The India national under-17 football team represents

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

in international

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

at the under-17 level. Controlled by the

All India Football Federation All India Football Federation (AIFF) is the governing body of football, futsal and beach soccer in India. It is a member of FIFA, and is affiliated with the Asian Football Confederation and South Asian Football Federation. It is affiliated wit ...

, the governing body for football in India, the team is part of the

Asian Football Confederation The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is the governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal in most countries and territories in Asia. The AFC was formed in 1954. It has 47 members. The Asian Ladies Football Confederation ( ...

and the

South Asian Football Federation South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) is an association of the football playing nations in South Asia. Incorporated in 1997, it is a regional subsidiary of Asian Football Confederation. The members of the association are Bangladesh, Bhutan, A ...

History

FIFA U-17 World Cup

India has participated for the first time in

FIFA U-17 World Cup The FIFA U-17 World Cup, founded as the FIFA U-16 World Championship, later changed to U-17 in 1991 and to its current name in 2007, is the annual world championship of association football for male players under the age of 17 organized by ''Fé ...

as hosts in the 2017 edition of the tournament. This was the first time ever that a team representing India would participate in the finals of a FIFA organized world tournament. India was placed in

group A Group A is a set of motorsport regulations administered by the FIA covering production derived touring cars for competition, usually in touring car racing and rallying. In contrast to the short-lived Group B and Group C, Group A vehicles wer ...

along with,

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

and Columbia. On 6 October 2017, India played their first ever match in FIFA-U17 World Cup history against United States in front of 47,000 spectators. But unfortunately, India lost the match by 3–0. India played their Second match against Colombia. In 82nd minute Jeakson Singh Thounaojam became the first Indian goalscorer in any FIFA tournament. In the third match of group stage, India faced Ghana where they lost 4–0, finishing bottom of the group A. India also failed to qualify for 2019 edition when they lost by 1–0 in the Quarter final match against South Korea at the 2018 AFC U-16 Championship.

AFC U-17 Asian Cup

The

AFC U-16 Championship The AFC U-17 Asian Cup, formerly known as the AFC U-16 Championship and AFC U-17 Championship, is a football competition, organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) held once every two years for Asian under-17 teams that also serves as a q ...

is the top level tournament for under-16 football teams in

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

and began in 1985. India participated in the tournament for the first time in

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

. They were knocked-out of the tournament in the group stage, finishing third in their four-team group with one against

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

. The team qualified again for the tournament in

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

where they finished last in their group which included

Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

, and

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

. The team lost three of their four matches, with their sole victory coming against China. Dipayan Bose scored 12 goals in the match most by any player. India qualified again for the tournament in

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

, where they reached the quarter-final round, in their best result to date. The team took on

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

in the quarter-finals but lost 3–1, and thus failed to advance further. Following the 2002 tournament, India qualified for the next tournament in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. Two defeats and one victory in the group stage saw India finish third in their group, and were knocked out from the tournament. After failing to qualify for

2006 AFC U-17 Championship The 2006 AFC U-17 Championship was the 12th competition of the AFC U-17 Asian Cup, AFC U-17 Championship organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), which was held between 3 and 17 September 2006 in Singapore. Japan national under-17 foo ...

, India qualified for the 2008 edition. Two defeats before a sole victory over

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

saw India once again make it no further than the group stage. The same result followed in

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, only this time with no wins in the group stage. India, for the seventh time, participated in the tournament in

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

with the nation hosting the tournament. Despite home advantage, India once again could not make it beyond the group stage and finished last in their group which consisted of themselves, Iran,

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

, and

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

. India qualified for

2018 AFC U-16 Championship The 2018 AFC U-16 Championship was the 18th edition of the AFC U-16 Championship, the biennial international youth association football, football championship organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the men's under-16 national team ...

by participating in the

qualification round Qualification may refer to: Processes * Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS), a competitive contract procurement process established by the United States Congress * Process qualification, ensures that manufacturing and production processes can ...

. India defeated Palestine, 3–0, then played a 2–2 draw against Nepal and finally qualified for the 2018 edition when they played a goalless draw against the defending champion

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

. India played its group stage matches against

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

and

at the 2018 edition in Malaysia. They defeated Vietnam by 1–0, then held Iran to a goal less draw and finally qualified for the knock out stages by holding

to a 0–0 draw. In the quarter finals they were defeated 1–0 by heavy weights South Korea, ending their run in the tournament. India has also qualified for the

2020 AFC U-16 Championship The 2020 AFC U-16 Championship would have been the 19th edition of the AFC U-16 Championship, the biennial international youth football championship organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the men's under-16 national teams of Asia. ...

by participating in the qualifying round. In the first game they defeated

Turkmenistan Turkmenistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the south and southwest and the Caspian Sea to the west. Ash ...

