Football in India

Football in India
Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, West Bengal
Country	India
Governing body	All India Football Federation (AIFF) (formed in 1937, joined FIFA in 1948) [1]
National team(s)	India Men's India Women's India U-23 Men's India U-20 Men's India U-20 Women's India U-17 Men's India U-17 Women's India Futsal Men's Futsal Women's India Beach soccer Men's India Esports
Nickname(s)	The Blue Tigers/Tigresses
First played	1800s
National competitions
List Senior Football Championship: Senior Men's National Football Championship Senior Women's National Football Championship National Beach Soccer Championship U23 Football Championships National Games Football U21 Football Championships Swami Vivekananda National Football Championship (U20) Khelo India Youth Games (U-21) U19 Football Championships Junior Girl's National Football Championship U17 Football Championships Junior Boy's National Football Championship Sub-Junior Boy's National Football championship Sub–Junior Girl's National Football Championship Khelo India Youth Games (U-17) University Football Championship: Khelo India University Games Inter-School Football Championships Subroto Cup
Club competitions
List Leagues: Men's Indian Super League (1st tier) I-League (2nd tier) I-League 2 (3rd tier) I-League 3 (4th tier) State leagues (5th - 9th tier) AIFF Futsal Club Championship Youth League Women's Indian Women's League (1st tier) Indian Women's League 2 (2nd tier) State leagues (3rd tier) Institutional League Cups: Super Cup Durand Cup
International competitions
List Clubs AFC Champions League Elite AFC Champions League Two SAFF Club Championship AFC Women's Champions League AFC Futsal Club Championship National team FIFA World Cup: Qualified (1950) Did not participate [2] [3] Summer Olympics: Semi-finals (1956) AFC Asian Cup: Runners-up (1964) Asian Games: Champions (1951, 1962) SAFF Championship: Champions (1993, 1997, 1999, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2021, 2023) Intercontinental Cup (India) Tri-Nation Series Defunct AFC Challenge Cup: Champions (2008) Nehru Cup National U-23 team Asian Games: Round of 16 (2014, 2022) South Asian Games: Runners–up (2004, 2016) National U-20 team AFC U-20 Asian Cup: Champions (1974) SAFF U-20 Championship: Champions (2019, 2022, 2023) National U-17 team FIFA U-17 World Cup: Group stage (2017) AFC U-17 Asian Cup: Quarter-finals (2002, 2018) SAFF U-17 Championship: Champions (2013, 2017, 2019, 2022, 2023) WAFF U-16 Championship: Runners-up (2018) National futsal team 2022 AFC Futsal Asian Cup National beach soccer team AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup: Group stage (2007) Asian Beach Games: Group stage (2008) Women's national team AFC Women's Asian Cup: Runners-up (1979, 1983) Asian Games: Group Stage (1998, 2014, 2022) SAFF Women's Championship: Champions (2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2019) South Asian Games: Champions (2010,2016,2019) Women's U-20 national team AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup: Quarter-finals (2004) SAFF U-20 Women's Championship: Champions (2022, 2024) Women's U-17 national team FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup: Group Stage (2022) AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup: Group Stage (2005) SAFF U-17 Women's Championship: Champions (2018, 2019)
Audience records
Single match	131,781 (1997 Federation Cup Semifinal: East Bengal F.C. VS Mohun Bagan A.C. at Salt Lake Stadium) [4]

Association football is one of the most popular sports in India. ^{[5] [6]} The 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup was the first FIFA event the country hosted. It was called the most successful FIFA U-17 World Cup ever, with a record-breaking attendance of 1,347,133, exceeding China's record of 1,230,976 from 1985. India also hosted the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup and bid to host the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup. ^[7]

The Indian national football team qualified for the 1950 FIFA World Cup but did not participate. ^[8]

History

Further information: History of Indian football and India national football team at the Olympics

Pre-independence

British soldiers introduced football into India in the mid-nineteenth century. ^{[9] [10]} 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 include Dalhousie AC, Traders Club and Naval Volunteers Club. ^[11] Several other football clubs such as Sovabazar, Mohun Bagan and Aryan Club were established in Calcutta in the 1890s. Calcutta was then the capital of British India and soon became the hub of football. Tournaments like the Gladstone Cup, the Trades Cup and the Cooch Behar Cup were started around this time. ^[12] The Durand Cup and IFA 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. ^[13] 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 the IFA Shield, a tournament previously won only by British teams based in India. ^[14] They defeated East 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. ^[9]

Players of Baroda Football Club, an Indian-European team, 1910–11.

The Indian Football Association (IFA) was established in Calcutta in 1893 but had no Indians on its board until the 1930s. The All India Football Federation (AIFF), the national governing body of football in India, was formed in 1937 but did not become affiliated with FIFA until at least a decade later. India insisted on playing barefoot whereas other national sides wore boots. ^[15] Footballer Jyotish Chandra Guha brought global attention to Indian football when he became the first Indian to appear with the English Football League club Arsenal in 1930. ^[16]

The golden age

India qualified by default for the 1950 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. ^{[15] [17]} According to sports journalist Jaydeep Basu, the financial barrier was solved as state associations provided financial help to the AIFF and that FIFA also promised to provide money. ^[8]

FIFA had imposed a rule banning barefoot play following the 1948 Olympics where India had played barefoot. According to then-captain Shailen 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. ^{[17] [18] [19] [20]} 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. ^[8]

1951–1962 is widely considered the "golden age" of Indian football. In this period, the national team won numerous titles under the coaching of Syed Abdul Rahim. India won the gold medal in the first Asian Games in 1951, beating Iran by one goal. In 1956, no longer playing barefoot, India reached the semi-final in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, becoming the first Asian country to do so and ranking fourth in the tournament. In 1962, India again won the gold in the Asian Games at Jakarta, defeating South Korea 2–1. ^[15] India also won the Merdeka Cup and the Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament, while East Bengal garnered good reviews after touring Romania. Also in 1951, India achieved their highest World Football Elo Rating of 31. According to former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, India is "the sleeping giant of world football". ^[21]

Decline

Rahim's death in the early 1960s caused the Indian national team to gradually lose their position as a top Asian team. India has not qualified for the Olympics since 1960. ^[15] India qualified for their first Asian Cup in 1964 but failed to win the title. ^{[22] [23]} In an international tournament at the 1970 Asian Games, India won the bronze medal after defeating Japan 1–0. ^[24] The Indian national team qualified for the 1984 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. ^[25]

The Indian youth team jointly won the Youth Asian Cup with Iran in 1974, the first and only title for India at the youth level. ^{[26] [27] [28]} In club football, on 24 September 1977, Mohun Bagan held onto a 2–2 draw at the Eden Gardens stadium in Calcutta, against a Pelé-led New York Cosmos. ^[29] Mohun Bagan would have won the tie had it not been for a controversial penalty awarded to the visiting team that ensured the draw. ^[30] The next day, the newspaper Ananda Bazar Patrika described Goutam Sarkar as "India's very own Beckenbaur". ^[31]

