Association football is one of the four most-popular sports in India, the others being Cricket, Kabaddi and Field hockey.[5] The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) recognises the Indian Super League as the national football league of India.[6] The Santosh Trophy is a knock-out competition among Indian states and government institutions.

Football in India
CountryIndia
Governing bodyAll 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
India Beach soccer Men's
India Esports
Nickname(s)The Blue Tigers
First played1800s
National competitions
List
Club competitions
List
International competitions
List
Audience records
Single match131,781
(1997 Federation Cup Semifinal: East Bengal F.C. VS Mohun Bagan A.C. at Salt Lake Stadium)[4]

India hosted the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup, 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 previous record of 1,230,976 in 1985. India also hosted the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup and bid to host the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup but lost to Poland.[7]

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

History

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Pre-independence

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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

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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

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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

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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 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.[39]

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.[40] After going first in their AFC Challenge Cup group, Houghton was replaced by Wim Koevermans.[41] The India national under-23 football team won the first round of the 2012 Olympics qualifiers against Myanmar but were eliminated by Qatar.[42] India played their next official matches against United Arab Emirates in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, which India lost on aggregate 5–2.[43]

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]

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.[48]

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]

Administration

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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.[54][55][56] 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

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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.[54][55][57] There are other Indian national teams, such as the under-23 team and the under-17 team.

Performance

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

Men's senior team

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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.

Tournament Appearance in finals Last
appearance
Best
performance
FIFA World Cup 0 out of 22 [60]
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

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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.

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

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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

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Includes them 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

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Includes the 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

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Includes the 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

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Includes the 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)

Affiliated state federations and leagues

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There are currently 36 state associations and 2 affiliates associations with the All India Football Federation.[64]

Full members

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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

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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

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Organisation of football in modern India

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International football

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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)[65] and between February-July and October-December for Women's according to FIFA Women's International Match Calendar (2023-2025).[66] 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

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Men's Domestic Football

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State competitions
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  • Senior Men's National Football Championship- The National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy,[67] due to ties with FIFA (from 2024–25),[68] also known as the FIFA Santosh Trophy,[69] or simply Santosh Trophy, is an 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.[70] 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.[71] Many players who have represented India internationally have played in the Santosh Trophy.[72] 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.[73] The current champions are Karnataka, who won their title after 54 years during the 2022–23 edition. This was the first trophy for Karnataka, which had previously won four times as the princely state of Mysore, after 1968-69.
  • National Games Football- Football has been a sport at the National Games of India since the 1985 edition, while the Women's football tournament was introduced in the 1999 edition. The 1985 National Games was the first modern National Games to be held since its inception in 1924 and was also the first to be held on the lines of the Olympics.[74] Punjab and West Bengal are currently the most successful states in the Men's event with 3 Gold Medals each while Manipur is the most successful in Women's event with 5 Gold Medals.[75][76]
  • Swami Vivekananda NFC (U20)
  • Khelo India Youth Games (U-21/U-17)- Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG), are the annual national level multidisciplinary grassroot games in India held in January or February for two categories, namely under-17 years school students and under-21 college students. Every year best 1,000 kids will be given an annual scholarship of 5 lakh (US$6,000) for 8 years to prepare them for the international sporting events.

Club competitions

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As of 2023, 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.[83][84]

Evolution of the football system

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Men's
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
Level 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
Years 1937 1991–2016 2016–2023 2023-present
Level
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 3–5 State leagues


Leagues

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  • 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).

