India national football team - Wikipedia India national football team This article is about the men 's team. For the women 's team, see India women 's national football team. India Nickname ( s ) Blue Tigers Association All India Football Federation Confederation AFC ( Asia ) Sub-confederation SAFF ( South Asia ) Head coach Stephen Constantine Captain Sunil Chhetri Most caps Sunil Chhetri ( 101 ) Top scorer Sunil Chhetri ( 64 ) Home stadium Various FIFA code IND First colours Second colours FIFA ranking Current 97 ( 7 June 2018 ) Highest 94 ( February 1996 ) Lowest 173 ( March 2015 ) Elo ranking Current 159 5 ( 10 June 2018 ) Highest 48 ( 1964 ) Lowest 177 ( 1977, 2013 ) First international Pre-independence : Australia 5 -- 3 India ( Sydney, Australia ; 3 September 1938 ) Post-independence : India 1 -- 2 France ( London, England ; 31 July 1948 ) Biggest win Australia 1 -- 7 India ( Sydney, Australia ; 12 December 1956 ) India 6 -- 0 Cambodia ( New Delhi, India ; 17 August 2007 ) Biggest defeat Soviet Union 11 -- 1 India ( Moscow, Soviet Union ; 16 September 1955 ) Asian Cup Appearances 3 ( first in 1964 ) Best result Runners - up, 1964 The India national football team represents India in international football and is controlled by the All India Football Federation. Under the global jurisdiction of FIFA and governed in Asia by the AFC, the team is also part of the South Asian Football Federation. The team, which was once considered one of the best teams in Asia, had its golden era during the 1950s and early 1960s. During this period, under the coaching of Syed Abdul Rahim, India won gold during the 1951 and 1962 Asian Games, while finishing fourth during the 1956 Summer Olympics. India has never participated in the FIFA World Cup, although the team did qualify by default for the 1950 World Cup after all the other nations in their qualification group withdrew. However, India withdrew prior to the beginning of the tournament. The team has also appeared three times in the Asia 's top football competition, the AFC Asian Cup. Their best result in the competition occurred in 1964 when the team finished as runners - up. India also participate in the SAFF Championship, the top regional football competition in South Asia. They have won the tournament six times since it began in 1993. Despite India not achieving the same results as their golden era, the team has seen a steady resurgence since the beginning of the 21st century. Besides the SAFF Championship triumphs, under the guidance of Bob Houghton, India won the restarted Nehru Cup in 2007 and 2009 while also managing to emerge victorious during the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup. The Challenge Cup victory allowed India to once again qualify for the Asian Cup for the first time in 27 years. Contents 1 History 1.1 Early years 1.2 Golden years ( 1950s -- 1960s ) 1.3 Decline ( 1970s -- 2000 ) 1.4 Resurgence ( 2000 -- 2011 ) 1.5 2011 -- present 2 Coaching staff 3 Players 3.1 Current squad 3.2 Recent call - ups 3.3 Past squads 3.3. 1 AFC Asian Cup 3.3. 2 Summer Olympics 4 Results and schedule 4.1 2017 4.2 2018 4.3 2019 5 Competitive records 5.1 FIFA World Cup 5.2 AFC Asian Cup 5.3 Summer Olympics 5.4 Other honours 6 Head coaches 7 See also 8 Notes 9 References 10 External links History Early years Football teams consisting of entirely Indian players started to tour Australia, Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand during the late 1930s. After the success of several Indian football clubs abroad, the All India Football Federation ( AIFF ) was formed in 1937. The national team played their first match as an independent nation in 1948 in the first round of the 1948 Summer Olympics against France. Using mainly barefooted players, India were defeated 2 -- 1 in London. Golden years ( 1950s -- 1960s ) In 1950, India managed to qualify for the 1950 FIFA World Cup, which was scheduled to take place in Brazil. This was due to all their opponents during qualifying withdrawing from the pre-tournament qualifiers. However, India themselves withdrew from the World Cup before the tournament was to begin. The All India Football Federation gave various reasons for the team 's withdrawal, including travel costs, lack of practice time, and valuing the Olympics more than the World Cup. Despite the reason given out from the AIFF, many historians and pundits believe India withdrew from the World Cup due to FIFA imposing a rule banning players from playing barefoot. However, according to the then captain of India, Sailen Manna, the story of the team not being allowed to play due to wanting to play barefoot was not true and was just an excuse to cover up the real reasons the AIFF decided not to travel to Brazil. Since then, India has not come close to qualifying for