The Indian women's team as they began playing in the 1970s. In 1975, their first manager was Sushil Bhattacharya. ^{[32] [33]} The Indian women's team were runners-up in the AFC Women's Asian Cup in 1980 and 1983. 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. ^[34]

2007–present

In August 2007, the Indian national team won the Nehru Cup for the first time, beating Syria 1–0. ^[35] In August of the following year, India defeated Tajikistan 4–1 to win the AFC Challenge Cup and qualified for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar. ^[36] In August 2009, India again won the Nehru Cup, beating Syria on penalties (6–5). ^[37]

In January 2011, India played in the 2011 Asian Cup, the country's first Asian Cup for 24 years. India was eliminated in the group stage, which included South Korea, Australia, and Bahrain. ^[38]

Since the 2011 Asian Cup, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has been working to improve Indian football. They allowed former coach Bob Houghton to coach the Indian team in the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers. ^[39] After going first in their AFC Challenge Cup group, Houghton was replaced by Wim Koevermans. ^[40] The India national under-23 football team won the first round of the 2012 Olympics qualifiers against Myanmar but were eliminated by Qatar. ^[41] India played their next official matches against United Arab Emirates in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, which India lost on aggregate 5–2. ^[42]

In 2014, India hosted the first Unity World Cup in Goa, Hyderabad and Bangalore. India has participated in and hosted the 2017 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 the United States, Ghana and Colombia. ^[43] 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. ^[44] 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. ^[45] For the third match of the group stage, India played Ghana, losing the match 4–0 and finishing at the bottom of Group A. ^[46]

In 2018 Indian youth football teams made history by defeating Argentina U-20 2–1 in the COTIF cup, as well as Iraq U-16, the defending champions of the AFC U-16 Championship (now the AFC U-17 Championship), by 1–0. The U-16 team qualified for the 2018 AFC U-16 Championship, where they came close to qualifying for the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup, but lost to South Korea by a single goal in the quarterfinal. ^[47]

The Indian national team qualified for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup after missing the 2015 edition. India beat Thailand by 4–1, their biggest-ever win at the Asia Cup and their first win in 55 years. ^{[48] [49]} Nevertheless, they lost both of their next two group matches against UAE and Bahrain by 0−2 and 0−1 respectively ^{[50] [51]} and finished at the bottom of the group, thus failing to move to the knockout stage. ^[52]

Administration

Football in India is administered by the All India Football Federation (AIFF), which is affiliated with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the worldwide football governing body FIFA. ^{[53] [54] [55]} The India national football team has entered the regional Asian Cup competition but has never competed in a World Cup. The India women's national football team has also played in competitions, and has its own inter-state and state competitions. Youth football is administered by the Sports Authority of India.

National team

National teams of India [ check quotation syntax ]
Football (Men's)	Football (Women's)	Football U-23 (Men's) (Olympic team)	Football U-20 (Men's)
Football U-17 (Men's)	Football U-20 (Women's)	Football U-17 (Women's)	Futsal (Men's)
Futsal (Women's)	Beach soccer (Men's)	Esports

The India national football team is governed by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and is a member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). 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. ^{[53] [54] [56]} There are other Indian national teams, such as the under-23 team and the under-17 team.

Performance

The following list includes the performance of all of India's national teams at major competitions.

Men's senior team

Main article: India national football team

The Indian senior national team had several successes during their initial years but is no longer considered one of the best in Asia. ^{[57] [58]} 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	— [59]	–
AFC Asian Cup	5 out of 18	2023	Runners-up (1964)
Summer Olympics (1908–1988)	4 out of 17	1960	Fourth-place (1956)
Asian Games (1951–1998)	11 out of 13	1998	Champions (1951, 1962)
SAFF Championship	14 out of 14	2023	Champions (1993, 1997, 1999, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2021, 2023)
South Asian Games	7 out of 8	1999	Champions (1985, 1987, 1995)

Women's senior team

Main article: India women's national football team

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. ^{[32] [60]} In the late 2010s, the AIFF revived the team to empower women's football and the team performed well in a large number of friendlies. ^[61] The AIFF won the hosting bid for the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup.

Tournament	Appearance in finals	Last appearance	Best performance
AFC Women's Asian Cup	9 out of 19	2022	Runners-up (1980, 1983)
Asian Games	3 out of 9	2022	Eighth-place (1998)
SAFF Women's Championship	6 out of 6	2022	Champions (2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2019)
South Asian Games	3 out of 3	2019	Champions (2010, 2016, 2019)

Men's U-23 team

Main article: India national under-23 football team

Tournament	Appearance in finals	Last appearance	Best performance
Asian Games	4 out of 5	2014	Tenth-place (2002)
South Asian Games	4 out of 5	2016	Runners-up (2004, 2016)

Men's U-20 team

Main article: India national under-20 football team

Includes U-19 and U-18 teams' performance.

Tournament	Appearance in finals	Last appearance	Best performance
AFC U-20 Asian Cup	22 out of 40	2006	Champions (1974)
SAFF U-18 Championship	4 out of 4	2022	Champions (2019, 2022)

Men's U-17 team

Main article: India national under-17 football team

Includes U-16 and U-15 teams' performance.

Tournament	Finals appearance	Last appearance	Best performance
FIFA U-17 World Cup	1 out of 19	2017	Group stage (2017)
AFC U-17 Asian Cup	8 out of 18	2018	Quarterfinals (2002, 2018)
SAFF U-15 Championship	7 out of 7	2022	Champions (2013, 2017, 2019, 2022)

Women's U-20 team

Main article: India women's national under-20 football team

Includes U-19 and U-18 teams' performance.

Tournament	Finals appearance	Last appearance	Best performance
AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup	3 out of 10	2006	Quarterfinals (2004)
SAFF U-18 Women's Championship	3 out of 4	2023	Champions (2022)

Women's U-17 team

Main article: India women's national under-17 football team

Includes U-16 and U-15 teams' performance.

Tournament	Finals appearance	Last appearance	Best performance
FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup	1 out of 7	2022	Group stage (2022)
AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup	1 out of 8	2005	Group stage (2005)
SAFF U-15 Women's Championship	3 out of 4	2019	Champions (2018, 2019)

State federations and leagues

Main article: List of Indian state football associations

There are currently 36 state associations and 2 affiliates associations with the All India Football Federation. ^[62]