Cups

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List of All India football tournaments
Competition Organizer Host city/state
Durand Cup DFTS (Durand Football Tournament Society) & AIFF Various
Super Cup AIFF Various
  • Super Cup- The Super Cup is a knockout football tournament. A total of sixteen teams participate in the cup. All the ISL clubs get automatic entry while the remaining spots are contested for by the I-League teams.[111][112]

Champions overview

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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
I-League Mohammedan
I-League 2 Sporting Bengaluru
I-League 3 Sporting Goa
Super Cup East Bengal
Durand Cup NEUFC
Youth League (U-17) Classic FA
Youth League (U-15) Minerva Academy FC
Youth League (U-13) Reliance Foundation Young Champs
Futsal Club Championship Corbett FC

Women's domestic football

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  • National Games Football: Football has been a sport at the National Games of India since the 1985 edition, while the women's football tournament was introduced in the 1999 edition. The 1985 were the first modern National Games to be held since its inception in 1924.[115] Punjab and West Bengal are currently the most successful states in the men's event with 3 gold medals, while Manipur is the most successful in women's event with 5 gold medals.[116][117]
  • Khelo India Youth Games (U-21/U-17): Khelo India Youth Games are the annual national level multidisciplinary grassroot games in India held for under-17 and under-21 category. Every year 1,000 kids will be given a scholarship of 5 lakh (US$6,000) to prepare them for the international sporting events.
  • Junior Girl's National Football Championship: The Junior Girl's National Football Championship,[118] is held for under 19 players. The competition is held every year between the teams representing state associations. The tournament was instituted by the AIFF in 2001.

Club competitions

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  • Tier 3–5: Indian State Leagues: There are currently a total of 36 state associations (including union territories) affiliated with the AIFF.[127] 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

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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

Qualification for Asian competitions

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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

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As of 2023, 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.[128][129][130][131][132][133][134][135][136][137][138][139]

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

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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   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   Afghanistan Champions 1 (in 1 city) Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (Delhi)  
SAFF Championship 2015 SAFF Championship   India   Afghanistan Champions 1 (in 1 city) Greenfield International Stadium  
SAFF Championship 2023 SAFF Championship   India
(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

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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.[140]

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

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The Tri-Nation Series is a three-team football tournament organised by the AIFF. The first edition was held in 2017.[141]

Editions Winners
2017   India
2023   India

Intercontinental Cup

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The Intercontinental Cup is a four-team association football tournament organised by the AIFF. The first edition was held in 2018.[142]

Editions Winners
2018   India
2019   North Korea
2023   India

Performance in international competitions

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Men's team

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A red box around the year indicates tournaments played within India

FIFA World Cup

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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.[143] This was due to Myanmar, Indonesia, and the Philippines withdrawing from qualification round.[8] However, prior to the start of the tournament, India themselves 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.[144] 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.[145][8][146]

After withdrawing from the 1950 FIFA World Cup, India did not enter the qualifying rounds of the tournament between 1954 and 1982.[147] 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.[147]

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, but withdrew Qualified by default [148]
  1954 Denied by FIFA Denied by FIFA [149]
  1958
to
  1982
Did not enter Did not enter
  1986 Did not qualify 6 2 3 1 7 6 [150]
  1990 Withdrew from qualification [151]
  1994 8 1 1 6 8 22 [152]
  1998 3 1 1 1 3 7 [153]
    2002 6 3 2 1 11 5 [154]
  2006 6 1 1 4 2 18 [155]
  2010 2 0 1 1 3 6 [156]
  2014 2 0 1 1 2 5 [157]
  2018 8 2 1 7 7 18 [158]
  2022 8 1 4 3 6 7 [159]
      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

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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[160] and 2011 Asian Cups,[161] 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.

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 [162]
  1964 Runners-up 2nd 3 2 0 1 5 3 Squad Qualified by default [163]
  1968 Did not qualify 3 0 1 2 2 6 [164]
  1972 Did not enter Did not enter [165]
  1976 [166]
  1980 [167]
  1984 Group stage 10th 4 0 1 3 0 7 Squad 4 3 0 1 8 2 [168]
  1988 Did not qualify 5 0 1 4 0 6 [169]
  1992 2 1 0 1 2 3 [170]
  1996 2 0 0 2 3 12 [171]
  2000 4 1 1 2 8 9 [172]
  2004 2 0 1 1 1 3 [173]
        2007 6 0 0 6 2 24 [174]
  2011 Group stage 16th 3 0 0 3 3 13 Squad AFC Challenge Cup [175]
  2015 Did not qualify [176]
  2019 Group stage 17th 3 1 0 2 4 4 Squad 18 8 2 8 25 24 [177]
  2023 Group stage 24th 3 0 0 3 0 6 Squad 11 4 4 3 14 8 [178]
  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