another World Cup. Despite not participating in the World Cup in 1950, the following years after, from 1951 to 1964, are usually considered to be the `` golden era '' of Indian football. India, coached by Hyderabad City Police head coach Syed Abdul Rahim, became one of the best teams in Asia. In March 1951, Rahim lead India to their first ever triumph during the 1951 Asian Games. Hosted in India, the team defeated Iran 1 -- 0 in the gold medal match to gain their first trophy. Sahu Mewalal scored the winning goal for India in that match. The next year India went back to the Olympics but were once again defeated in the first round, this time by Yugoslavia and by a score of 10 -- 1. Upon returning to India, the AIFF made it mandatory for footballers to wear boots. After taking the defeat in Finland, India participated in various minor tournaments, such as the Colombo Cup, which they won three times from 1953 to 1955. In 1954, India returned to the Asian Games as defending champions in Manila. Despite their achievement three years prior, India were unable to go past the group stage as the team finished second in Group C during the tournament, two points behind Indonesia. Two years later, during the 1956 Summer Olympics, India went on to achieve the team 's greatest result in a competitive tournament. The team finished in fourth place during the Summer Olympics football tournament, losing the bronze - medal match to Bulgaria 3 -- 0. The tournament is also known for Neville D'Souza 's hat - trick against Australia in the quarterfinals. D'Souza's hat - trick was the first hat - trick scored by an Asian in Olympic history. After their good performance during the Summer Olympics, India participated in the 1958 Asian Games in Tokyo. The team once again finished fourth, losing the bronze - medal match to Indonesia 4 -- 1. The next year the team traveled to Malaysia where they took part in the Merdeka Cup and finished as the tournament runners - up. India began the 1960s with 1960 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. Despite the qualifiers for the West Zone being held in Kochi, India finished last in their qualification group and thus failed to qualify for the tournament. Despite the set - back, India went on to win the gold medal during the Asian Games for the second time in 1962. The team defeated South Korea 2 -- 1 to win their second major championship. Two years later, following their Asian Games triumph, India participated in the 1964 AFC Asian Cup after all the other teams in their qualification group withdrew. Despite their automatic entry into the continental tournament, India managed to finish as the runners - up during the tournament, losing out to the hosts, Israel, by two points. This remains India 's best performance in the AFC Asian Cup. Decline ( 1970s -- 2000 ) India returned to the Asian Games in 1966. Despite their performance two years prior during the AFC Asian Cup, India could not go beyond the group stage as the team finished third, behind Japan and Iran. Four years later, during the 1970 Asian Games, India came back and took third place during the tournament. The team defeated Japan 1 -- 0 during the bronze - medal match. In 1974, India 's performance in the Asian Games once again sharply declined as they finished the 1974 edition in last place in their group, losing all three matches, scoring two, and conceding 14 goals in the first round. India then showed steady improvement during the 1978 tournament, finishing second in their group of three. The team were then knocked - out in the next round, finishing last in their group with three defeats from three matches. The 1982 tournament proved to be better for India as the side managed to qualify for the quarter - finals before losing to Saudi Arabia 1 -- 0. In 1984, India managed to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup for the first time since their second place triumph in 1964. During the 1984 tournament, India finished in last place in their five team group in the first round. India 's only non-defeat during the tournament came against Iran, a 0 -- 0 draw. Despite India 's decline from a major football power in Asia, the team still managed to assert its dominance as the top team in South Asia. India managed to win the football competition of the South Asian Games in 1985 and then again won the gold medal in 1987. The team then began the 1990s by winning the inaugural SAFF Championship in 1993. The team ended the 20th century by winning the SAFF Championship again in 1997 and 1999. Resurgence ( 2000 -- 2011 ) Sunil Chhetri celebrating after scoring during the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup. India 's first competitive matches of the 21st century were the 2002 FIFA World Cup first round qualifiers. Despite