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.[15]
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.[16] 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.[17]
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.[16][18] 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.[18][19][20][21] 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.[16] India also won the Merdeka Cup and the Quadrangular 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".[22]
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.[16] India qualified for their first Asian Cup in 1964 but failed to win the title.[23][24] In an international tournament at the 1970 Asian Games, India won the bronze medal after defeating Japan 1–0.[25] 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.[26]
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.[27][28][29] 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.[30] Mohun Bagan would have won the tie had it not been for a controversial penalty awarded to the visiting team that ensured the draw.[31] The next day, the newspaper Ananda Bazar Patrika described Goutam Sarkar as "India's very own Beckenbaur".[32]
The Indian women's team as they began playing in the 1970s. In 1975, their first manager was Sushil Bhattacharya.[33][34] 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.[35]
2007–present
In August 2007, the Indian national team won the Nehru Cup for the first time, beating Syria 1–0.[36] 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.[37] In August 2009, India again won the Nehru Cup, beating Syria on penalties (6–5).[38]
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.[44] 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.[45] 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.[46] For the third match of the group stage, India played Ghana, losing the match 4–0 and finishing at the bottom of Group A.[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.[49][50] Nevertheless, they lost both of their next two group matches against UAE and Bahrain by 0−2 and 0−1 respectively[51][52] and finished at the bottom of the group, thus failing to move to the knockout stage.[53]
The following list includes the performance of all of India's national teams at major competitions.
Men's senior team
The Indian senior national team had several successes during their initial years but is no longer considered one of the best in Asia.[58][59] The national team's highest achievement is winning two gold medals at the Asian Games.
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.[61][62] 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.[63] The AIFF won the hosting bid for the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup.
International football in India generally takes place between September and November according to FIFA men's match calendar,[65] and between February-July/October-December for women.[66] The Indian national football team has also provided some of the greatest players, the example of which is Sunil Chhetri.
Senior Men's National Football Championship, National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy,[67][68][69] or simply Santosh Trophy, is an inter-state competition contested by the state associations and government institutions.[70] Before the launch of the first national club league, the National Football League, it was considered the top domestic tournament.[71] Many players who have represented India played in the Santosh Trophy.[72][73]
Tier 1: Indian Super League- The I-League, which was promised to be a professional league, soon lost popularity due to poor marketing.[85] 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.[86] 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.[87] Large corporations, Bollywood stars and cricketers between them bought eight franchises.[88]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.[89] 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.[90] 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.[91]
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.[92]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.[93] 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.[94][95][96] No ISL reserve teams can be a part of I-League 2 or I-League 3.[97]
Tier 5–10: Indian State Leagues- There are currently a total of 36 state associations (including union territories) affiliated with the AIFF.[98] 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.[99]
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).
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.
Tier 1: Indian Women's League: Indian Women's League is the women's top tier professional football league in India.[110][111]
Tier 2: Indian Women's League 2: Indian Women's League 2 is the women's second tier professional football league in India.[112] The competition is established in 2023, with the first season starting from 2024.[113][114][115][116]
Tier 3–5: Indian State Leagues: There are currently a total of 36 state associations (including union territories) affiliated with the AIFF.[117] 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.
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.[133] 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.[134] 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.[135][8][136]
After withdrawing from the 1950 FIFA World Cup, India did not enter the qualifying rounds of the tournament between 1954 and 1982.[137] 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.[137]
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.[23][24] India managed to finish the tournament as runners-up to hosts Israel, with Inder Singh finishing as joint top-scorer.[24] Since then, India has failed to progress beyond the first round of the Asian Cup, with their participation at the 1984[150] and 2011 Asian Cups,[151] and most recently the 2019 Asian Cup.[53]
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.
India competed in four straight Olympic football tournaments between 1948 and 1960.[169] 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.[170]
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.[171] 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.[171]
In 1960, India competed in Group D with Hungary, France and Peru. India ended the group in last place, drawing once.[172] India have since failed to qualify for another Olympic games.
India competed in eleven Asian Games, starting from 1951 to 1998, except the 1990 and 1994 editions.[177] 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.[178][179]
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.[180]
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.[181] 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.[182] The team made their return in 1998.
India has been the most successful team in the competition, winning overall eight titles.[194] The team played in the knockout stage of every tournament except in 1993, when the tournament was in a league format.[195] The team also boasts a prestigious record of claiming medal at every championship played so far.[196] India has played in the final of every championship except the 2003, tournament where they claimed bronze medal.[197][198]
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.[212]
*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.
^Guha, Chandak (5 September 2019). "ইংরেজরাও ভয় পেত বাংলার প্রথম কিংবদন্তি ফুটবল কোচকে" [The Englishmen too feared Bengal's legendary first football coach]. bongodorshon.com (in Bengali). Kolkata: Bongodorshon Information Desk. Archived from the original on 8 September 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
^"India vs Qatar". Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 18 February 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^"India at the SAFF Cup". wifa.in. WIFA. 30 November 2011. Archived from the original on 12 January 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
^"India win 2012 Nehru Cup". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. TOI. 3 September 2012. Archived from the original on 4 March 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
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