3MF | Kh Azlaan Shah | (2008-01-01)1 January 2008 (age 17) | 5 | 1 | Delhi |
| 8 | 4FW | Ningthoukhongjam Rishi Singh | (2008-12-23)23 December 2008 (age 16) | 10 | 2 | Classic FA |
| 9 | 4FW | Hemneichung Lunkim | (2008-01-01)1 January 2008 (age 17) | 9 | 4 | Delhi |
| 11 | 4FW | Bharat Lairenjam | (2008-04-03)3 April 2008 (age 17) | 13 | 2 | Classic FA |
| 16 | 4FW | Prem Hansdak | (2008-02-20)20 February 2008 (age 17) | 1 | 0 | Zinc FA |
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 | Aarush Hari | (2008-12-13)13 December 2008 (age 16) | 0 | 0 | RFYC | vs Indonesia, August 2024 |
| DF | Abhijit Ngariyambam | (2008-12-27)27 December 2008 (age 16) | 1 | 0 | Delhi | vs Bangladesh, September 2023 |
| DF | Vumlenlal Hangshing | (2008-08-20)20 August 2008 (age 16) | 1 | 0 | Classic FA | vs Bangladesh, September 2023 |
| DF | Lekhachandra Phairembam | (2008-03-01)1 March 2008 (age 17) | 0 | 0 | Sudeva Delhi | vs Indonesia, August 2024 |
| MF | Kangujam Yoheinba Meitei | (2008-04-03)3 April 2008 (age 17) | 1 | 0 | Minerva Academy | vs Bangladesh, September 2023 |
| MF | Newton Singh Ningthoujam | (2008-02-28)28 February 2008 (age 17) | 1 | 0 | Bengaluru | vs Bangladesh, September 2023 |
| MF | Bobby Singh | (2008-01-13)13 January 2008 (age 17) | 2 | 0 | Chandigarh FA | vs Bangladesh, September 2023 |
| MF | Banlamkupar Rynjah | (2008-07-15)15 July 2008 (age 16) | 2 | 0 | Shillong Lajong | vs Bangladesh, September 2024 |
| FW | Aiborlang Kharthangmaw | (2008-07-27)27 July 2008 (age 16) | 2 | 2 | Sreenidi Deccan | vs Bangladesh, September 2023 |
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| Competition | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIFA U-17 World Cup | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 9 | −8 | 000.00 |
| AFC U-17 Asian Cup | 30 | 6 | 7 | 17 | 36 | 68 | −32 | 020.00 |
| AFC U-17 Asian Cup Qualification | 63 | 31 | 11 | 21 | 179 | 78 | +101 | 049.21 |
| SAFF U-17 Championship | 37 | 28 | 4 | 5 | 104 | 19 | +85 | 075.68 |
| WAFF U-16 Championship | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 2 | +7 | 075.00 |
| Total | 137 | 68 | 22 | 47 | 329 | 176 | +153 | 049.64 |
The following table shows India's head-to-head record in theFIFA U-17 World Cup andAFC U-17 Asian Cup.
| Opponent | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Colombia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 000.00 |
 Ghana | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | −4 | 000.00 |
 United States | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | −3 | 000.00 |
| Total | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 9 | −8 | 000.00 |
| Opponent | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Bahrain | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 000.00 |
| China | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 11 | −4 | 025.00 |
| Indonesia | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 050.00 |
 Iran | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 8 | −7 | 000.00 |
 Japan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 8 | −4 | 000.00 |
 Jordan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 100.00 |
 Kuwait | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 000.00 |
 Malaysia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 100.00 |
 Myanmar | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 100.00 |
 Saudi Arabia | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | +0 | 000.00 |
 South Korea | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 9 | −6 | 000.00 |
 Syria | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | −3 | 000.00 |
| Thailand | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | −7 | 000.00 |
 United Arab Emirates | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | −4 | 000.00 |
 Uzbekistan | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 000.00 |
 Vietnam | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 050.00 |
| Total | 30 | 6 | 7 | 17 | 36 | 68 | −32 | 020.00 |
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