The India national football team represents India in men's international football and is governed by the All India Football Federation.
Association football is one of the four most-popular sports in India, the others being Cricket, Kabaddi and Field hockey. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) recognises the Indian Super League as the national football league of India. The Santosh Trophy is a knock-out competition among Indian states and government institutions.
All India Football Federation (AIFF) is the governing body of football, futsal and beach soccer in India. It is a member of FIFA, and is affiliated with the Asian Football Confederation and South Asian Football Federation.
The Khuman Lampak Main Stadium is a multi-use stadium located in Imphal, in the Indian state of Manipur. It is used mostly for football and athletics, and hosts the majority matches of Manipur State League. The stadium holds 35,285 people and was built in 1999. This stadium lies inside the Khuman Lampak Sports Complex. The stadium's record attendance was set in a football match between NEROCA FC and Indian Arrows, with 35,285 people in attendance, on 5 January 2018.
Dr. Ambedkar Stadium is a football stadium in New Delhi, India. The stadium is named after Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, social reformer and architect of the Indian Constitution. It was earlier known as Corporation Stadium. It has held competitions like Delhi Football League, DCM Trophy, Subroto Cup and Durand Cup. It houses offices of Football Delhi, earlier known as Delhi Soccer Association. It was renovated and reopened in 2007 and has a listed capacity of 35,000. The stadium has hosted international football finals such as the 2007 and 2009 Nehru Cup.
The National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy, due to ties with FIFA, also known as the FIFA Santosh Trophy, or simply Santosh Trophy, is an semi professional inter-state national football competition contested by the state associations and government institutions under the All India Football Federation (AIFF), the sport's governing body in India. Before the launch of the first national club league, the National Football League in 1996, the Santosh Trophy was considered the top domestic tournament in India. Many players who have represented India internationally have played in the Santosh Trophy. The tournament is held every year with eligible teams who are divided into zones, must play in the qualifying round and can progress into the tournament proper.
Sunil Chhetri is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Indian Super League club Bengaluru. He is known for his link-up play, goal scoring abilities, and leadership. He is the fourth-highest international goalscorer, and is also the most-capped player and the all-time top goalscorer of the India national team. He is widely regarded as the greatest Indian football player of all time.
The Nehru Cup was an international football tournament organised by the All India Football Federation (AIFF), named after the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru. It was launched in 1982, but was not held from 1998 to 2006. After the trophy was won by Iraq in 1997, it was reinstated only in 2007 before officially being held last in 2012 and was replaced in 2017.
The history of the India national football team dates back to the 1920s. They have never played in the World Cup although they qualified in 1950. They have had no entries in the tournament from 1950 onwards. Indian football team won the Asian Games in 1962 in Jakarta, against S Korea. They have only made three appearances since then.
The Indian Super League (ISL) is the men's highest level of the Indian football league system. Administered by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and its commercial partner Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), the league currently contested by 13 clubs.
The 2017 Hero Tri-Nation Series was a 3-team association football tournament held at the Mumbai Football Arena in the Indian city of Mumbai between the 19th and 24th of August 2017. It was first edition of The Tri-Nation Series organized by the AIFF. It was first introduced as part of the senior men team's preparation for the third round of 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification matches. The tournament naming rights were purchased by Hero MotoCorp which also sponsors the national team. The tournament received criticism from at least one media outlet, citing that the ₹3.7cr spent to organize the tournament was significantly more than the entire yearly budget for the women's national team. The tournament was originally scheduled to take place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai but was changed the week before the tournament because of financial disagreements with the stadium's operators. India Head coach Stephen Constantine revealed that the intention was to hold a 4-team tournament with India competing against teams from the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia. However another Asian team did not participate. India won the tournament with a 1–1 draw with Saint Kitts and Nevis on the final matchday.
Suresh Singh Wangjam, is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Indian Super League club Bengaluru and India national team. He won the 2020–21 AIFF Emerging Player of the Year award. He also represented India in the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2017.
The 2018 Intercontinental Cup was a 4-nations football tournament held at the Mumbai Football Arena in the Indian city of Mumbai between 1 and 10 June 2018. The tournament was organized by the AIFF as part of the senior men's team's preparation for 2019 AFC Asian Cup. The tournament succeeded the Nehru Cup and developed post the Tri-Nation Series, where the then India head coach Stephen Constantine revealed that the intention was to hold a four-team tournament with India competing against teams from the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia. India won the tournament by defeating Kenya 2–0 in the final on 10 June 2018.
Naorem Mahesh Singh is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Indian Super League club East Bengal FC and the India national team.
Mehtab Singh is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Indian Super League club Mumbai City and the India national team.
The 2019 Intercontinental Cup (known as the 2019 Hero Intercontinental Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the second edition of the Intercontinental Cup, a 4-nations football tournament held at TransStadia Arena in the Indian city of Ahmedabad between the 7th and 19th of July 2019. The tournament was organized by the AIFF.
The Intercontinental Cup is a four-nation football tournament organised by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). It was launched in 2018 as a replacement for Nehru Cup, with the first edition held as the 2018 Intercontinental Cup (India). Naming rights of the tournament were purchased by Hero MotoCorp which also sponsored the national team at that time. On 7 January 2023, the AIFF confirmed that the Intercontinental Cup would become an annual competition as part of their "Vision 2047" initiative to improve Indian football.
Blue Pilgrims is an organised group of football fans who support the India national football men's team, women's team, and all the other age–group national teams at almost every home and away game. Founded in 2017 before the commencement of the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup, which was held in India, the group based their name on the nickname of the national team, the "Blue Tigers". They consider travelling with the national teams to wherever the teams play as their pilgrimage. They often display flags, banners, and tifos in support of the national team.
The 2011 SAFF Championship final was the final match of the 2011 SAFF Championship which took place in India on 11 December 2011. The final match took place between India and Afghanistan. India entered the final as defending champions after winning their fifth title in 2009. While for Afghanistan this was their first final.
India (2nd title)
2023 