Full members

No.	Association	State/UT	President
1	All Manipur Football Association	Manipur	M. Ratan Kumar Singh
2	Andaman and Nicobar Football Association	Andaman and Nicobar Islands	Vidya Prakash Krishna
3	Andhra Pradesh Football Association	Andhra Pradesh	Gopalakrishna Kosaraju
4	Arunachal Pradesh Football Association	Arunachal Pradesh	Pema Khandu
5	Assam Football Association	Assam	Naba Kumar Doley
6	Bihar Football Association	Bihar	Prasenjeet Mehta
7	Chandigarh Football Association	Chandigarh	K. P. Singh
8	Chhattisgarh Football Association	Chhattisgarh	Ajay Chandrakar
9	Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu Football Association	Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu
10	Football Association of Odisha	Odisha	Debashish Samantaray
11	Football Delhi	Delhi	Saraftullah (acting)
12	Goa Football Association	Goa	Caitano Fernandes
13	Gujarat State Football Association	Gujarat	Parimal Nathwani
14	Haryana Football Association	Haryana	Suraj Pal
15	Himachal Pradesh Football Association	Himachal Pradesh	Baldev Singh Tomar
16	Indian Football Association	West Bengal	Ajit Banerjee
17	Jammu and Kashmir Football Association	Jammu and Kashmir	Wasim Aslam
18	Jharkhand Football Association	Jharkhand	Mithlesh Kumar Thakur
19	Karnataka State Football Association	Karnataka	N. A. Haris
20	Kerala Football Association	Kerala	Tom Jose
21	Ladakh Football Association	Ladakh	Tashi Namgail
22	Lakshadweep Football Association	Lakshadweep	K. Mohammed Ali
23	Madhya Pradesh Football Association	Madhya Pradesh	Trilok Chand Kochar
24	Meghalaya Football Association	Meghalaya	Larsing Ming Sawyan
25	Mizoram Football Association	Mizoram	Lal Thanzara
26	Nagaland Football Association	Nagaland	Neibou Sekhose
27	Pondicherry Football Association	Puducherry	D. Nestor
28	Punjab Football Association	Punjab	Samir Thapar
29	Rajasthan Football Association	Rajasthan	Manvendra Singh
30	Sikkim Football Association	Sikkim	Menla Ethenpa
31	Tamil Nadu Football Association	Tamil Nadu	Jesiah Villavarayar
32	Telangana Football Association	Telangana	Mohammed Ali Rafath
33	Tripura Football Association	Tripura	Ratan Saha
34	Uttar Pradesh Football Sangh	Uttar Pradesh	Arvind Menon
35	Uttarakhand State Football Association	Uttarakhand	Amandeep Sandhu
36	Western India Football Association	Maharashtra	Praful Patel

Affiliate members

No.	Association	Department	President
1	Railways Sports Promotion Board	Indian Railways	D. K. Gayen
2	Services Sports Control Board	Indian Armed Forces	Dinesh Suri

State Leagues list

Main article: Indian State Leagues

Men's Assam State Premier League (Assam) Bangalore Super Division (Karnataka) Bihar Soccer League (Bihar) Calcutta Football League (West Bengal) Chandra Memorial League (Tripura) Chennai Football League (Tamil Nadu) Chhattisgarh State Men's Football League Championship (Chhattisgarh) Dadra & Nagar Haveli Senior Division League and Daman and Diu Senior Division League (Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu) FAO League (Odisha) Delhi Football League (Delhi) Goa Football League (Goa) Gujarat SFA Club Championship (Gujarat) Haryana Men's Football League (Haryana) Himachal Football League (Himachal Pradesh) Indrajit Namchoom Arunachal League (Arunachal Pradesh) Jammu & Kashmir Premier Football League (Jammu and Kashmir) JSA League (Jharkhand) Kavaratti League (Lakshadweep) Kerala Premier League (Kerala) Ladakh Super League (Ladakh) Lucknow Super Division (Uttar Pradesh) Madhya Pradesh Premier League (Madhya Pradesh) Manipur State League (Manipur) Meghalaya State League (Meghalaya) Mizoram Premier League (Mizoram) Mumbai Football League, Pune Football League, NDFA League, Kolhapur Senior League, Thane Super Division (Maharashtra) Nagaland Premier League (Nagaland) Punjab State Super Football League (Punjab) Pondicherry Men's League Championship (Pondicherry)) Rahim League A Division (Telangana) Rajasthan State Men's League (Rajasthan) Sikkim Premier Division League (Sikkim) Uttarakhand Super League (Uttarakhand)

Women's Assam Women's League (Assam) Arunachal Women's Football Championship (Arunachal) Bihar State Women's League (Bihar) Calcutta Women's Football League (West Bengal) Chhattisgarh State Women's Football League Championship (Chhattisgarh) FD Women's League (Delhi) Goa Women's League (Goa) Gujarat State Women's League (Gujarat) Haryana Women's Football League (Haryana) Himachal Women's League (Himachal) JSA Women's League (Jharkhand) Karnataka Women's League (Karnataka) Kerala Women's League (Kerala) Manipur Women's League (Manipur) Madhya Pradesh Women's Premier League (Madhya Pradesh) Mizoram Women's League (Mizoram) Nagaland Women's Football League (Nagaland) Odisha Women's League (Odisha) Punjab Women's League (Punjab) Pondicherry Women's League (Pondicherry) Sikkim Women's Super League (Sikkim) SSA Women's Football League (Meghalaya) Tamil Nadu Women's League (Tamil Nadu) WIFA Women's Football League (Maharashtra)

Football in modern India

International football

Main articles: India national football team and India women's national football team

Chhetri is the highest goal scorer in india and ranked 5th in men's international Football

International football in India generally takes place between September and November for Men's according to FIFA Men's International Match Calendar (2023-2030) ^[63] and between February-July and October-December for Women's according to FIFA Women's International Match Calendar (2023-2025). ^[64] Football in India is managed by the All 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 is Sunil Chhetri. Indian football has a rich history. The Indian men's national team is currently ranked 124 (as of 18 July 2024) in FIFA Men's World Ranking and Women's national team is currently ranked 67 (as of 14 June 2024) in FIFA Women's World Ranking.

Domestic football

Main article: Indian football league system

Men's Domestic Football

State competitions

• Senior Men's National Football Championship , National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy, ^{[65] [66] [67]} or simply Santosh Trophy, is an inter-state competition contested by the state associations and government institutions. ^[68] Before the launch of the first national club league, the National Football League, it was considered the top domestic tournament. ^[69] Many players who have represented India played in the Santosh Trophy. ^{[70] [71]}
• National Games ^{[72] [73] [74]}
• Swami Vivekananda NFC (U20)
• Khelo India Youth Games (U-21/U-17)
• Junior Boy's National Football Championship ^[75] also known as BC Roy Trophy, is held for players under 15 years of age. It is held in memory of former West Bengal Chief Minister Bidhan Chandra Roy.
• Sub-Junior Boy's National Football championship ^[76] was started in 1977 for boys under the age of 16. ^[77] AIFF donated the trophy in the memory of former president of Karnataka State Football Association, Mir Iqbal Hussain.
• National Beach Soccer Championship is an annual beach soccer tournament. ^{[78] [79] [80]}

Club competitions

As of 2023 ^[update] , India has four national-level leagues. The Indian Super League is the top league, followed by I-League, I-League 2 and I-League 3. I-League 3 currently acts as a final round for the top teams in the state leagues that are nominated by state football associations. India has several cup tournaments, including the Durand Cup, Super Cup and IFA Shield. ^{[81] [82]}