a very bright start, defeating the United Arab Emirates 1 -- 0, drawing Yemen 1 -- 1, as well as two victories over Brunei, including a 5 -- 0 victory in Bangalore, India finished a point away from qualification for the next round. In 2003, India took part in the 2003 SAFF Championship. The team qualified for the semi-finals but fell to Bangladesh 2 -- 1. Later in 2003, India participated in the Afro - Asian Games being held in Hyderabad. Under the coaching of Stephen Constantine, India managed to make it to the final of the tournament after defeating Zimbabwe, a team ranked 85 places above India in the FIFA rankings at the time, 5 -- 3. Despite the major victory, during the gold - medal match India were defeated 1 -- 0 by Uzbekistan U21. Due to this achievement, Constantine was voted as the Asian Football Confederation 's Manager of the Month for October 2003. The tournament result also gave India more recognition around the country and around the world. India celebrating after winning the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup. Constantine was replaced by Syed Nayeemuddin in 2005 but the Indian head coach only lasted for a little over a year as India suffered many heavy defeats during the 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. During this time India were defeated 6 -- 0 by Japan, 3 -- 0 by Saudi Arabia and Yemen respectively at home, and 7 -- 1 away in Jeddah. Former Malmö and China coach Bob Houghton was brought in as head coach in May 2006. Under Houghton, India witnessed massive improvement in their football standing. In August 2007, Houghton won the country the restarted Nehru Cup after India defeated Syria 1 -- 0 in the final. Pappachen Pradeep scored the winning goal for India that match. The next year, Houghton lead India during the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup, which was hosted in Hyderabad and Delhi. During the tournament, India breezed through the group stage before defeating Myanmar in the semi-finals. In the final against Tajikistan, India, through a Sunil Chhetri hat - trick, won the match 4 -- 1. The victory not only earned India the championship but it also allowed India to qualify for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, the nation 's first Asian Cup appearance in 27 years. In order to prepare for the Asian Cup, Houghton had the team stay together as a squad for eight months from June 2010 till the start of the tournament, meaning the players would not play for their clubs. India were drawn into Group C for the Asian Cup with Australia, South Korea, and Bahrain. Despite staying together as a team for eight months, India lost all three of their matches during the Asian Cup, including a 4 -- 0 defeat to Australia. Despite the results, India were still praised by fans and pundits for their valiant efforts during the tournament. 2011 -- present After participating the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, India 's quest to qualify for the 2015 edition of the tournament began in February 2011 with AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers. Bob Houghton decided to change the makeup of the India squad, replacing many of the aging players from the Asian Cup with some young players from the AIFF development side in the I - League, Indian Arrows. Even with a young side, India managed to qualify for the AFC Challenge Cup with ease. Despite the good result though with a young side, the AIFF decided to terminate the contract of Bob Houghton. After having Dempo coach, Armando Colaco, as interim head coach, the AIFF signed Savio Medeira as head coach in October 2011. Despite leading India to another SAFF Championship victory, Medeira lead India to their worst performance in the AFC Challenge Cup in March 2012. The team lost all three of their group matches, unable to score a single goal during the tournament. After the tournament, Medeira was replaced as head coach by Dutchman, Wim Koevermans. Koeverman 's first job as head coach was the 2012 Nehru Cup. India won their third successive Nehru Cup, defeating Cameroon 's B side on penalties. In March 2013, India failed to qualify for the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup and thus also failed to qualify for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. The team also failed to retain the SAFF Championship, losing 2 -- 0 to Afghanistan in the 2013 final. After more bad results in friendlies, Koevermans resigned as head coach in October 2014. By March 2015, after not playing any matches, India reached their lowest FIFA ranking position of 173. A couple months prior, Stephen Constantine was re-hired as the head coach after first leading India more than a decade before. Constantine 's first major assignment back as the India head coach