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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.[179] 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.[180]

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.[181] 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.[181]

In 1960, India competed in Group D with Hungary, France and Peru. India ended the group in last place, drawing once.[182] 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 [183]
  1952 Preliminaries 25th 1 0 0 1 1 10 Squad Qualified automatically [184]
  1956 Semi-finals 4th 3 1 0 2 5 9 Squad Bye [185]
  1960 Round 1 13th 3 0 1 2 3 6 Squad 3 3 0 0 11 4 [186]
  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

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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.[187] 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 and also the first ever Asian football champions as well.[188][189]

Though the next two tournaments proved to be less successful for the team, but they bounced back by winning the gold at the 1962 Asian games by defeating the Asian Cup winners South Korea in the final to win their second continental title. The team failed to defend their title in 1966 and went on to claim the bronze medal in 1970.[190]

This was the last time India ever finished on the medal podium, the next years proved to be hard for the Indian team to regain their dominance as the side went through a sharp decline.[191] After two disappointing editions in 1974 and 1978, India performed much better in the 1982 Asiad, which they hosted for the second time by reaching the quarter-finals but lost to Saudi Arabia. Due to the poor performance in 1986 Asian Games the authorities decided not to send the team for the upcoming games.[192] 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 [193]
  1954 Round 1 8th 2 1 0 1 3 6 Squad [194]
  1958 Semi-finals 4th 5 2 0 3 12 13 Squad [195]
  1962 Champions 1st 5 4 0 1 11 6 Squad [196]
  1966 Round 1 8th 3 1 0 2 4 7 Squad [197]
  1970 Third Place 3rd 6 3 1 2 8 5 Squad [198]
  1974 Round 1 13th 3 0 0 3 2 14 Squad [199]
  1978 Round 2 8th 5 1 0 4 5 13 Squad [200]
  1982 Quarter-finals 6th 4 2 1 1 5 3 Squad [201]
  1986 Round 1 16th 3 0 0 3 1 8 Squad [202]
  1990 Did not enter
  1994
  1998 Round 2 16th 5 1 0 4 3 8 Squad [203]
  2002–present See India national U-23 team
Totals 2 Titles 1st 44 18 2 24 61 83

SAFF Championship

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India has played in all editions of the SAFF Championship (except in 2009 when they sent under-23 team) and has been the most successful team in the competition winning an overall eight titles.[204] The team played in the knockout stage of every tournament except in 1993 when the tournament was in a league format.[205] The team also boasts a prestigious record of claiming medal at every championships played so far.[206] India has played in the final of every championship except the 2003 tournament where they claimed bronze medal for the first time.[207][208]

SAFF Championship record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Ref.
  1993 Champions 1st 3 2 1 0 4 1 [209]
  1995 Runners-up 2nd 3 0 2 1 2 3 Squad [210]
  1997 Champions 1st 4 3 1 0 12 3 [211]
  1999 Champions 1st 4 3 1 0 6 1 Squad [212]
  2003 Third place 3rd 5 2 1 2 8 5 Squad [213]
  2005 Champions 1st 5 4 1 0 9 2 Squad [214]
    2008 Runners-up 2nd 5 4 0 1 9 3 Squad [215]
  2011 Champions 1st 5 4 1 0 16 2 Squad [216]
  2013 Runners-up 2nd 5 2 1 2 4 5 Squad [217]
  2015 Champions 1st 4 4 0 0 11 4 Squad [218]
  2018 Runners-up 2nd 4 3 0 1 8 3 Squad [219]
  2021 Champions 1st 5 3 2 0 8 2 Squad [220]
  2023 Champions 1st 5 2 3 0 8 2 Squad [221]
Totals 8 Titles 1st 57 36 14 7 105 36