Leagues

• Tier 1: Indian Super League - The I-League, which was promised to be a professional league, soon lost popularity due to poor marketing. ^[83] A deal between Zee Sports and the AIFF, which was initially to be a ten-year term in 2006, was terminated in 2010 after a disagreement between the parties. The AIFF then signed a ₹700-crore deal with Reliance Industries and the International Management Group (IMG) on 9 December 2010. ^[84] The Indian Super League (ISL) was officially launched on 21 October 2013 by IMG–Reliance Industries, Star Sports, and the AIFF to grow the sport of football in India and increase its exposure in the country with big names and professionalism. ^[85] Large corporations, Bollywood stars and cricketers between them bought eight franchises. ^[86] In 2017, the AFC opposed allowing the ISL to become the main league in India, but the I-League clubs East Bengal and Mohun Bagan wanted a complete merger of the ISL and I-League. ^[87] Two weeks later, the AIFF proposed the Indian Super League and I-League would simultaneously run on a short–term basis, with the I-League winner qualifying for the AFC Champions League and the ISL champion reaching the AFC Cup qualification stage. ^[88] The AFC approved this proposal on 25 July 2017, with the ISL replacing the domestic cup competition, the Federation Cup, which was a true knockout cup competition. ^[89]
• Tier 2: I-League - Starting in the 2022–2023 season, I-League lost its top-tier status. The champions of the 2022–23 I-League, Punjab FC, were promoted to the ISL with no participation fee. As per the AFC's recommendation for 2024–2025, it was agreed the AIFF would fully implement promotion and relegation between the two leagues. ^[90] As of 2024, there have been two promotions from the I-League to the ISL but the relegation system is yet to be implemented.
• Tier 3: I-League 2 - After demoting I-League to the second tier status in Indian football, I-League 2 was subsequently demoted to the third tier. AIFF renamed the 2nd Division to I-League 2 to avoid disambiguation. ^[91] I-League and I-League 2 follow both promotion and relegation within the two leagues.
• Tier 4: I-League 3 - I-League 3 is set to serve as a platform for state champions and state-nominated teams. ^{[92] [93] [94]} No ISL reserve teams can be a part of I-League 2 or I-League 3. ^[95]
• Tier 5–10: Indian State Leagues - There are currently a total of 36 state associations (including union territories) affiliated with the AIFF. ^[96] These state associations are affiliated with state leagues. The top teams of state leagues are eligible to apply for I-League 3. Some state leagues have multiple divisions and a promotion/relegation system between these divisions. Calcutta Football League in West Bengal is the oldest state league and has the highest number of divisions (six divisions) with a promotion/relegation system in place. ^[97]
• Youth League (U-17/U-15/U-13)- The Youth League is a system of youth football leagues that are managed, organised and controlled by the All India Football Federation. It consists of 3 age groups competitions: U17 (AIFF Youth League), U15 (Junior League) and U13 (Sub-Junior League).
• Futsal Club Championship -The Futsal Club Championship is the highest level futsal club competition in India, organised by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). ^{[98] [99]} The inaugural edition kicked off on 5 November 2021 in New Delhi with 16 teams. ^[100] It acts as qualifier for the AFC Futsal Club Championship, the highest level club futsal competition in Asia.

Cups

List of All India football tournaments

Competition	Organizer	Host city/state
Durand Cup	DFTS (Durand Football Tournament Society) & AIFF	Various
Super Cup	AIFF	Various

Champions overview

The competitions currently active in Indian football in the 2023–24 season.

State competition
Tournament	Current champions
Santosh Trophy	Services
National Games (Men)	Services
Swami Vivekananda NFC (U20)	Delhi
Junior NFC (U19)	Mizoram
Sub-Junior NFC (U16)	Meghalaya
National Beach Soccer Championship	Kerala

Club competition
Tournament	Current champions
Indian Super League	Shield: Mohun Bagan SG Cup: Mumbai City
I-League	Mohammedan
I-League 2	Sporting Bengaluru
I-League 3	Sporting Goa
Super Cup	East Bengal
Durand Cup	North East United
Youth League (U-17)	Classic FA
Youth League (U-15)	Minerva Academy
Youth League (U-13)	Reliance Foundation Young Champs
Futsal Club Championship	Corbett

Women's domestic football

State competitions

• Senior Women's National Football Championship for Rajmata Jijabai Trophy, also known as Senior Women's National Football Championship or Rajmata Jijabai Trophy since 2024, ^[101] is a women's football tournament contested by state associations and government institutions in India. ^[102] The first edition was held in 1991 by the AIFF to crown the national women's football champion.
• National Games Football for women was introduced in the 1999 edition. ^[72] Manipur is the most successful team with 5 gold medals. ^{[73] [74]}
• Khelo India Youth Games (U-21/U-17) are held every year, and a 1,000 kids are given the scholarship of ₹ 5 lakh (US$6,000) to prepare them for the international sporting events.
• Junior Girl's National Football Championship ^[103] is held for under-19 players, between the teams representing state associations. The tournament was instituted by the AIFF in 2001.
• Sub–Junior Girl's National Football Championship ^[104] is held for under-17 players. The tournament was instituted by the AIFF in 2003.

Club competitions

• Tier 1: Indian Women's League : Indian Women's League is the women's top tier professional football league in India. ^{[105] [106]}
• Tier 2: Indian Women's League 2 : Indian Women's League 2 is the women's second tier professional football league in India. ^[107] The competition is established in 2023, with the first season starting from 2024. ^{[108] [109] [110] [111]}
• Tier 3–5: Indian State Leagues : There are currently a total of 36 state associations (including union territories) affiliated with the AIFF. ^[96] The top teams of state leagues are eligible to apply for Indian Women's League 2. Karnataka Women's League has the highest number of divisions (3), with a promotion/relegation system in place.

Champions overview

The competitions currently active in Indian football in the 2023–24 season.

State competition
Tournament	Current champions
Rajmata Jijabai Senior Women's NFC	Manipur
National Games (Women)	Odisha
Junior Girl's NFC (U19)	Manipur
Sub-Junior Girl's NFC (U17)	Jharkhand

Club competition
Tournament	Current champions
Indian Women's League	Odisha
Indian Women's League 2	Sreebhumi

Evolution of the football system

Men's

Level		Years
		1888–1893	1893–1898	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 of Indian Football Association (IFA)	Calcutta Football League	Formation of All India Football Federation (AIFF)	Santosh Trophy		National Football League				I-League			Indian Super League	Indian Super League
															I-League
	2			None		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								Super Cup
								Indian Super Cup					Discontinued

Women's

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

Qualification for Asian competitions

See also: Indian football clubs in Asian competitions

Competition	Qualifying team	Notes
AFC Champions League Two	Premiers of Indian Super League	Qualification to the Group stage
AFC Champions League Two	Winners of Super Cup	Qualification to the Qualifying play-off
AFC Women's Champions League	Champions of Indian Women's League	Qualification to the Preliminary Stage

