India national futsal team
Men's national futsal team representing India
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The India national futsal team represents India in international futsal competitions. The team is controlled by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) under the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
Shirt badge/Association crest | |||
| Nickname(s) | Futsal Tigers | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | All India Football Federation | ||
| Confederation | AFC (Asia) SAFF (South Asia) | ||
| Head coach | Reza Kordi | ||
| Captain | Nikhil Mali | ||
| Most caps | Nikhil Mali (16) | ||
| Top scorer | Nikhil Mali (9) | ||
| FIFA code | IND | ||
| FIFA ranking | 130  (24 September 2026)[1] | ||
| Highest FIFA ranking | 130[2] (8 May 2026) | ||
| Lowest FIFA ranking | 135 (6 May 2024) | ||
| |||
| First international | |||
 Bahrain 3–0 India  (Isa Town, Bahrain; 12 August 2023) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
 Bhutan 3–11 India (Bangkok, Thailand; 22 January 2026) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
India 1–10 Australia  (Ardiya, Kuwait; 22 September 2025) | |||
| FIFA World Cup | |||
| Appearances | 0 | ||
| AFC Futsal Asian Cup | |||
| Appearances | 0 | ||
| SAFF Futsal Championship | |||
| Appearances | 1 (First in 2026) | ||
| Best result | 2nd (2026) | ||
India made its debut against Bahrain in an international friendly on 12 August 2023, losing 3–0. The 2024 AFC Futsal Asian Cup qualification was their first international competition which was held in October 2023.
History
Formation, debut and first tournament
On 10 December 2019, the then AIFF Executive Committee decided that a futsal club competition would be part of their calendar from 2020–21 season onwards.[3] The club championship, that was conceptualized in 2019, was held for the first time in November 2021 and followed by the second edition in February 2023.[4][5] Based on the performance of the players in Futsal Club Championship, AIFF scouts selected a 31 members squad for the national team camp for creating the India national futsal team.[6][7] Victor Hermans as futsal advisor in May 2023, and Joshuah Vaz as head coach in July 2023, were appointed to guide the team for India's first participation in major tournament, the qualification competition for the 2024 AFC Futsal Asian Cup.[8][9]
In August 2023, the AIFF announced that India would play two international friendlies against Bahrain as a preparation for the AFC Futsal Asian Cup qualification. A fourteen-member squad of the first ever India national team was announced.[10] The team made its debut in a 3–0 loss against Bahrain at Khalifa Sports City Hall in Isa Town on 12 August 2023.[11] In the second match on 14 August, India was defeated again by Bahrain with a bigger scoreline of 4–0.[12]
India was drawn in Group E of the Asian Cup qualification where they faced Tajikistan, Myanmar and Palestine, from 2 to 13 October 2023.[10] In the first match against Tajikistan, India lost 3–6 to the host. David Laltlansanga scored all the goals, thus becoming the first ever goalscorer, as well as scoring the first ever hat-trick for the national team.[13] India again suffered loss in the next two matches, 2–5 to Myanmar and 5–6 to Palestine, thus failing to qualify for the 2024 AFC Futsal Asian Cup. K. Roluahpuia and Nikhil Mali scored twice each, while Laltlansanga scored six goals in this qualifying edition.[14][15]
2025–present
In March 2025, the AIFF announced that India will be participating in the 2026 AFC Futsal Asian Cup qualification.[16] India was drawn in Group A along with Kuwait, Australia and Mongolia.[17] Iranian Reza Kordi was appointed head coach of the national team.[18] As a preparation for the qualifiers, India played two international friendlies against Lebanon, both of which they lost.[19][20] In the qualifiers, India lost the first match against Kuwait by 1–4; in the second match against Australia on 22 September 2025, India registered its worst defeat of 1–10.[21][22] However, in the third match India finally registered its first ever win, a 3–0 victory against Mongolia. With just 3 points, India failed to qualify for the 2026 AFC Futsal Asian Cup.[23]
In May 2025, at the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Congress in Kathmandu, it was proposed that a SAFF Futsal Championship would be held annually. On 5 October 2025, SAFF announced that the first ever SAFF Futsal Championship for both men and women would be held from 13 to 26 January 2026, in Thailand.[24][25] The tournament was in round-robin format.[26] With 3 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss, India finished as runners-up. Out of the 3 wins, India's 11–3 victory against Bhutan is their biggest ever win.[27][28]
Coaching staff
Following is the current coaching staff.[29]
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach |  Reza Kordi |
| Assistant coach |  Hassan Khodabandehloo bin Abolfazl |
| Goalkeeping coach | Veerababu Sivaneni |
Players
Current squad
Following 14 players were named in the squad for the 2026 SAFF Futsal Championship.[26]
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Aleef Rahman Mollah | 18 April 2001 | Goal Hunterz | ||
| 2 | GK | Ozen Vivian Silva | Ambelim | |||
| DF | Lalsangkima | 3 | 0 | Bhawanipore | ||
| DF | Lalsawmpuia | 0 | 0 | India | ||
| MF | Anmol Adhikari | Goal Hunterz | ||||
| MF | K. Roluahpuia | India | ||||
| MF | Seaon D'Souza | Golazo | ||||
| 7 | MF | Nikhil Mali (captain) | 11 November 1996 | 16 | 9 | Bhawanipore |
| MF | H. Lalrinzuala | India | ||||
| MF | Vincent Laltluangzela | India | ||||
| FW | Hafis A. M. | India | ||||
| FW | Jonathan Lalrawngbawla | India | ||||
| FW | Palash Barber | India | ||||
| FW | Tijo Job | India | ||||
Recent callups
The following footballers were part of national selection in the past twelve months, but are not part of the current call-up.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Vishal Dube | 4 January 2000 | Thlangtiang |
vs  Mongolia, September 2025 | ||
| DF | Aman Shah | 3 | 0 | Juggernaut |
vs Mongolia, September 2025 | |
| MF | Bijoy Gusai | 5 | 0 | Goal Hunterz |
vs Mongolia, September 2025 | |
| FW | David Laltlansanga | 15 November 1999 | 10 | 8 | Bhawanipore |
vs Mongolia, September 2025 |
| FW | Fredsan Marshall | 26 December 1994 | Ambelim |
vs Mongolia, September 2025 | ||
| FW | Jonathan Lalrawngbawla | 13 October 1997 | Thlangtiang |
vs Mongolia, September 2025 | ||
| FW | Mahip Adhikari | 13 November 1998 | Goal Hunterz |
vs Mongolia, September 2025 | ||
Results and fixtures
For past match results of the national team, see the team's results page.