South Asian Games

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India has participated in every editions of every edition of senior football competition 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.[222]

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 [223]
  1987 Champions 1st 3 2 1 0 6 0 [224]
  1989 Third place 3rd 3 2 1 0 5 3 [225]
  1991 Group stage 6th 2 0 1 1 1 2 [226]
  1993 Runners-up 2nd 3 1 2 0 6 4 [227]
  1995 Champions 1st 3 3 0 0 5 0 [228]
  1999 Third place 3rd 5 4 0 1 15 4 [229]
  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

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Other/Defunct Tournaments
Nehru Cup AFC Challenge Cup Intercontinental Cup (India) Tri-Nation Series (India)


Women's team

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FIFA Women's World Cup

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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

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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

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*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), other version called as India North and India South.

Asian Games

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  • DNP: did not participate
  • DNQ: did not qualify
Bold Positions show best finish in the tournaments.

SAFF Women's Championship

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India has won the SAFF Women's Championship five times in a row.[231]

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

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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

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Other Tournaments
Gold Cup Turkish Women's Cup Torneio Internacional de Futebol Feminino

Football Broadcast in India

edit

Domestic competitions

edit

Domestic state football

edit

List of current broadcasters:

Competition Television rights Streaming rights Ref.
Conglomerate Channel(s) Conglomerate Platform
Santosh Trophy
None
FIFA FIFA+ [233]
Senior Women's NFC
None
SportsKPI YouTube channel [234]
National Beach Soccer Championship Indian Football YouTube channel [235]

Domestic club football

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List of current broadcasters:

Competition Television rights Streaming rights Ref.
Conglomerate Channel(s) Conglomerate Platform
Indian Super League Viacom18 Sports18 Viacom18 JioCinema [236]
I-League WBD India Eurosport Dream Sports FanCode [237]
Indian Football YouTube channel
I-League 2
None
Indian Football YouTube channel [238]
I-League 3
None
[239]
Indian Women's League
None
[240]
IWL 2nd Division
None
Super Cup
None
Viacom18 JioCinema [241]
Durand Cup SPNI Sony Sports SPNI SonyLIV [242]
Futsal Club Championship
None
Dream Sports FanCode [243]


International competitions

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International home football

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List of current broadcasters:

Competition Television rights Streaming rights Ref.
Czonglomerate Channel(s) Conglomerate Platform
Intercontinental Cup Disney India Star Sports Disney India Disney+ Hotstar [244]
Reliance Jio TV
Tri-Nation Series Disney India Star Sports Disney India Disney+ Hotstar [245]
Gold Cup
TBD