Stadiums

Further information: List of football grounds in India

As of 2023 ^[update] , few of India's national football stadiums meet current world standards. The largest football stadiums in India are the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata with a seating capacity of 68,000 and the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi with a capacity of over 60,000. The Barabati Stadium in Cuttack and Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar are major arenas for football events in Odisha. In Sikkim, the 30,000-capacity Paljor Stadium in Gangtok is famous as one of the most beautiful stadiums in the world because of its backdrop of the Himalayas. The main stadium in Shillong is the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium with a capacity of 30,000 standing. Both the Paljor and the JLN in Shillong have been renovated with artificial playing surfaces. Some other important stadiums are the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune, Barasat Stadium in Barasat, the Fatorda Stadium in Goa, the Kaloor International Stadium in Kochi, the Municipal Corporation Stadium in Kozhikode, the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Guwahati and the EKA Arena in Ahmedabad. There are hundreds of other stadiums in the country. The following stadiums are affiliated by All India Football Federation. ^{[112] [113] [114] [115] [116] [117] [118] [119] [120] [121] [122] [123]}

Tenants	Name	City	State	Capacity	Image
East Bengal FC, Mohun Bagan	Salt Lake Stadium †	Bidhannagar	West Bengal	68,000
Punjab FC	Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium †	Delhi	Delhi	60,254
	Greenfield International Stadium †	Thiruvananthapuram	Kerala	50,000
Gokulam Kerala FC	EMS Stadium †	Kozhikode	Kerala	50,000
	DY Patil Stadium †	Navi Mumbai	Maharastra	45,300
	Birsa Munda Football Stadium	Ranchi	Jharkhand	40,000
Kerala Blasters	Kaloor Stadium †	Kochi	Kerala	40,000
Chennaiyin FC	Marina Arena †	Chennai	Tamil Nadu	40,000
	Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium	Kollam	Kerala	40,000
	Mangala Stadium	Mangalore	Karnataka	40,000
	Kanchenjunga Stadium †	Siliguri	West Bengal	40,000

Note. † denotes stadiums that have hosted international football matches.

International competitions hosted

Competition	Edition	Winner	Final	Runners-up	India's position	Venues	Final venue	Stadium
Men's senior competitions
Asian Games	Football at the 1951 Asian Games	India	1 – 0	Iran	Champions	1 (in 1 city)	Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium
Asian Games	Football at the 1982 Asian Games	Iraq	1 – 0	Kuwait	Quarterfinals	3 (in 1 cities)	Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (Delhi)
AFC Challenge Cup	2008 AFC Challenge Cup	India	4 – 1	Tajikistan	Champions	3 (in 2 cities)	Ambedkar Stadium
SAFF Championship	1999 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup	India	2 – 0	Bangladesh	Champions	1 ( in 1 city)	Fatorda Stadium
SAFF Championship	2011 SAFF Championship	India	4 – 0	Afghanistan	Champions	1 (in 1 city)	Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (Delhi)
SAFF Championship	2015 SAFF Championship	India	2 – 1 (a.e.t)	Afghanistan	Champions	1 (in 1 city)	Greenfield International Stadium
SAFF Championship	2023 SAFF Championship	India	1 – 1 (a.e.t) (5 – 4 pen.)	Kuwait	Champions	1 (in 1 city)	Sree Kanteerava Stadium
Men's youth competitions
FIFA U-17 World Cup	2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup	England	5 – 2	Spain	Group stage	6 (in 6 cities)	Salt Lake Stadium
AFC U-19 Championship	2006 AFC Youth Championship	North Korea	1 – 1 (5 – 3 pen.)	Japan	Group stage	4 (in 2 cities)	Salt Lake Stadium
AFC U-16 Championship	2016 AFC U-16 Championship	Iraq	0 – 0 (4 – 3 pen.)	Iran	Group stage	2 (in 2 cities)	Fatorda Stadium
SAFF U-15 Championship	2019 SAFF U-15 Championship	India	7 – 0	Nepal	Champions	1 (in 1 city)	Kalyani Stadium
SAFF U-20 Championship	2022 SAFF U-20 Championship	India	5 – 2 (a.e.t)	Bangladesh	Champions	1 (in 1 city)	Kalinga Stadium
Women's senior competitions
AFC Women's Asian Cup	2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup	China	3 – 2	South Korea	Withdrew (due to Covid-19 breakout)	3 (in 3 cities)	DY Patil Stadium
SAFF Women's Championship	2016 SAFF Women's Championship	India	3 – 1	Bangladesh	Champions	1 (in 1 city)	Kanchenjunga Stadium
Women's youth competitions
FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup	2022 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup	Spain	1 – 0	Colombia	Group stage	3 (in 3 cities)	DY Patil Stadium

Nehru Cup

The Nehru Cup was an international invitational association football tournament organised by the AIFF and named after the First Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru. ^[124]

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

Tri-Nation Series

The Tri-Nation Series is a three-team football tournament organised by the AIFF. The first edition was held in 2017. ^[125]

Editions	Winners
2017	India
2023	India

Intercontinental Cup

The Intercontinental Cup is a four-team association football tournament organised by the AIFF. The first edition was held in 2018. ^[126]

Editions	Winners
2018	India
2019	North Korea
2023	India
2024	Syria

Gold Cup (India)

The Gold Cup is a 4-team women's football tournament organised by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). ^[127] It was launched in 2019 with the first edition being held at the Kalinga Stadium in association with the Government of Odisha. ^[128] The tournament naming rights were purchased by Hero MotoCorp which also sponsors the national team. ^{[129] [130]}

Editions	Winners
2019	Myanmar

Performance in international competitions

Men's team

A red box around the year indicates tournaments played within India

FIFA World Cup

Main article: India at the FIFA World Cup qualification

India has never played in the finals of the FIFA World Cup. ^[8] After gaining independence in 1947, India managed to qualify for the World Cup held in 1950. ^[131] This was due to Myanmar, Indonesia, and the Philippines withdrawing from qualification round. ^[8] However, prior to the start of the tournament, India withdrew due to the expenses required in getting the team to Brazil. ^[8] But this reason was untrue because FIFA was ready to give money to India (AIFF) for their trip to Brazil. ^[132] Other reasons cited for why India withdrew include FIFA not allowing Indian players to play in the tournament barefoot and the All India Football Federation not considering the FIFA World Cup an important tournament compared to the Olympics. ^{[133] [8] [134]}

After withdrawing from the 1950 FIFA World Cup, India did not enter the qualifying rounds of the tournament between 1954 and 1982. ^[135] Since the 1986 qualifiers, with the exception of the 1990 edition of the tournament, the team participated in World Cup qualification, but has yet to qualify for the finals again. ^[135]

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						[136]
1954	Denied by FIFA										Denied by FIFA						[137]
1958 to 1982	Did not enter										Did not enter						–
1986	Did not qualify										6	2	3	1	7	6	[138]
1990											Withdrew from qualification						[139]
1994											8	1	1	6	8	22	[140]
1998											3	1	1	1	3	7	[141]
2002											6	3	2	1	11	5	[142]
2006											6	1	1	4	2	18	[143]
2010											2	0	1	1	3	6	[144]
2014											2	0	1	1	2	5	[145]
2018											8	2	1	7	7	18	[146]
2022											8	1	4	3	6	7	[147]
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	—