Matches in the last 12 months, and future scheduled matches
Win Draw Loss Fixture
2025
| 13 September 2025 Friendly | Lebanon  | 7–2 | India | Beirut, Lebanon |
| 21:30 IST |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Al Sadaka Sporting Complex |
| 15 September 2025 Friendly | Lebanon | 7–4 | India | Beirut, Lebanon |
| 21:30 IST |
|
Report | Stadium: Al Sadaka Sporting Complex |
| 20 September 2025 2026 AFC Futsal Qual | Kuwait  | 4–1 | India | Ardiya, Kuwait |
| 22:30 IST |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Qushaian Al-Mutairi Hall |
| 22 September 2025 2026 AFC Futsal Qual | India | 1–10 | Australia | Ardiya, Kuwait |
| 18:30 IST |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Qushaian Al-Mutairi Hall |
| 24 September 2025 2026 AFC Futsal Qual | Mongolia | 0–3 | India | Ardiya, Kuwait |
| 18:30 IST | Report |
|
Stadium: Qushaian Al-Mutairi Hall |
2026
| 14 January 2026 2026 SAFF Championship | India | 4–4 |  Bangladesh | Bangkok, Thailand |
| 15:00 IST |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Nonthaburi Stadium, Bangkok Attendance: 70 Referee: Chris Sinclair (England) |
| 18 January 2026 2026 SAFF Championship | India | 3–3 |  Nepal | Bangkok, Thailand |
| 12:30 IST |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Nonthaburi Stadium Attendance: 56 Referee: Ali Ahmadi (Iran) |
| 20 January 2026 2026 SAFF Championship | Maldives  | 5–0 | India | Bangkok, Thailand |
| 15:00 IST |
|
Report | Stadium: Nonthaburi Stadium Attendance: 50 Referee: Ali Hafizi (Iran) |
| 22 January 2026 2026 SAFF Championship | Bhutan | 3–11 | India | Bangkok, Thailand |
| 17:30 IST |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Nonthaburi Stadium Attendance: 50 Referee: Mohammad Javed Ehtesham (Iran) |
| 24 January 2026 2026 SAFF Championship | Sri Lanka  | 1–4 | India | Bangkok, Thailand |
| 17:30 IST | Mohamed Kursheeth  19' |
Report |
|
Stadium: Nonthaburi Stadium Attendance: 19 Referee: Chonlakan Luangsa-Ard (Thailand) |
| 26 January 2026 2026 SAFF Championship | India | 4–1 |  Pakistan | Bangkok, Thailand |
| 17:30 IST |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Nonthaburi Stadium Attendance: 135 Referee: Chris Sinclair (New Zealand) |
Competitive record
FIFA Futsal World Cup
| FIFA Futsal World Cup record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Position | Pld | W | T | L | GF | GA |
| 1989–2020 | Did not exist | |||||||
 2024 |
Did not qualify | |||||||
| Total | 0/10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
AFC Futsal Asian Cup
| AFC Futsal Asian Cup record | Qualification record | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Position | Pld | W | T | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | T | L | GF | GA | |
| 1999–2022 | Did not exist | Did not exist | |||||||||||||
 2024 |
Did not qualify | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 17 | ||||||||
 2026 |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 14 | |||||||||
| Total | 0/18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 15 | 31 | |
SAFF Futsal Championship
| SAFF Futsal Championship records | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Host/Year | Round | Position | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA |
| 2026 | Runners-up | 2nd | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 26 | 17 |
| Total | Runners-up | 2nd | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 26 | 17 |
Overall competitive record
- As of 24 September 2025 (excluding friendlies & minor tournaments)
| Competition | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFC Futsal Asian Cup qualification | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 15 | 31 | −16 | 16.67 |
| SAFF Futsal Championship | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 26 | 17 | +9 | 50.00 |
| Total | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 41 | 48 | −7 | 33.33 |
Head-to-head record
- As of 26 January 2025 vs
Pakistan
The following table shows India's head-to-head records. (includes all matches)
Positive record
Neutral record
Negative record
| Opponent | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | −9 | 0.00 |
| Bahrain |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | −7 | 0.00 |
| Bangladesh |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | +0 | 0.00 |
| Bhutan |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 3 | +8 | 100.00 |
| Kuwait |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 0.00 |
| Lebanon |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 14 | −8 | 0.00 |
| Maldives |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | −5 | 0.00 |
| Mongolia |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 100.00 |
 Myanmar |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 0.00 |
| Nepal |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | +0 | 0.00 |
| Pakistan |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 100.00 |
 Palestine |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 6 | −1 | 0.00 |
| Sri Lanka |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 100.00 |
 Tajikistan |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 0.00 |
| Total | 16 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 47 | 69 | −22 | 25.00 |
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