International football

edit

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 [246][247]
Reliance Jio TV
FIFA U-20 World Cup
None
FIFA FIFA+ [248]
FIFA U-17 World Cup
None
Dream Sports FanCode [249]
FIFA Women's World Cup Prasar Bharati DD Sports Dream Sports FanCode [250]
FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Viacom18 Sports18 Viacom18 Voot [251]
FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup Reliance Jio TV [252]
AFC AFC Asian Cup Viacom18 Sports18 Viacom18 JioCinema [253]
AFC Asian Cup qualifiers SPNI/ Viacom18 Sony Sports/ Sports18 SPNI/ Viacom18 SonyLIV/ JioCinema [254][a]
FIFA World Cup Qualifiers – AFC
AFC U-23 Asian Cup None Dream Sports FanCode [257]
AFC U-20 Asian Cup None Reliance Jio TV [258]
AFC U-17 Asian Cup [259]
AFC Women's Asian Cup WBD India Eurosport WBD India Discovery+ [260]
Reliance Jio TV
AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup None Dream Sports FanCode [257]
AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup [257]
SAFF SAFF Championship Prasar Bharati DD Sports Dream Sports FanCode [261][262]
SAFF U-20 Championship
None
Sportzworkz YouTube channel [263]
SAFF U-17 Championship [264]
SAFF Women's Championship Website of Eleven Sports [265]
SAFF U-20 Women's Championship Sportzworkz YouTube channel [266]
SAFF U-17 Women's Championship [267]
UEFA UEFA Euro SPNI Sony Sports SPNI SonyLIV [268]
UEFA Nations League
UEFA Euro Qualifiers
FIFA World Cup Qualifiers – UEFA [269]
UEFA Women's Euro [270]
CONMEBOL Copa América [271]
FIFA World Cup Qualifiers – CONMEBOL
None
Dream Sports FanCode [272]
CAF Africa Cup of Nations
None
Dream Sports FanCode [273]
FIFA World Cup Qualifiers – CAF [274]
CONCACAF CONCACAF Gold Cup
None
VUSport [275]
FIFA World Cup Qualifiers – CONCACAF
None
Dream Sports FanCode [276]
  1. ^ Home matches of FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers were broadcast by Sports18 and JioCinema.[255][256]

International club football

edit

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 [277]
AFC AFC Champions League Elite Viacom18 Sports18 Dream Sports FanCode [278][279]
AFC Champions League Two [280][279]
AFC Challenge League
AFC Women's Champions League
None
AFC The AFC Hub You tube Channel
UEFA UEFA Champions League SPNI Sony Sports SPNI SonyLIV [281]
UEFA Europa League
UEFA Europa Conference League
UEFA Super Cup
UEFA Women's Champions League
None
DAZN Group DAZN [282]
DAZN Women's Football YouTube channel
England Premier League Disney India Star Sports Disney India Disney+ Hotstar [283]
FA Cup SPNI Sony Sports SPNI SonyLIV [284]
FA Community Shield [285]
EFL Cup
None
Dream Sports FanCode [286][287]
EFL Championship
EFL League One
EFL League Two
Women's Super League [288]
France Ligue 1 Viacom18 Sports18 Viacom18 JioCinema [289][290]
TV5Monde TV5Monde Asie Reliance Jio TV
Coupe de France
None
DAZN Group DAZN [291]
Trophée des Champions
None
Germany Bundesliga SPNI Sony Sports SPNI SonyLIV [292]
DFB-Pokal [293]
DFL-Supercup [294]
Italy Serie A Viacom18 Sports18 Viacom18 JioCinema [295]
Reliance Jio TV
Coppa Italia
None
Supercoppa Italiana
Netherlands Eredivisie WBD India Eurosport India WBD India Discovery+ [296]
Scotland Scottish Premiership Viacom18 Sports18 Viacom18 JioCinema [297][298]
Scottish League Cup
Scottish Championship [299]
Spain La Liga Viacom18 Sports18 Viacom18 JioCinema [300]
Reliance Jio TV
Copa del Rey
None
Dream Sports FanCode [273]
Supercopa de España [273]
Liga F
None
DAZN Group DAZN [301]
DAZN Women's Football YouTube channel
China Chinese Super League
None
Dream Sports FanCode [302]
Japan J1 League [303]
Saudi Arabia Saudi Pro League SPNI Sony Sports SPNI SonyLIV [304]
King Cup [305]
CONCACAF Leagues Cup
None
Apple Apple TV+

(MLS Season Pass)

[306]
United States Major League Soccer [307]
US Open Cup SPNI Sony Sports SPNI SonyLIV [308]
Australia A-League
None
Dream Sports FanCode [309]

Football clubs on social media

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The Kerala Blasters ranked fifth place in the top five most popular football clubs on social media from Asia excluding China as of 31 October 2018.[310] 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.[311]

# 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

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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

List of National Sports award recipients in Football, showing the year, award, and gender

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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

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edit

References

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