were the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. After making it through the first round of qualifiers, India crashed out during the second round, losing seven of their eight matches and thus, once again, failed to qualify for the World Cup. Despite failure to qualify for the World Cup, India managed to reach the third round of 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers after defeating Laos in the play - off round on aggregate 7 -- 1. On 11 October 2017, India secured qualification for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup after a 4 -- 1 victory over Macau. Coaching staff Position Name Head coach Stephen Constantine Assistant coach Shanmugam Venkatesh Goalkeeping coach Rogerio Ramos Sports Scientist Danny Deigan AIFF Technical Director Savio Medeira Players Current squad The following players were called up to the India squad for the 2018 Intercontinental Cup. Caps and goals correct as of 10 June 2018, after the match against Kenya No. Pos. Player Date of birth ( age ) Caps Goals Club 1GK Vishal Kaith ( 1996 - 07 - 22 ) 22 July 1996 ( age 21 ) 0 0 Pune City 16 1GK Amrinder Singh ( 1993 - 05 - 27 ) 27 May 1993 ( age 25 ) 0 Mumbai City 23 1GK Gurpreet Singh Sandhu ( 1992 - 02 - 03 ) 3 February 1992 ( age 26 ) 24 0 Bengaluru 2DF Subashish Bose ( 1995 - 08 - 18 ) 18 August 1995 ( age 22 ) 0 Mumbai City 2DF Salam Ranjan Singh ( 1995 - 12 - 04 ) 4 December 1995 ( age 22 ) 0 East Bengal 2DF Lalruatthara ( 1995 - 01 - 07 ) 7 January 1995 ( age 23 ) 0 Kerala Blasters 5 2DF Sandesh Jhingan ( 1993 - 07 - 21 ) 21 July 1993 ( age 24 ) 26 Kerala Blasters 6 2DF Jerry Lalrinzuala ( 1998 - 07 - 30 ) 30 July 1998 ( age 19 ) 5 0 Chennaiyin 20 2DF Pritam Kotal ( 1993 - 08 - 09 ) 9 August 1993 ( age 24 ) 26 0 Delhi Dynamos 21 2DF Narayan Das ( 1993 - 09 - 25 ) 25 September 1993 ( age 24 ) 26 Goa 22 2DF Anas Edathodika ( 1987 - 02 - 15 ) 15 February 1987 ( age 31 ) 13 0 Kerala Blasters 7 3MF Anirudh Thapa ( 1998 - 01 - 15 ) 15 January 1998 ( age 20 ) 7 0 Chennaiyin 8 3MF Mohammed Rafique ( 1992 - 09 - 20 ) 20 September 1992 ( age 25 ) 12 East Bengal 14 3MF Rowllin Borges ( 1992 - 06 - 05 ) 5 June 1992 ( age 26 ) 24 NorthEast United 15 3MF Udanta Singh ( 1996 - 06 - 14 ) 14 June 1996 ( age 22 ) 13 Bengaluru 17 3MF Pronay Halder ( 1993 - 02 - 25 ) 25 February 1993 ( age 25 ) 12 Goa 18 3MF Laldanmawia Ralte ( 1992 - 12 - 19 ) 19 December 1992 ( age 25 ) 0 East Bengal 19 3MF Halicharan Narzary ( 1994 - 05 - 10 ) 10 May 1994 ( age 24 ) 21 0 Kerala Blasters 24 3MF Ashique Kuruniyan ( 1997 - 06 - 17 ) 17 June 1997 ( age 21 ) 0 Pune City 9 4FW Alen Deory ( 1996 - 01 - 12 ) 12 January 1996 ( age 22 ) 0 Shillong Lajong 10 4FW Balwant Singh ( 1986 - 12 - 15 ) 15 December 1986 ( age 31 ) 9 Mumbai City 11 4FW Sunil Chhetri ( Captain ) ( 1984 - 08 - 03 ) 3 August 1984 ( age 33 ) 101 64 Bengaluru 12 4FW Jeje Lalpekhlua ( 1991 - 01 - 07 ) 7 January 1991 ( age 27 ) 51 22 Chennaiyin Recent call - ups The following players have also been called up to the India squad within the last twelve months. Pos. Player Date of birth ( age ) Caps Goals Club Latest call - up GK Sanjiban Ghosh ( 1991 - 07 - 06 ) 6 July 1991 ( age 27 ) 0 0 Jamshedpur Intercontinental Cup Prep. Camp GK Subrata Pal ( 1986 - 12 - 24 ) 24 December 1986 ( age 31 ) 66 0 Jamshedpur v. Myanmar ; 14 November 2017 GK Albino Gomes ( 1994 - 02 - 07 ) 7 February 1994 ( age 24 ) 0 0 Delhi Dynamos v. Macau ; 5 September 2017 GK Rehenesh TP ( 1993 - 02 - 13 ) 13 February 1993 ( age 25 ) 0 0 NorthEast United v. Saint Kitts and Nevis ; 24 August 2017 DF Davinder Singh ( 1995 - 09 - 22 ) 22 September 1995 ( age 22 ) 0 0 Mumbai City Intercontinental Cup Prep. Camp DF Nishu Kumar ( 1997 - 01 - 01 ) 1 January 1997 ( age 21 ) 0 0 Bengaluru v. Kyrgyzstan ; 27 March 2018 DF Sarthak Golui ( 1997 - 11 - 03 ) 3 November 1997 ( age 20 ) 0 0 Pune City v. Myanmar ; 14 November 2017 DF Arnab Mondal ( 1989 - 09 - 25 ) 25 September 1989 ( age 28 ) 27 East Bengal v. Macau ; 11 October 2017 DF Fulganco Cardozo ( 1988 - 01 - 23 ) 23 January 1988 ( age 30 ) Chennaiyin v. Kyrgyzstan ; 13 June 2017 DF Chinglensana Singh ( 1996 - 11 - 23 ) 23 November 1996 ( age 21 ) 0 0 Goa v. Kyrgyzstan ; 13 June 2017 MF Bikash Jairu ( 1992 - 03 - 12 ) 12 March 1992 ( age 26 ) 11 0 Jamshedpur Intercontinental Cup Prep. Camp MF Dhanpal Ganesh ( 1994 - 06 - 13 ) 13 June 1994 ( age 24 ) 6 0 Chennaiyin Intercontinental Cup Prep. Camp MF Seiminlen Doungel ( 1994 - 01 - 03 ) 3 January 1994 ( age 24 ) 0 NorthEast United Intercontinental Cup Prep. Camp MF Souvik Chakrabarti ( 1991 - 07 - 12 ) 12 July 1991 ( age 27 ) 0 0 Jamshedpur Intercontinental Cup Prep. Camp MF Vinit Rai ( 1997 - 10 - 10 ) 10 October 1997 ( age 20 ) 0 0 Delhi Dynamos Intercontinental Cup Prep. Camp MF Eugeneson Lyngdoh ( 1986 - 09 - 10 ) 