AFC Asian Cup

Main article: India at the AFC Asian Cup

Indian players celebrating with fans after winning a match at 2019 AFC Asian Cup

India has qualified for the AFC Asian Cup five times. The team played their first Asian Cup in 1964. The team managed to qualify following other nations' refusal to play against India due to political reasons. ^{[22] [23]} India managed to finish the tournament as runners-up to hosts Israel, with Inder Singh finishing as joint top-scorer. ^[23] Since then, India has failed to progress beyond the first round of the Asian Cup, with their participation at the 1984 ^[148] and 2011 Asian Cups, ^[149] and most recently the 2019 Asian Cup. ^[52]

In June 2022, India qualified for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup after winning all the matches in the third round of 2023 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	[150]
1964	Runners-up	2nd	3	2	0	1	5	3	Squad		Qualified by default						[151]
1968	Did not qualify										3	0	1	2	2	6	[152]
1972	Did not enter										Did not enter						[153]
1976																	[154]
1980																	[155]
1984	Group stage	10th	4	0	1	3	0	7	Squad		4	3	0	1	8	2	[156]
1988	Did not qualify										5	0	1	4	0	6	[157]
1992											2	1	0	1	2	3	[158]
1996											2	0	0	2	3	12	[159]
2000											4	1	1	2	8	9	[160]
2004											2	0	1	1	1	3	[161]
2007											6	0	0	6	2	24	[162]
2011	Group stage	16th	3	0	0	3	3	13	Squad		AFC Challenge Cup						[163]
2015	Did not qualify																[164]
2019	Group stage	17th	3	1	0	2	4	4	Squad		18	8	2	8	25	24	[165]
2023	Group stage	24th	3	0	0	3	0	6	Squad		11	4	4	3	14	8	[166]
2027	To be determined										6	1	2	3	3	7	–
Totals	Runners-up	2nd	16	3	1	12	12	33	—		69	20	13	36	76	113	—

Summer Olympics

Main article: India national football team at the Olympics

Talimeren Ao on the left, leading the Indian team to Cricklefield Stadium to play against France in 1948

India competed in four straight Olympic football tournaments between 1948 and 1960. ^[167] Their sole 1948 Olympics match against France 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, with Sarangapani Raman scoring the lone goal for India. India then returned to the Olympics four years later where they took on Yugoslavia 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. ^[168]

Four years later, during the 1956 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 hosts Australia in the quarter-finals. A Neville D'Souza hat-trick, the first by an Asian footballer in the Olympics, helped India win 4–2. ^[169] 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 by Bulgaria. ^[169]

In 1960, India competed in Group D with Hungary, France and Peru. India ended the group in last place, drawing once. ^[170] 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						[171]
1952	Preliminaries	25th	1	0	0	1	1	10	Squad		Qualified automatically						[172]
1956	Semi-finals	4th	3	1	0	2	5	9	Squad		Bye						[173]
1960	Round 1	13th	3	0	1	2	3	6	Squad		3	3	0	0	11	4	[174]
1964 to 1988	Did not qualify										20	6	1	13	34	38	–
1992–present	See India national U-23 team										See India national U-23 team
Totals	Semi-finals	4th	8	1	1	6	10	27	—		23	9	1	13	45	42	—

Asian Games

Main article: India national football team at the Asian Games

Indian team celebrating after defeating South Korea in the final of 1962 Asiad at Senayan Main Stadium, Jakarta

India competed in eleven Asian Games, starting from 1951 to 1998, except the 1990 and 1994 editions. ^[175] In 1951 Asian Games India won their first match against Indonesia 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 ever Asian Games gold medalists in football. ^{[176] [177]}

Though the next two tournaments proved to be less successful for the team, they bounced back by winning gold at the 1962 Asian games by defeating the Asian Cup winners South Korea. The team failed to defend their title in 1966 and went on to claim the bronze medal in 1970. ^[24]

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. ^[178] After two disappointing editions in 1974 and 1978, India performed much better in the 1982 Asiad, which they hosted for the second time. Due to the poor performance in 1986, the authorities decided not to send the team for the upcoming games. ^[179] The team made their return in 1998.

Asian Games record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad	Ref.
1951	Champions	1st	3	3	0	0	7	0	Squad	[180]
1954	Round 1	8th	2	1	0	1	3	6	Squad	[181]
1958	Semi-finals	4th	5	2	0	3	12	13	Squad	[182]
1962	Champions	1st	5	4	0	1	11	6	Squad	[183]
1966	Round 1	8th	3	1	0	2	4	7	Squad	[184]
1970	Third place	3rd	6	3	1	2	8	5	Squad	[185]
1974	Round 1	13th	3	0	0	3	2	14	Squad	[186]
1978	Round 2	8th	5	1	0	4	5	13	Squad	[187]
1982	Quarter-finals	6th	4	2	1	1	5	3	Squad	[188]
1986	Round 1	16th	3	0	0	3	1	8	Squad	[189]
1990	Did not enter
1994
1998	Round 2	16th	5	1	0	4	3	8	Squad	[190]
2002–present	See India national U-23 team
Totals	2 titles	1st	44	18	2	24	61	83	—	–

SAFF Championship

India has been the most successful team in the competition, winning overall eight titles. ^[191] The team played in the knockout stage of every tournament except in 1993, when the tournament was in a league format. ^[192] The team also boasts a prestigious record of claiming medal at every championship played so far. ^[193] India has played in the final of every championship except the 2003, tournament where they claimed bronze medal. ^{[194] [195]}

SAFF Championship record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad	Ref.
1993	Champions	1st	3	2	1	0	4	1	—	[196]
1995	Runners-up	2nd	3	0	2	1	2	3	Squad	[197]
1997	Champions	1st	4	3	1	0	12	3	—	[198]
1999	Champions	1st	4	3	1	0	6	1	Squad	[199]
2003	Third place	3rd	5	2	1	2	8	5	Squad	[200]
2005	Champions	1st	5	4	1	0	9	2	Squad	[201]
2008	Runners-up	2nd	5	4	0	1	9	3	Squad	[202]
2011	Champions	1st	5	4	1	0	16	2	Squad	[203]
2013	Runners-up	2nd	5	2	1	2	4	5	Squad	[204]
2015	Champions	1st	4	4	0	0	11	4	Squad	[205]
2018	Runners-up	2nd	4	3	0	1	8	3	Squad	[206]
2021	Champions	1st	5	3	2	0	8	2	Squad	[207]
2023	Champions	1st	5	2	3	0	8	2	Squad	[208]
Totals	8 titles	1st	57	36	14	7	105	36	—	–

South Asian Games

India has participated in every edition of senior football at the South Asian Games, except in 1984. The team emerged as champions in 1985, 1987, and 1995. They also took home silver in 1993, and bronze medals in 1989 and 1995. ^[209]

