The India national football team is the national football team of India and is controlled by the All India Football Federation. It is a member of the Asian Football Confederation, and a member of FIFA.

Summary

India qualified by default for the 1950 FIFA World Cup finals as a result of the withdrawal of all of their scheduled opponents. However, they did not take up their place in the competition because FIFA demanded all players at the World Cup finals should wear football boots. A number of the Indian players refused to abide by this rule and the team was forced to withdraw. The team has never since come close to qualifying for the World Cup.

India finished 4th in the football tournament at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, won the 1951 & 1962 Asian Games Gold medal and reached the semi-finals in the next two Asian Games tournaments in what became known as the golden era of Indian football.

India hosted the 2001 Millennium Super Cup, but were knocked out in the group stage following defeats by Iceland and Uruguay.

More recent successes have been limited to the South Asian Football Federation Cup, the LG Cup won in Vietnam in 2002 under English coach Stephen Constantine, Nehru Cup in 2007 and 2009 and the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup under coach Bob Houghton, which earned them a place in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup to be held in Qatar.

India's traditional arch rivals are Pakistan national football team, due to the historic tension between the two nations, and even though India has consistently beaten Pakistan, they are often hard-fought matches. Another regional rival is Maldives national football team, who have had many well-balanced, thrilling matches with each other, and this rivalry is often seen as more competitive than the rivalry shared with Pakistan.

Coaching history

Name	Nat	Tenure
Syed Abdul Rahim		1950-1962
Harry Wright		1963-1964
Pradip Kumar Banerjee		1981-1982
Bob Bootland		1983
Milovan Ciric		1984
Pradip Kumar Banerjee		1985
Syed Nayeemuddin		1986
Amal Dutta		1987
József Gelei		1990-1991
Syed Nayeemuddin		1992
Jiří Pešek		1993-1994
Rustam Akhramov		1995
Syed Nayeemuddin		1997–1998
Sukhvinder Singh		1999-2002
Stephen Constantine		2002–2005
Syed Nayeemuddin		2005-2006
Bob Houghton		2006–

Performances

World Cup record

• 1930 to 1938 - Did not enter
• 1950 - Qualfied but withdrew
• 1954 - Entry not accepted by FIFA
• 1958 to 1970 - Did not enter
• 1974 - Withdrew
• 1978 to 1982 - Did not enter
• 1986 - Did not qualify
• 1990 - Withdrew
• 1994 to 2010 - Did not qualify

Asian Cup record

• 1956 - Did not enter
• 1960 - Didn't qualify
• 1964 - Second Place
• 1968 - Didn't qualify
• 1972 to 1980 - Did not enter
• 1984 - Round 1
• 1988 to 2007 - Didn't qualify
• 2011 - Qualified

SAFF tournament record

South Asian Football Federation Cup record
Year	Round	GP	W	D	L	GF	GA
1993	Champions	3	2	1	0	4	1
1995	Runner Up	2	0	1	1	2	3
1997	Champions	4	3	1	0	13	3
1999	Champions	4	3	1	0	6	1
2003	Third Place	5	2	1	2	8	5
2005	Champions	5	4	1	0	9	2
2008	Runner Up	5	4	1	0	9	3
Total	Best: Champions	28	19	7	2	51	18

South Asian Games Football
Year	Round	GP	W	D	L	GF	GA
1985 Dhaka	Champions	3	2	1	0	4	1
1987 Calcutta	Champions	2	0	1	1	2	3
1989 Islamabad	Third Place	4	3	1	0	13	3
1993 Dhaka	Runner Up	4	3	1	0	6	1
1995 Madras	Champions	5	2	1	2	8	5
1999 Kathmandu	Third Place	5	4	1	0	9	2
2004 Islamabad	Runner Up	5	4	1	0	9	3
Total	Best: Champions	28	19	7	2	51	18

AFC Challenge Cup record

• 2006 - Quarterfinal
• 2008 - Champions

Nehru Cup record

• Nehru Cup International Football Tournament 2007 - Winners
• Nehru Cup International Football Tournament 2009 - Winners

Current Squad

The following players were called up for the AFC Asian cup 2011 prepration camp in Goa, 14 November 2009.

Goalkeepers

Defenders

Midfielders

Strikers The following U-23 players were called up for the 2009 SAFF Cup, 14 November 2009

Goalkeepers

Defenders

Midfielders

Strikers References [1] ] [2] External links Official Website of the All India Football Federation