Football: India slump to worst FIFA ranking in almost a decade after crashing out of Asian Cup qualifiers
India spiral downward after two years without victory in a competitive match
Indian football fans have been put through the wringer over the last 24 months, a period during which they have seen their national team break into the top 100 in the FIFA rankings before collapsing to their lowest level in almost a decade.
On the domestic league front, the future of the nation’s top flight, the Indian Super League, remains uncertain, making it exceptionally difficult for participating teams to attract international talent, while local players are constantly looking to move abroad.
Earlier this month, the Blue Tigers were dealt yet another blow when their hopes of qualifying for the 2027 Asian Cup were brought to an end after losing to Singapore 2-1 at home a week after playing to a 1-1 draw on the road against the same opponent.
Those results meant that India have now failed to win a competitive match since November 2023, a record that has caused the team to slump to 136th according to FIFA’s rankings, which is the lowest they have been since late 2016.
Following Manolo Marquez’s departure, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) appointed Khalid Jamil as the team’s head coach, marking the first time the team has had an Indian head coach in over 20 years.
Initial signs under the former Jamshedpur boss were encouraging, with the team finishing third at the 2025 CAFA Nations Cup, but that optimism quickly faded after failing to beat Singapore, who are ranked 155th globally, 19 places below the Blue Tigers.
India U-17 Women secure Asian Cup qualification
While the men’s national side has been struggling lately, India’s U-17 women’s team has been doing the nation proud this year, having secured their maiden qualification for the AFC U-17 Women’s Asia Cup in China in 2026.
The Young Tigresses were making their first appearance in the competition since 2005 and were drawn into Group G of the qualifiers alongside Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. They topped their group with back-to-back 2-1 victories over those nations.
India’s qualification for the tournament in China next year highlighted the growing professionalism within women’s football in the country, which has stemmed from greater investment in grassroots academies and FIFA’s substantial development grants to the AIFF.
