The India national football team represents India in international football and is governed by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and is under the global jurisdiction of FIFA. It is governed in Asia by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and in South Asia by South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) —both of which were co-founded by the Indian team's supervising body, the AIFF.
Football in India is among the three most popular sports in terms of player participation and TV viewership, together with cricket and kabaddi. India's top domestic competition is the Indian Super League, formed with eight teams in 2014, recognised by the AFC as the national football league. The Santosh Trophy is a knock-out competition between Indian states and government institutions.
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is the national governing body of football in India. It is a member of FIFA, the international governing body of football and affiliated to Asian Football Confederation.
Subimal "Chuni" Goswami was an Indian professional footballer and first-class cricketer. As footballer, he played as a striker or winger, captained both the Mohun Bagan club and the India national team. He also served as the Sheriff of Kolkata. Goswami scored nine goals in 30 international appearances. He was an Olympian, represented India national team at the 1960 Summer Olympics. He also led the team to achieve the gold medal at the 1962 Asian Games, and earn the runners-up position at the 1964 AFC Asian Cup.
Yousuf Khan was an Indian footballer who represented India national team at the 1960 Summer Olympics. He was one of only two Indians to have been included in the 1965 Asian All Stars XI. He was also a part of the team which won the 1962 Asian Games.
Syed Nayeemuddin, known as Nayeem, is an Indian football coach and former player. He played for and was captain of the India national team and has managed Mahindra United, Brothers Union, Dhaka Mohammedan, and Bangladesh national team. He is the only sportsperson to win both the Arjuna Award, recognising his contribution to Indian football and Dronacharya Award for football.
The India women's national football team is controlled by the All India Football Federation and represents India at women's international football competitions. Under the global jurisdiction of FIFA and governed in Asia by the AFC. India is also part of the South Asian Football Federation. The team was one of the best in Asia in the mid-1970s to early 1980s, when they became runners-up in the 1979 and the 1983 AFC Women's Asian Cup.
Havildar Peter Thangaraj was an Indian football player and a non-commissioned officer in the Indian Army. Thangaraj played for the Indian national side at the 1956 Melbourne and 1960 Rome Olympics. He was voted Asia's best goalkeeper in 1958. Thangaraj was a recipient of Arjuna Award for the year 1967.
Inder Singh is an India former football player and captain, manager and administrator. He played for Leaders Club (Jalandhar), JCT Mills and the India national team as a forward. He began his senior professional career with Leaders Club in 1962 and moved to JCT Mills in 1974. Playing for Punjab in the Santosh Trophy, he finished the 1974–75 tournament with 23 goals, a record that still stands. He was included in the Asian All Stars XI team in 1967 and 1968. He retired as a player in 1985.
The India national under-20 football team, also known as India Under-20s or India U20(s), represents India at all under-20 football tournaments. They act as the main feeder team for the India national under-23 football team and the senior India national football team.
Shabbir Ali is an Indian football manager and former player. He was awarded the Dhyan Chand Award, the highest award in Indian sports for lifetime achievement, given by Government of India in 2011. He is the first footballer to be named for the Dhyan Chand Award.
Shankar Subramaniam Narayan, also known as S. S. "Babu" Narayan, was a footballer who represented India as a goalkeeper at the 1956 and 1960 Olympic Games.
O. Chandrasekhar Menon was an Indian professional footballer who played as a defender. He represented India at the 1960 Summer Olympics (Rome), the 1962 Asian Games, 1964 AFC Asian Cup, Merdeka Tournament and 1964 Summer Olympics.
Jarnail Singh Dhillon was a former Indian football player, who played as a centre-back. He was the captain of the India national football team from 1965 to 1967. He was given the Arjuna Award in 1964 for his achievements as a football player. He also competed in the men's tournament at the 1960 Summer Olympics. Considered as one of Asia's best defenders in the 1960s, he spent most of his career in Mohun Bagan.
K. Appalaraju was an Indian professional football player. He was part of the Indian Squad that finished runners-up in 1964 AFC Asian Cup. He scored a goal in a 2–0 win over South Korea in 1964 Asian Cup. He also scored a hat-trick in a 5–3 win over Sri Lanka in 1964 Summer Olympics Football tournament qualification.
Fortunato Franco was an Indian international footballer who played as a half back.
Arun Ghosh is a former Indian football player who represented India internationally. He also played club football for both the Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan AC and East Bengal Club.
Prasanta Sinha was an Indian association football player who represented India internationally, and played club football for East Bengal.
Mritunjoy Banerjee was a former Indian association football player. He was part of the team that finished at second place at the 1964 AFC Asian Cup.
Isaiah Arumainayagam is an Indian former footballer. He represented India internationally.