10 September 1986 ( age 31 ) 24 0 ATK v. Myanmar ; 14 November 2017 MF Jackichand Singh ( 1992 - 03 - 17 ) 17 March 1992 ( age 26 ) 16 Kerala Blasters v. Myanmar ; 14 November 2017 MF Nikhil Poojari ( 1995 - 09 - 03 ) 3 September 1995 ( age 22 ) 0 East Bengal v. Myanmar ; 14 November 2017 MF Germanpreet Singh ( 1996 - 06 - 24 ) 24 June 1996 ( age 22 ) 0 Chennaiyin v. Myanmar ; 14 November 2017 MF Seityasen Singh ( 1992 - 03 - 12 ) 12 March 1992 ( age 26 ) 5 0 Delhi Dynamos v. Saint Kitts and Nevis ; 24 August 2017 MF Milan Singh ( 1992 - 05 - 15 ) 15 May 1992 ( age 26 ) 0 Kerala Blasters v. Saint Kitts and Nevis ; 24 August 2017 MF Cavin Lobo ( 1988 - 04 - 04 ) 4 April 1988 ( age 30 ) 8 0 East Bengal v. Kyrgyzstan ; 13 June 2017 MF Isaac Vanlalsawma ( 1996 - 09 - 15 ) 15 September 1996 ( age 21 ) 0 0 Pune City v. Kyrgyzstan ; 13 June 2017 FW Manvir Singh ( 1995 - 11 - 06 ) 6 November 1995 ( age 22 ) 0 Goa Intercontinental Cup Prep. Camp FW Hitesh Sharma ( 1997 - 12 - 25 ) 25 December 1997 ( age 20 ) 0 0 ATK v. Kyrgyzstan ; 27 March 2018 FW C.K. Vineeth ( 1988 - 02 - 28 ) 28 February 1988 ( age 30 ) 7 0 Kerala Blasters v. Macau ; 11 October 2017 FW Robin Singh ( 1990 - 05 - 09 ) 9 May 1990 ( age 28 ) 30 5 ATK v. Macau ; 5 September 2017 FW Sumeet Passi ( 1995 - 04 - 18 ) 18 April 1995 ( age 23 ) Jamshedpur v. Saint Kitts and Nevis ; 24 August 2017 FW Daniel Lalhlimpuia ( 1997 - 09 - 12 ) 12 September 1997 ( age 20 ) 0 Delhi Dynamos v. Kyrgyzstan ; 13 June 2017 Past squads AFC Asian Cup 1964 AFC Asian Cup 1984 AFC Asian Cup 2011 AFC Asian Cup Summer Olympics 1948 Summer Olympics 1952 Summer Olympics 1956 Summer Olympics 1960 Summer Olympics Results and schedule For all past match results of the national team, see the team 's results page. 2017 Cambodia v India 22 March 2017 Friendly Cambodia 2 -- 3 India show Phnom Penh, Cambodia 17 : 00 IST Laboravy 36 ' Vathanaka 62 ' Report Chhetri 35 ' Lalpekhlua 49 ' Jhingan 52 ' Stadium : Olympic Stadium Referee : Võ Minh Trí ( Vietnam ) Myanmar v India 28 March 2017 2019 ACQ Myanmar 0 -- 1 India show Yangon, Myanmar 17 : 00 IST Report Chhetri 90 ' Stadium : Thuwunna Stadium Attendance : 12,205 Referee : Yu Ming Hsun ( Chinese Taipei ) India v Nepal 6 June 2017 Friendly India 2 -- 0 Nepal show Mumbai, India Jhingan 60 ' Lalpekhlua 78 ' Report Stadium : Mumbai Football Arena Referee : Pranjal Banerjee ( India ) India v Kyrgyzstan 13 June 2017 2019 ACQ India 1 -- 0 Kyrgyzstan show Bangalore, India 20 : 00 IST Chhetri 69 ' Report Stadium : Sree Kanteerava Stadium Attendance : 6,213 Referee : Yudai Yamamoto ( Japan ) India v Mauritius 19 August 2017 Tri-Nation Series India 2 -- 1 Mauritius show Mumbai, India R. Singh 37 ' B. Singh 62 ' Report Jocelyn 15 ' Stadium : Mumbai Football Arena Referee : Dilan Perera ( Sri Lanka ) India v Saint Kitts and Nevis 24 August 2017 Tri-Nation Series India 1 -- 1 Saint Kitts and Nevis show Mumbai, India J. Singh 38 ' Report Amory 71 ' Stadium : Mumbai Football Arena Referee : Dilan Perera ( Sri Lanka ) Macau v India 5 September 2017 2019 ACQ Macau 0 -- 2 India show Taipa, Macau Report B. Singh 57 ', 82 ' Stadium : Estádio Campo Desportivo Attendance : 600 Referee : Ahmed Faisal ( Jordan ) India v Macau 11 October 2017 2019 ACQ India 4 -- 1 Macau show Bangalore, India 19 : 30 UTC + 5 : 30 Borges 28 ' Chhetri 60 ' Ho Man Fai 70 ' ( o.g ) Lalpekhlua 90 + 2 ' Report Torrão 37 ' Stadium : Sree Kanteerava Stadium Attendance : 4,131 Referee : Yaqoob Abdul Baki ( Oman ) India v Myanmar 14 November 2017 2019 ACQ India 2 -- 2 Myanmar show Margao, India 20 : 00 UTC + 5 : 30 Chhetri 13 ' ( pen. ) Lalpekhlua 69 ' Report Yan Naing Oo 1 ' Kyaw Ko Ko 19 ' Stadium : Fatorda Stadium Attendance : 5,546 Referee : Liu Kwok Man ( Hong Kong ) 2018 Kyrgyzstan v India 27 March 2018 2019 ACQ Kyrgyzstan 2 -- 1 India show Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan Zemlianukhin 2 ' Murzaev 72 ' Report Lalpekhlua 88 ' Stadium : Dolen Omurzakov Stadium Attendance : 9,588 Referee : Ammar Al - Jeneibi ( United Arab Emirates ) India v Chinese Taipei 1 June 2018 Intercontinental Cup India 5 -- 0 Chinese Taipei show Mumbai, India Chhetri 14 ', 34 ', 60 ' U. Singh 48 ' Halder 78 ' Report Stadium : Mumbai Football Arena Attendance : 2,569 Referee : Nivon Robesh Gamini ( Sri Lanka ) India v Kenya 4 June 2018 Intercontinental Cup India 3 -- 0 Kenya show Mumbai, India Chhetri 68 ' ( pen. ), 90 + 2 ' Lalpekhlua 71 ' Report Stadium : Mumbai Football Arena Attendance : 8,890 Referee : Hettikamkanamge Perera ( Sri Lanka ) India v New Zealand 7 June 2018 Intercontinental Cup India 1 -- 2 New Zealand show Mumbai, India Chhetri 48 ' Report De Jong 49 ' Dyer 86 ' Stadium : Mumbai Football Arena India v Kenya 10 June 2018 Intercontinental Cup India 2 -- 0 Kenya show Mumbai, India Chhetri 8 ', 29 ' Report Stadium : Mumbai Football Arena Referee : Nivon Robesh Gamini ( Sri Lanka ) India v Sri Lanka 5 September 2018 SAFF G.S. India Sri Lanka show Dhaka, Bangladesh Stadium : Bangabandhu National Stadium India v Maldives 9 September 2018 SAFF G.S. India Maldives show Dhaka, Bangladesh Stadium : Bangabandhu National Stadium China PR v India October 2018 Friendly China PR India Report Saudi Arabia v India October 2018 Friendly Saudi Arabia India Report 2019 Thailand v India 6 January 2019 Asian Cup G.S. Thailand India show Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Stadium : Al Nahyan Stadium India v United Arab Emirates 10 January 2019 Asian Cup G.S. India United Arab Emirates show Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Stadium : Zayed Sports City Stadium India v Bahrain 14 January 2019 Asian Cup G.S. India Bahrain show Sharjah, United Arab Emirates Stadium : Sharjah Stadium Competitive records FIFA World Cup India has never participated in a FIFA World Cup. After gaining independence in 1947, India managed to qualify for the World Cup held in 1950. This was due to Myanmar, Indonesia, and the Philippines withdrawing from qualification. However, prior to the start of the tournament, India themselves withdrew due to the expenses required in getting the team to Brazil. 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 World Cup an important tournament compared to the Olympics. After withdrawing from the 1950 FIFA World Cup, India did n't enter the qualifying rounds of the tournament between 1954 and 1982. Since the 1986 qualifiers, with the exception of the 1990 edition of the tournament, the team started to participate in qualifiers but have yet to qualify for the tournament again. FIFA World Cup record FIFA World Cup Qualification record Year Round Position Pld GF GA Pld GF GA 1930 Did not enter Did not enter 1934 1938 1950 Qualified but withdrew None 1954 Denied by FIFA None 1958 Did not enter Did not enter 1962 1966 1970 1978 1982 1986 Did not qualify 6 7 6 1990 Withdrew from qualification 1994 8 6 8 22 1998 7 2002 6 11 5 2006 6 18 0 6 2014 0 5 2018 10 7 7 18 2022 To de determined To de determined Total 0 / 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 43 10 11 22 43 86 AFC Asian Cup Main article : India at the AFC Asian Cup India have qualified for the AFC Asian Cup three times. The team played their first Asian Cup in 1964. During this tournament India finished as the runners - up, their best major tournament performance yet. Since then India has failed to progress beyond the first round of the Asian Cup with their most recent participation being the 2011 Asian Cup. Year Round Matches Wins Draws Losses GF GA 1956 Did not enter 1960 Did not qualify 1964 Runners - up 0 5 1968 Did not qualify 1972 1976 1980 1984 Round 1 0 0 7 1988 Did not qualify 1992 2000 2007 2011 Round 1 0 0 13 2015 Did not qualify 2019 Qualified Totals 3 / 16 10 7 8 23 Summer Olympics Summer Olympics record Year Result Position Pld GF GA 1908 -- 1936 Did not enter 1948 Round 1 11th 0 0 1952 Preliminaries -- 0 0 10 1956 Semi-finals 4th 0 5 9 1960 Round 1 13th 0 6 1964 -- 1988 Did not qualify 1992 -- present See India national under - 23 team Total Semi-finals 4 / 17 8 6 10 27 Other honours AFC Challenge Cup ( 1 ) : 2008 SAFF Championship ( 6 ) : 1993, 1997, 1999, 2005, 2011, 2015 Nehru Cup ( 3 ) : 2007, 2009, 2012 Asian Games ( 2 ) : 1951, 1962 Head coaches Since independence, there have been eighteen different head coaches for the India national team, with ten of them being foreign coaches. The most successful head coach for India was Syed Abdul Rahim, who lead India to gold in both the 1951 and 1962 Asian Games while also achieving a fourth - place finish during the 1956 Summer Olympics. The most successful foreign head coach for India was Bob Houghton, who coached the side from 2006 to 2011. With Houghton in charge, India won the Nehru Cup twice and the AFC Challenge Cup in 2008 which allowed India to participate in their first AFC Asian Cup for 27 years. List of head coaches of India Balaidas Chatterjee ( 1948 ) Syed Abdul Rahim ( 1950 -- 1963 ) Harry Wright ( 1963 -- 1964 ) Various ( 1964 -- 1972 ) Pradip Banerjee ( 1972 -- 1981 ) Bob Bootland ( 1982 ) Joe Kinnear ( 1983 ) Milovan Ćirić ( 1984 -- 1985 ) Pradip Banerjee ( 1985 ) Syed Nayeemuddin ( 1986 ) Amal Dutta ( 1987 -- 1988 ) József Gelei ( 1989 -- 1991 ) Jiří Pešek ( 1993 -- 1994 ) Rustam Akramov ( 1995 -- 1997 ) Syed Nayeemuddin ( 1997 -- 1998 ) Sukhwinder Singh ( 1998 -- 2001 ) Stephen Constantine ( 2002 -- 2005 ) Sukhwinder Singh ( 2005 ) Syed Nayeemuddin ( 2005 -- 2006 ) Bob Houghton ( 2006 -- 2011 ) Armando Colaco ( 2011 ) Savio Medeira ( 2011 -- 2012 ) Wim Koevermans ( 2012 -- 2015 ) Stephen Constantine ( 2015 -- ) See also Association football portal Football in India portal Football in India India women 's national football team India national under - 23 football team India national under - 20 football team India national under - 17 football team Notes Jump up ^ From 1964 to 1972, India had many managers but many of them were never recorded. 