User:ArsenalFan700/India national football team

The India national football team represents India in international football and has done so since the nation gained independence in 1947. Organized by the All India Football Federation (AIFF), the national team competes in FIFA's Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). Considered one of the best teams in Asia at one point, India had it's golden era in football during the fifties and early sixties. 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, cementing the nation as one of the best teams in the world at the time.

The India national team have never participated in the FIFA World Cup and have appeared only three times in the AFC Asian Cup, the top footballing competition in Asia. The national team did qualify for the World Cup in 1950 after all the other nations in Asia's qualification group withdrew. However, India themselves withdrew from the tournament prior the the tournament beginning. India also participate in the SAFF Championship, the top regional football competition in South Asia. They have won the tournament six times since the tournament began in 1993.

Despite the India national team not reaching the same heights since their golden era, the team has seen a resurgence in performance and achievements during the twenty-first century. Other than the SAFF Championship triumphs, India won the re-started Nehru Cup in 2007, 2009, and 2012. The team also managed to emerge victorious during the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup and thus qualified for the Asian Cup for the first time in 27 years.

FIFA World Cup
India have 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 didn'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.

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.

Other honours

 * AFC Challenge Cup
 * Winners (1): 2008
 * SAFF Championship
 * Winners (6): 1993, 1997, 1999, 2005, 2011, 2015
 * Nehru Cup
 * Winners (3): 2007, 2009, 2012
 * Asian Games
 * Winners (2): 1951, 1962

Current squad
The following 23 players were called up for the pre-season training camp before a tour of the United States. Caps and goals are correct as of 27 July 2016.

Recent players
The following players have been selected by India in the past 12 months, but were not selected in the August 2016 squad, or withdrew from that squad due to injury or suspension.

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.