5–0. In the second game also they defeated

by an identical score line. They finally qualified for the finals by holding

Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

to a 1–1 draw. India was clubbed with

Korea Republic South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and the Sea ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and Uzbekistan in Group C for the tournament. But the tournament was called of due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

. India qualified for the

2023 AFC U-17 Asian Cup The 2023 AFC U-17 Asian Cup was the 19th edition of the AFC U-17 Asian Cup (including previous editions of the AFC U-16 Championship and AFC U-17 Championship), the biennial international youth football championship organised by the Asian Football ...

for third consecutive time. India defeated Maldives by 5–0, Kuwait by 3–0 and Myanmar by 4–1 but fell to Saudi Arabia by 1–2. India qualified as second placed best ranked teams making their 9th appearance in the tournament. In 2023, India was clubbed with Vietnam, Uzbekistan and Japan in group stage of

in Thailand. India began their Asian campaign with a draw with Vietnam by 1–1 with a spectacular long shot by Malemnganba Singh Thokchom but fell to Uzbekistan by a solitary goal. The team faced a huge defeat against Japan but have put a valiant performance scoring 4 goals, concluding by score of 8–4 ending their campaign with a draw and two losses.

SAFF U-17 Championship

In 2009, the

SAFF U-16 Championship The SAFF U-15/U-16/U-17 Championship is an annual international football competition contested by the national teams of the members of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). The first edition was held as ''SAFF U-16 Championship'', where most ...

was launched. India participated in the first edition of the tournament in

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

. After an opening day surprise defeat to

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

, India qualified for the next round after defeating the

Maldives The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in South Asia located in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, abou ...

5–0. India then made it to the final, defeating

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

on penalties, but again lost to Pakistan in the final 2–1. India fared much better in the 2013 edition, finishing first in their group of

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

and

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

, before defeating

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

in the semi-final on penalties. In the final, India defeated Nepal 1–0 to win the tournament for the first time. As reigning champions, India entered the 2015 edition of the tournament with a 5–0 victory over Sri Lanka. India then suffered a 2–1 defeat to Bangladesh to finish second in the group, and but still qualified for the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, India once again defeated Nepal 1–0, but lost to Bangladesh in the final on penalties. At the

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

edition India entered into semi-final, defeating

and

by 9–0 and 2–1 respectively. In the semi-final they defeated

Bhutan Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...

by 3–0 and entered to the final and faced Nepal again and defeated them by 2–1 to become SAFF champion for the second time after 2013.

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

edition of the tournament was their third title. In this edition the tournament was played in round robin, thus India played against all other teams and managed to win all their matches without a goal conceded. In the final they faced

whom they easily defeated by 7−0 margin, thus scoring 28 goals in 5 matches, becoming champions for the third time.

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

edition was their fourth title. In this edition, India was clubbed with

and

. India began their SAFF campaign with a comfortable 3–0 win over Bhutan but surprisingly lost to Nepal by 1–3. Though, India qualified for semi finals where they defeated

by 1–2 score line. India again faced Nepal in the finals where now they defeated Nepal with 4–0. At the

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

edition India entered into semi-final, defeating

and

by the scoreline of 1–0 in both games. In the semi-final they defeated

by 8–0 and entered to the final and faced Bangladesh. India defeated them by 2–0 to become SAFF champion for the fifth time.

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

edition turned out to be another title for them. India entered the semi finals by defeating

and

by 1–0 and 3–0 in both group games. In the semi-finals, they thrashed

by score line of 4–2 and entered the final facing Bangladesh once again. India defeated them by 2–0 and won the title for sixth time.

AIFF Youth Cup

The AIFF Youth Cup was first competed for in 2016. It was organized by the

(AIFF) as a preparatory tournament for the India under-17 team for the

2016 AFC U-16 Championship The 2016 AFC U-16 Championship was the 17th edition of the AFC U-16 Championship, the biennial international youth football championship organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the men's under-16 national teams of Asia. The tourna ...

and the

2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup The 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup was the 17th FIFA U-17 World Cup, a biennial international association football, football tournament contested by men's under-17 national teams. Organised by FIFA, the tournament took place in India from 6 to 28 Octo ...

. The first tournament was held from 15 May to 25 May 2016 at the

Tilak Maidan Stadium Tilak Maidan is a multi-purpose stadium located in Vasco da Gama, Goa, India. It is used mostly for football matches and regularly hosts I-League and Goa Professional League matches. It also hosted the Indian Super League matches from 2020 ti ...

in Vasco,

Goa Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...

. A total of five teams participated in the tournament after being invited by the All India Football Federation. The final was won 2–1 by South Korea over the United States.