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Jump up ^ Arunava Chaudhuri. `` The Indian Senior Team at the 1959 Merdeka Cup ''. Indianfootball.de. Retrieved 2011 - 10 - 20. Jump up ^ Arunava Chaudhuri. `` The Indian Senior Team at the 1960 Seoul Asia Cup Qualifiers ''. Indianfootball.de. Retrieved 2011 - 10 - 20. Jump up ^ Arunava Chaudhuri. `` The Indian Senior Team at the 1962 D'Jakarta Asian Games ''. Indianfootball.de. Retrieved 2011 - 10 - 20. Jump up ^ Arunava Chaudhuri. `` The Indian Senior Team at the 1964 Tel Aviv Asia Cup ''. Indianfootball.de. Retrieved 2011 - 10 - 20. Jump up ^ Arunava Chaudhuri. `` The Indian Senior Team at the 1966 Bangkok Asian Games ''. Indianfootball.de. Retrieved 2011 - 10 - 20. Jump up ^ Arunava Chaudhuri. `` The Indian Senior Team at the 1970 Bangkok Asian Games ''. Indianfootball.de. Retrieved 2011 - 10 - 20. Jump up ^ `` Asian Games 1974 ''. RSSSF. Jump up ^ `` Asian Games 1978 ''. RSSSF. Jump up ^ `` Asian Games 1982 ''. 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Retrieved 17 March 2017. Jump up ^ Rizvi, Ahmed ( 7 July 2009 ). `` Houghton prepares in earnest ''. The National. Retrieved 17 March 2017. Jump up ^ `` AFC Asian Cup 2011 : Group C preview ''. The World Game. 9 November 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2017. ^ Jump up to : `` INDIA IN AFC ASIAN CUP 2011 : PERFORMANCE REVIEW ''. The Hard Tackle. 20 January 2011. Retrieved 17 March 2017. Jump up ^ Sengupta, Rahul ( 17 February 2011 ). `` AIFF Announces New Look Indian Squad For The AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers ''. Goal.com. Retrieved 17 March 2017. Jump up ^ Deb, Debapriya ( 27 March 2011 ). `` 2012 AFC CHALLENGE CUP QUALIFIERS : TEAM INDIA PERFORMANCE REPORT CARD -- PART 1 ''. The Hard Tackle. Retrieved 17 March 2017. Jump up ^ `` Englishman Bob Houghton sacked as Manager of India ''. Caught OffSide. 24 February 2011. Retrieved 17 March 2017. Jump up ^ `` Indian Coach Profile -- Savio Medeira ''. WIFA. Retrieved 17 March 2017. Jump up ^ De Sousa, Jonathan ( 15 March 2012 ). `` INDIAN FOOTBALL : AFC CHALLENGE CUP 2012 REVIEW -- A LOOK AT THE BLUE TIGERS ''. The Hard Tackle. Retrieved 17 March 2017. Jump up ^ `` Wim Koevermans named as new India senior team coach ''. Goal.com. 15 June 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2017. Jump up ^ `` India beat Cameroon to win third successive Nehru Cup title ''. India Today. 2 September 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2017. Jump up ^ `` India Lose To Myanmar In AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers ''. NDTV Sports. 7 March 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2017. Jump up ^ Noronha, Anselm ( 11 September 2013 ). `` Afghanistan are the SAFF Championship 2013 champions, beat India 2 - 0 ''. Goal.com. Retrieved 17 March 2017. Jump up ^ `` Indian football team goes down to Palestine ; coach Koevermans resigns ''. Rediff. 7 October 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2017. Jump up ^ `` India slip to 172 in latest FIFA rankings ''. Indian Express. 5 November 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2017. Jump up ^ `` Stephen Constantine appointed Indian men 's football head coach ''. Indian Express. 16 January 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2017. Jump up ^ Sequiera, Sean ( 5 September 2016 ). `` 2018 World Cup qualification was never possible for India : Stephen Constantine ''. Hindustan Times. Retrieved 18 March 2017. Jump up ^ `` India thrashes Laos ''. The Hindu. 7 June 2016. Retrieved 22 October 2017. Jump up ^ `` India qualify for AFC Asian Cup 2019 ''. Goal.com. 11 October 2017. Retrieved 22 October 2017. Jump up ^ `` We Plan on Winning Each of these Games : Constantine ''. The All India Football Federation. 31 May 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2018. Jump up ^ `` India v Kenya ''. ESPN. 10 June 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2018. ^ Jump up to : Choudhury, Chandrahas ( 11 June 2014 ). `` Blame India 's World Cup Drought on the Shoes ''. Bloomberg. Retrieved 30 May 2016. ^ Jump up to : `` The Indian National Team 's World Cup qualifying : ''. Indianfootball.de. Archived from the original on 14 June 2010. Jump up ^ `` Asian Nations Cup 1964 ''. RSSSF. Jump up ^ Mishra, Rishav ( 6 January 2013 ). `` Indian Football 's Golden Age ''. Quora ( Indian Sports ). Retrieved 30 May 2016. ^ Jump up to : Nandi, Dhirtiman ( 23 August 2015 ). `` Performance Of Foreign Coaches In Indian National Football Team ''. IndianFootballNetwork. Retrieved 31 May 2016. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to India national football team. All India Football Federation India national football team General All India Football Federation History Kits Notable players Managers Results Hat - tricks Venues Salt Lake Stadium J.N. Stadium, New Delhi J.N. Stadium, Kochi J.N. Stadium, Chennai Ambedkar Stadium Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium Fatorda Stadium Trivandrum International Stadium Records Competitive record AFC Asian Cup record Player records All - time records Other teams Men 's U-23 U-20 U-17 Women 's W U-19 Football in India National teams Men India U-23 U-20 U-17 Women India U-19 U-16 League competitions Level 1 I - League ( Official league ) Indian Super League Indian Women 's League Level 2 I - League 2nd Division State / District Assam Chennai Delhi Goa Jamshedpur Karnataka Kerala Kolkata Manipur Meghalaya Mizoram Mumbai Odisha ( Men 's ) Odisha ( Women 's ) Pune Punjab Sikkim Telangana Uttarakhand Cup competitions AIFF cups Santosh Trophy Super Cup Past tournaments Federation Cup ( 1977 -- 2017 ) Super Cup ( 1997 -- 2011 ) Other cups Durand Cup Other Indian football seasons State associations Defunct leagues Lists List of clubs Stadiums by capacity AIFF History Footballers League champions National men 's football teams of Asia ( AFC ) Southeast Asia ( AFF ) Australia Brunei Cambodia Indonesia Laos Malaysia Myanmar Philippines Singapore Thailand Timor - Leste Vietnam Central Asia ( CAFA ) Afghanistan Iran Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan Turkmenistan Uzbekistan East Asia ( EAFF ) China PR Chinese Taipei Guam Hong Kong Japan Korea DPR Korea Republic Macau Mongolia Northern Mariana Islands South Asia ( SAFF ) Bangladesh Bhutan India Maldives Nepal Pakistan Sri Lanka West Asia ( WAFF ) Bahrain Iraq Jordan Kuwait Lebanon Oman Palestine Qatar Saudi Arabia Syria United Arab Emirates Yemen Defunct Malaya North Vietnam South Vietnam South Yemen Former Israel ( moved to UEFA in 1994 ) Kazakhstan ( moved to UEFA in 2002 ) New Zealand ( formed the OFC in 1966 ) Provisional Associate Member - Not a member of FIFA National teams of India Major teams ( World level ) Badminton Cricket Ind A M U19 Blind Field hockey Kabaddi Motorsport ( A1 Team ) Rollball Softball Squash Tennis Continental level Basketball M U19 M U17 M 3x3 W U19 W U17 W 3x3 Football M U23 M U19 M U17 M U14 W U19 Volleyball Minor teams Baseball Beach soccer Handball Ice hockey M U20 M U18 Korfball Netball Roller hockey Rugby league Rugby union Rugby 7 's Water polo Multi-sport event Asian Games Commonwealth Games Lusophony Games Olympics Youth Paralympics Universiade World Games Asian Games football men 's tournament winners 1951 India 1954 Republic of China 1958 Republic of China 1962 India 1966 Burma 1970 Burma 1970 South Korea 1974 Iran 1978 North Korea 1978 South Korea 1982 Iraq 1986 South Korea 1990 Iran 1994 Uzbekistan 1998 Iran 2002 Iran 2006 Qatar 2010 Japan 2014 South Korea Squads India squad -- 1984 AFC Asian Cup 1 Atanu 2 Dorji 3 T. Dey 4 Chatterjee 5 Roy 6 Banerjee 7 Panji 8 K. Dey 9 Thapa 10 Ali ( c ) 11 Biswajit 12 Pereira 14 Singh 15 Mani 16 Subrata 17 Afonso 18 Majeed 20 Sankhwalkar Coach : Ćirić India squad -- 2011 AFC Asian Cup 1 Pal 2 G. Singh 3 Manju 4 Masih 5 Anwar Ali 6 B. Singh 7 Pradeep 8 R. Singh 9 Yadav 10 Miranda 11 Chhetri 12 Deepak 13 Sandhu 14 Gawli 15 Bhaichung ( c ) 16 Mehraj 17 Surkumar 18 Rafi 19 Gouramangi 20 Climax 21 Subhasish 22 Nabi 23 Dias Coach : Houghton Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=India_national_football_team&oldid=850320561 '' Categories : India national football team Asian national association football teams National sports teams of India 1948 establishments in India Hidden categories : Wikipedia semi-protected pages Use dmy dates from March 2017 Use Indian English from March 2017 All Wikipedia articles written in Indian English Pages using Template : Football kit with incorrect pattern parameters Commons category with local link different than on Wikidata Talk View source Contents About Wikipedia বাংলা Беларуская Čeština Deutsch Ελληνικά Español فارسی Français 한국어 Հայերեն हिन्दी Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Қазақша Latviešu Lietuvių Magyar മലയാളം मराठी Bahasa Melayu Nederlands नेपाली 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Română Русский Simple English Српски / srpski Suomi Svenska தமிழ் ไทย Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt 中文 31 more Edit links This page was last edited on 15 July 2018, at 03 : 45 ( UTC ). 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Question: who has played most games for indian national football team
Answer: Sunil Chhetri