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	—	[210]
1987	Champions	1st	3	2	1	0	6	0	—	[211]
1989	Third place	3rd	3	2	1	0	5	3	—	[212]
1991	Group stage	6th	2	0	1	1	1	2	—	[213]
1993	Runners-up	2nd	3	1	2	0	6	4	—	[214]
1995	Champions	1st	3	3	0	0	5	0	—	[215]
1999	Third place	3rd	5	4	0	1	15	4	—	[216]
2004–present	See India national U-20 team & India national U-23 team
Totals	3 titles	1st	22	14	6	2	44	14	—	—

Other/Defunct tournaments

Other/Defunct Tournaments
Nehru Cup	AFC Challenge Cup	Tri-Nation Series	Intercontinental Cup
1982: 5th place 1983: 1984: 6th place 1985: 1986: 1987: 1988: 1989: 1991: 1993: 1995: 4th place 1997: 3rd place 2007: Champions 2009: Champions 2012: Champions	2016: Quarter-finals 2008: Champions 2010: Group Stage 2012: Group Stage	2017: Champions 2023: Champions	2018: Champions 2019: 4th place 2023: Champions 2024: 3rd place

Women's team

FIFA Women's World 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	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Olympic Games

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

AFC Women's Asian Cup

AFC Women's Asian Cup record Year Result Position Pld W D* L GF GA GD 1975 Did not enter 1977 1980 Runners-up 2nd 7 4 2 1 8 3 +5 1981 Third place 3rd 5 3 1 1 15 1 +14 1983 Runners-up 2nd 6 4 0 2 11 5 +6 1986 Did not enter 1989 1991 1993 1995 Group stage 10th 3 0 0 3 3 12 −9 1997 Group stage 5th 3 2 0 1 13 1 +12 1999 Group stage 11th 4 1 0 3 3 12 −9 2001 Group stage 9th 4 1 0 3 3 13 −10 2003 Group stage 9th 3 1 0 2 7 14 −7 2006 Did not qualify 2008 2010 Did not enter 2014 Did not qualify 2018 2022 Originally qualified as host, withdrew due to COVID-19 pandemic inside the team. [217] 2026 To be determined 2029 Total 9/19 0 Titles 35 16 3 16 63 61 +2 Notes:

AFC Women's Asian Cup history Year Round Score Result 1980 Round 1 India S  2–0 Western Australia Won India S  2–0  Hong Kong Won India S  0–0  Chinese Taipei Draw India S  1–0  India N Won India S  0–0  Malaysia Draw Semi-final India S  3–1  Hong Kong Won Final India S  0–2  Chinese Taipei Lost 1981 Round 1 India  5–0  Singapore Won India  8–0  Philippines Won India  0–0  Hong Kong Draw Semi-final India  0–1  Thailand Lost 3rd Place India  2–0  Hong Kong Won 1983 Round 1 India  5–0  Philippines Won India  1–0  Hong Kong Won India  3–0  Malaysia Won India  1–2  Thailand Lost India  1–0  Singapore Won Final India  0–2  Thailand Lost 1995 Round 1 India  0–1  Uzbekistan Lost India  0–6  Japan Lost India  0–5  South Korea Lost 1997 Round 1 India  3–0  Hong Kong Won India  0–1  Japan Lost India  10–0  Guam Won 1999 Round 1 India  0–7  North Korea Lost India  3–0  Malaysia Won India  0–3  Vietnam Lost India  0–3  Chinese Taipei Lost 2001 Round 1 India  0–7  South Korea Lost India  0–5  Chinese Taipei Lost India  0–1  Thailand Lost India  3–0  Malaysia Won 2003 Round 1 India  6–0  Uzbekistan Won India  0–12  China Lost India  1–2  Vietnam Lost 2022 Round 1 India  0–0  Iran Voided India  n/a  Chinese Taipei Cancelled India  n/a  China Cancelled

*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

At 1979 AFC Asia Cup India placed two teams, India Senior (India S) and India Novice (India N), in other version called as India North and India South.

Asian Games

Asian Games record Year Result Position Pld W D* L GF GA GD 1990 DNP 1994 1998 Group stage 8th 3 0 0 3 1 36 −35 2002 Did not enter 2006 2010 2014 Group stage 9th 3 1 0 2 15 20 −5 2018 Did not enter 2022 Group stage 13th 2 0 0 2 1 3 −2 Total 3/9 0 titles 8 1 0 7 17 59 −42

Asian Games history Year Round Score Result 1998 Round 1 India  0–7  South Korea Loss India  1–13  Chinese Taipei cLoss India  0–16  China Loss 2014 Round 1 India  15–0  Maldives Won India  0–10  South Korea Loss India  0–10  Thailand Loss 2022 Round 1 India  1–2  Chinese Taipei Loss India  0–1  Thailand Loss

• DNQ: did not qualify

Bold positions show best finish in the tournaments.

SAFF Women's Championship

India has won the SAFF Women's Championship five times in a row. ^[218]

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

South Asian Games

India has won the South 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.

Other tournaments

Other Tournaments
Gold Cup	Turkish Women's Cup	Torneio Internacional de Futebol Feminino
2019: 3rd place	2019: 6th place 2021: Friendlies 2024: Runners-up [219]	2021: 4th place

Football broadcast in India

Main article: Sports broadcasting contracts in India

Domestic competitions

Domestic state football

List of current broadcasters:

Competition	Television rights		Streaming rights		Ref.
	Conglomerate	Channel(s)	Conglomerate	Platform
Santosh Trophy	None		FIFA	FIFA+	[220]
Senior Women's NFC	None		SportsKPI YouTube channel		[221]
National Beach Soccer Championship	None		Indian Football YouTube channel		[222]

Domestic club football

List of current broadcasters:

Competition	Television rights		Streaming rights		Ref.
	Conglomerate	Channel(s)	Conglomerate	Platform
Indian Super League	Viacom18	Sports18	Viacom18	JioCinema	[223]
I-League	SPNI	Sony Sports	None
I-League 2	None		Indian Football YouTube channel		[224]
I-League 3	None				[225]
Indian Women's League	None				[226]
IWL 2nd Division	None
Super Cup	None		Viacom18	JioCinema	[227]
Super League Kerala	Disney India	Star Sports	Disney India	Disney+ Hotstar
Durand Cup	SPNI	Sony Sports	SPNI	SonyLIV	[228]
Futsal Club Championship	None		Indian Football YouTube channel		[229]

International competitions

International competitions conducted by AIFF

List of current broadcasters:

Competition	Television rights		Streaming rights		Ref.
	Conglomerate	Channel(s)	Conglomerate	Platform
Intercontinental Cup	Viacom18	Sports18	Viacom18	JioCinema	[230]
Tri-Nation Series	Disney India	Star Sports	Disney India	Disney+ Hotstar	[231]
Gold Cup	TBD

International club football

List of current broadcasters:

Country (or) Confederation	Competition	Television Rights		Streaming Rights		Ref.
		Conglomerate	Channel(s)	Conglomerate	Platform
FIFA	FIFA Club World Cup	WBD India	Eurosport India	Dream Sports	FanCode	[232]
	FIFA Intercontinental Cup	None		FIFA	FIFA+
UEFA	UEFA Champions League	SPNI	Sony Sports	SPNI	SonyLIV	[233]
	UEFA Europa League
	UEFA Europa Conference League
	UEFA Super Cup
	UEFA Women's Champions League	None		DAZN Group	DAZN	[234]
				DAZN Women's Football YouTube channel
England	Premier League	JioStar	Star Sports	JioStar	Disney+ Hotstar	[235]
	FA Cup	SPNI	Sony Sports	SPNI	SonyLIV	[236]
	FA Community Shield					[237]
	EFL Cup	None		Dream Sports	FanCode	[238] [239]
	EFL Championship
	EFL League One
	EFL League Two
	Women's Super League					[240]
France	Ligue 1	None		Galaxy Racer	GXR website	[241]
	Ligue 2					[242]
	Coupe de France	None		DAZN		[243]
	Trophée des Champions	None		Galaxy Racer	GXR website
Germany	Bundesliga	SPNI	Sony Sports	SPNI	SonyLIV	[244]
	DFB Pokal	None		Dream Sports	FanCode
				German Football YouTube channel
	DFL-Supercup	SPNI	Sony Sports	SPNI	SonyLIV	[245]
Italy	Serie A	None	None	Galaxy Racer	GXR Website	[246]
	Coppa Italia					[247]
	Supercoppa Italiana
Netherlands	Eredivisie	WBD India	Eurosport India	WBD India	Discovery+	[248]
Scotland	Scottish Premiership	Viacom18	Sports18	Viacom18	JioCinema
	Scottish League Cup
	Scottish Championship
Spain	La Liga	None		Galaxy Racer	GXR website	[249]
	Segunda Division					[250]
	Copa del Rey	None		Dream Sports	FanCode	[251]
	Supercopa de España					[251]
	Liga F	None		DAZN Group	DAZN	[252]
				DAZN Women's Football YouTube channel
AFC	AFC Champions League Elite	Viacom18	Sports18	Dream Sports	FanCode
	AFC Champions League Two
	AFC Women's Champions League
China	Chinese Super League	None		Dream Sports	FanCode	[253]
Japan	J1 League					[254]
Australia	A League
Saudi Arabia	Saudi Pro League	SPNI	Sony Sports	SPNI	SonyLIV	[255]
	King Cup					[256]
	Saudi Super Cup					[257]
CONCACAF	CONCACAF Champions Cup	None		Dream Sports	FanCode
	Leagues Cup	None		Apple	Apple TV+ (MLS Season Pass)	[258]
United States	Major League Soccer					[259]
	US Open Cup	SPNI	Sony Sports	SPNI	SonyLIV	[260]

International football

List of current broadcasters:

Federation (or) Confederation	Competition	Television Rights		Streaming Rights		Ref.
		Conglomerate	Channel(s)	Conglomerate	Platform
FIFA	FIFA World Cup	Viacom18	Sports18 & MTV	Viacom18	JioCinema	[261] [262]
				Reliance	Jio TV
	FIFA U-20 World Cup	None		FIFA	FIFA+	[263]
	FIFA U-17 World Cup	None		Dream Sports	FanCode	[264]
	FIFA Women's World Cup	Prasar Bharati	DD Sports	Dream Sports	FanCode	[265]
	FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup	Viacom18	Sports18	Viacom18	Voot	[266]
	FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup			Reliance	Jio TV	[267]
AFC	AFC Asian Cup	Viacom18	Sports18	Viacom18	JioCinema	[268]
	AFC Asian Cup qualifiers	SPNI/ Viacom18	Sony Sports/ Sports18	SPNI/ Viacom18	SonyLIV/ JioCinema	[269] [a]
	FIFA World Cup Qualifiers – AFC	None		Dream Sports	FanCode
	AFC U-23 Asian Cup					[272]
	AFC U-20 Asian Cup	None		Reliance	Jio TV	[273]
	AFC U-17 Asian Cup					[274]
	AFC Women's Asian Cup	WBD India	Eurosport	WBD India	Discovery+	[275]
				Reliance	Jio TV
	AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup	None		Dream Sports	FanCode	[272]
	AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup					[272]
SAFF	SAFF Championship	Prasar Bharati	DD Sports	Dream Sports	FanCode	[276] [277]
	SAFF U-20 Championship	None		Sportzworkz YouTube channel		[278]
	SAFF U-17 Championship					[279]
	SAFF Women's Championship			Website of Eleven Sports		[280]
	SAFF U-20 Women's Championship			Sportzworkz YouTube channel		[281]
	SAFF U-17 Women's Championship					[282]
UEFA	UEFA Euro	SPNI	Sony Sports	SPNI	SonyLIV	[283]
	UEFA Nations League
	UEFA Euro Qualifiers
	FIFA World Cup Qualifiers – UEFA					[284]
	UEFA Women's Euro					[285]
CONMEBOL	Copa América	None		Dream Sports	FanCode
	FIFA World Cup Qualifiers – CONMEBOL					[286]
CAF	Africa Cup of Nations	None		Dream Sports	FanCode	[251]
	FIFA World Cup Qualifiers – CAF					[287]
CONCACAF	CONCACAF Gold Cup	None		VUSport		[288]
	FIFA World Cup Qualifiers – CONCACAF	None		Dream Sports	FanCode	[289]

1. Home matches of FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers were broadcast by Sports18 and JioCinema. ^{[270] [271]}

Clubs on social media

The Kerala Blasters ranked fifth most popular Asian club on social media as of 31 October 2018. ^[290] Note that the Chinese football clubs Guangzhou FC, Shandong Taishan, Beijing Guoan, the Tianjin Jinmen Tiger and Shanghai Shenhua ranked above the Kerala Blasters with millions of followers on Weibo. ^[291]

#	Football 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

Seasons

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

National Sports Award recipients

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

See also

• Sport in India
• Football in Asia
• History of the India national football team
• All India Sevens Football
• AIFF Player of the Year Awards
• Futsal Association of India
• Junior National Football Championship
• Football in West Bengal
• Kolkata derby
• List of football clubs in India
• List of Indian players in foreign leagues

In popular culture

• Goal (2007)
• Maidaan (2023), Hindi movie of Ajay Devgn about Indian football's golden era of the 1950s.
• List of movies made on 'Football sport' in India
• List of Indian sport movies

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Further reading

• "Regionalism and club domination: Growth of rival centres of footballing excellence". Soccer & Society. 6:2–3 (2–3). Taylor & Francis: 227–256. 6 August 2006. doi:10.1080/14660970500106410. S2CID   216862171. Archived from the original on 1 March 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
• "Chronology of Important Sports Events — West Bengal". wbsportsandyouth.gov.in. Kolkata: Government of West Bengal – Department of youth services and sports. 2017. Archived from the original on 13 October 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2023.

External links

• "What's holding back Indian football?"—BBC Sport
• "Gender and sport in India: aspects of women's football"
• "Indian Football Association over the ages" (Video)