Coaching staff

Players

Current squad

The following 23 players are named in the squad for the

2025 AFC U-17 Asian Cup qualification The 2025 AFC U-17 Asian Cup qualification was an international men's under-17 football competition which was held to decide the participating teams of the 2025 AFC U-17 Asian Cup. Draw Of the 47 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) member associa ...

. ''Caps and goals are correct as of 27 October 2024, after the match against .''

Recent callups

The following footballers were part of national selection in the past twelve months, but are not part of the current call-up.

Past squads

;FIFA U-17 World Cup: * 2017 FIFA U-17 WC Squad ;AFC U-16 Championship squads: * 2018 AFC U-16 Championship squad
2016 AFC U-16 Championship squad

2012 AFC U-16 Championship squad

Competitive history

: ''Red border indicates the team played as the host of the tournament.'' :''*Denotes draws includes knockout matches decided on

penalty kicks A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. T ...

. Red border indicates that the tournament was hosted on home soil. Gold, silver, bronze backgrounds indicates 1st, 2nd and 3rd finishes respectively. Bold text indicates best finish in tournament.''

FIFA U-17 World Cup

AFC U-17 Asian Cup

AFC U-17 Asian Cup Qualification

SAFF U-17 Championship

WAFF U-16 Championship

Overall competitive records

(''excluding friendlies & minor tournaments'')

Head-to-head record

The following table shows India's head-to-head record in the

and

AFC U-17 Asian Cup The AFC U-17 Asian Cup, formerly known as the AFC U-16 Championship and AFC U-17 Championship, is a football competition, organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) held once every two years for Asian under-17 teams that also serves as a q ...

In
FIFA U-17 World Cup The FIFA U-17 World Cup, founded as the FIFA U-16 World Championship, later changed to U-17 in 1991 and to its current name in 2007, is the annual world championship of association football for male players under the age of 17 organized by ''Fé ...

In
AFC U-17 Asian Cup The AFC U-17 Asian Cup, formerly known as the AFC U-16 Championship and AFC U-17 Championship, is a football competition, organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) held once every two years for Asian under-17 teams that also serves as a q ...

References

External links

All India Football Federation website
{{National sports teams of India Youth football in India Asian national under-17 association football teams

Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

History

FIFA U-17 World Cup

AFC U-17 Asian Cup

SAFF U-17 Championship

AIFF Youth Cup

Coaching staff

Recent results and fixtures

2024

Players

Current squad

Recent callups

Past squads

Competitive history

FIFA U-17 World Cup

AFC U-17 Asian Cup

AFC U-17 Asian Cup Qualification

SAFF U-17 Championship

WAFF U-16 Championship

Overall competitive records

Head-to-head record

In
FIFA U-17 World Cup The FIFA U-17 World Cup, founded as the FIFA U-16 World Championship, later changed to U-17 in 1991 and to its current name in 2007, is the annual world championship of association football for male players under the age of 17 organized by ''Fé ...

In
AFC U-17 Asian Cup The AFC U-17 Asian Cup, formerly known as the AFC U-16 Championship and AFC U-17 Championship, is a football competition, organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) held once every two years for Asian under-17 teams that also serves as a q ...

See also

References

External links

History

FIFA U-17 World Cup

AFC U-17 Asian Cup

SAFF U-17 Championship

AIFF Youth Cup

Coaching staff

Recent results and fixtures

2024

Players

Current squad

Recent callups

Past squads

Competitive history

FIFA U-17 World Cup

AFC U-17 Asian Cup

AFC U-17 Asian Cup Qualification

SAFF U-17 Championship

WAFF U-16 Championship

Overall competitive records

Head-to-head record

In FIFA U-17 World Cup The FIFA U-17 World Cup, founded as the FIFA U-16 World Championship, later changed to U-17 in 1991 and to its current name in 2007, is the annual world championship of association football for male players under the age of 17 organized by ''Fé ...

In AFC U-17 Asian Cup The AFC U-17 Asian Cup, formerly known as the AFC U-16 Championship and AFC U-17 Championship, is a football competition, organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) held once every two years for Asian under-17 teams that also serves as a q ...

See also

References

External links

In
FIFA U-17 World Cup The FIFA U-17 World Cup, founded as the FIFA U-16 World Championship, later changed to U-17 in 1991 and to its current name in 2007, is the annual world championship of association football for male players under the age of 17 organized by ''Fé ...

In
AFC U-17 Asian Cup The AFC U-17 Asian Cup, formerly known as the AFC U-16 Championship and AFC U-17 Championship, is a football competition, organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) held once every two years for Asian under-17 teams that also serves as a q ...