User:ArsenalFan700/India national football team (basic page)

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.