A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
 | |||
| Nickname(s) | The Blue Tigers | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | AIFF | ||
| Confederation | AFC (Asia) | ||
| Sub-confederation | SAFF (South Asia) | ||
| Head coach | TBA | ||
| FIFA code | IND | ||
| |||
| First international | |||
India  1–1  Oman(Hyderabad, India; 4 August 1991) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
India 5–1  Pakistan (Chittagong, Bangladesh; 2 February 2010) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
 Japan 5–0 India (Guangzhou, China; 16 November 2010) India 0–5  United Arab Emirates (Incheon, South Korea; 15 September 2014) | |||
| Asian Games | |||
| Appearances | 5 (first in 2002) | ||
| Best result | Round of 16 (2010, 2022) | ||
| SAFF Championship | |||
| Appearances | 1 (first in 2009) | ||
| Best result | Champions (2009) | ||
| South Asian Games | |||
| Appearances | 4 (first in 2004) | ||
| Best result | Runners–up (2004, 2016) | ||
Medal record | |||
The India national under-23 football team represents India in international under-23 football and is controlled by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). A member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the team is eligible to compete in the Summer Olympic Games, the AFC U-23 Asian Cup, and the Asian Games, subject to qualification.
Since only allowing under-23 sides to compete in the Olympic Games in 1992, India have never qualified for the summer games. The under-23 side have also never participated in the AFC U-23 Asian Cup while at best only making it to the round of 16 in the Asian Games.
History
Asian Games
2002 Busan Games
The under-23 side participated in their first ever tournament during the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, South Korea. They were put into a group with China, Turkmenistan, and Bangladesh. Their first match was against Bangladesh. India won 3–0 through a brace from future senior captain Baichung Bhutia and a strike from Renedy Singh. India played their second match two days later against Turkmenistan. They won 3–1. Bhutia again scored a brace while Abhishek Yadav scored the third goal as India ran out 3–1 winners. Unfortunately, in their final match against China, India could not find the net as they fell 2–0 and thus were knocked-out of the Asian Games.[1]
2006 Doha Games
During the 2006 Asian Games India were placed in a group with Iran, Hong Kong, and Maldives. In their first match against Hong Kong, India drew 1–1 with Pappachen Pradeep scoring the lone Indian goal. In their second match, India faced off against Maldives and won 2–1. Irungbam Surkumar Singh and Subhas Sumbhu Chakrobarty were the scorers for India that night. Finally, in their last match against Iran, India once again lost 2–0 and thus were once again knocked-out of the Asian Games.[2]
2010 Guangzhou Games
During the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, India were placed in a group with Qatar, Kuwait Athletes, and Singapore. India lost their first match against the Kuwait Athletes 2–0 and then lost their second match against Qatar 2–1 with the lone India goal coming from Dharmaraj Ravanan. India went on to win their final match of the group stage against Singapore 4–1. Four players scored each goal, Jewel Raja, Balwant Singh, Jibon Singh, and Manish Maithani. The victory managed to help India finish in third-place which then helped India become the best third-place team out of all the other third-placed teams and thus qualified them for the Round of 16.
In the Round of 16, India took on powerhouse Japan at the Huangpu Sports Center. India went on to lose the match 5–0 with Kensuke Nagai scoring a brace and Ryohei Yamazaki, Kazuya Yamamura, and Kota Mizunuma scoring a goal each.[3]
2014 Incheon Games
For the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, India were placed in Group G with Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. In their first match against the United Arab Emirates, India went down 5–0. Seven days later, India were defeated by Jordan 2–0 to end their Asian Games participation.[4]
2022 Hangzhou Games
At the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, India were placed in Group A with China, Myanmar and the Bangladesh. In the first match China defeated India 1–5.[5] India won their next Match against Bangladesh 1–0 and played out a 1–1 draw with Myanmar.[6][7] But in the Round of 16 they lost against Saudi Arabia 0–2.[8]
Other tournaments
2009 SAFF Championship
Before the 2009 SAFF Championship in Bangladesh, it was announced that India would send the under-23 side to the tournament.[9] India were placed in Group A with Afghanistan, Maldives, and Nepal. In their first match against Afghanistan, India won 1–0 through Jeje Lalpekhlua.[10] In their next match against Nepal, a Sushil Kumar Singh goal was the difference as India won again 1–0.[11] Despite losing the last match of the group stage to Maldives 2–0 India were still through to the semi-finals.
India defeated Bangladesh in the semi-finals 1–0 through Sushil Kumar Singh.[12] Finally, in the final against Maldives, India won through penalties 3–1 after finishing extra-time with the score at 0–0 to win the championship.[13]
Results and fixtures
For past match results of the national team, see the team's results page. The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
- Legend
Win Draw Lose Fixture
2023
| 6 September 2023 2024 AFC U23 Q | India | Cancelled |  Maldives | Dalian, China |
| Stadium: Dalian Sports Centre Stadium |
| 9 September 2023 2024 AFC U23 Q | China  | 2–1 | India | Dalian, China |
|
Report | Hu  90+3' (o.g.) |
Stadium: Dalian Sports Centre Stadium |
| 12 September 2023 2024 AFC U23 Q | United Arab Emirates | 3–0 | India | Dalian, China |
|
Report | Stadium: Dalian Sports Centre Stadium |
| 19 September 2023 2022 Asian Games | China | 5–1 | India | Hangzhou, China |
| 17:00 UTC+5:30 | Report | Rahul 45' |
Stadium: Huanglong Sports Centre Stadium Attendance: 34,513 Referee: Thoriq Alkatiri (Indonesia) |
| 21 September 2023 2022 Asian Games | India | 1–0 |  Bangladesh | Xiaoshan, China |
| 13:30 UTC+5:30 | Chhetri 85' (pen.) |
Report | Stadium: Xiaoshan Sports Centre Attendance: 5,232 Referee: Clifford Daypuyat (Philippines) |
| 24 September 2023 2022 Asian Games | Myanmar  | 1–1 | India | Xiaoshan, China |
| 17:00 UTC+5:30 | Kyaw Htwe 74' |
Report | Chhetri 23' |
Stadium: Xiaoshan Sports Centre Attendance: 6,315 Referee: Qasim Al-Hatmi (Oman) |
| 28 September 2023 2022 Asian Games | India | 0–2 |  Saudi Arabia | Hangzhou, China |
| 17:00 UTC+5:30 | Report | Maran 52', 58' |
Stadium: Huanglong Sports Centre Stadium Attendance: 37,066 Referee: Shen Yinhao (China) |
2024
| 22 March 2023 Closed Door Friendly | Malaysia  | 2–1 | India | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| 22:00 UTC+8 |
|
Stadium: Kuala Lumpur Stadium |
| 25 March 2024 Closed Door Friendly | Malaysia | 1–1 | India | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| 22:00 UTC+8 |
|
Stadium: Kuala Lumpur Stadium |
Coaching staff
The current coaching staff of the team are:[14]
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | TBA
|
| Assistant coach | Noel Wilson
|
| Goalkeeping coach | Dipankar Choudhury
|
| Physiotherapist | Gavin Elias Araujo
|
Players
Squad for March 2024 friendlies
The following players were called up for the friendly matches, to be held on March 2024.[15]
Caps and goals are updated as of 30 October 2023.