Japan beat Uruguay 3-1 late on in Diego Forlán's debut
Two stoppage-time goals from Kento Shiogai and Ayase Ueda gave Japan a 3-1 friendly win over Uruguay, spoiling Diego Forlán's first game as interim coach.
Boxing national side
India
National team · India
«Blue Tigers»
64
Matches
20
wins
21
draws
23
losses
69–74
Goals
−5
Difference
1.1
Scored per game
Form
W
31 Mar · Home Hong Kong · 2:1
L
27 May · Away Jamaica · 0:2
L
30 May · Home Zimbabwe · 0:1
L
5 Jun · Away Tajikistan · 1:3
D
9 Jun · Away Tajikistan · 1:1
D
25 Sep · Home Panama · 1:1
Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata holds up to 85,000 people, even though it has no single ground it calls its own — the side moves between venues across the country, with the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi filling in as the other regular stop.
The federation behind the team, the All India Football Federation, was set up in 1937, but the national side itself only took shape in 1948, the year after independence, and went straight into the Olympics that summer. The nickname came far later: the AIFF settled on "Blue Tigers" in 2013, retiring the "Bhangra Boys" tag the team had carried through the early 2000s.
Syed Abdul Rahim's decade in charge, from 1950 to 1963, still sets the reference point for what the team could do in Asia — Olympic semi-finals and two Asian Games golds came under him. Nothing since has matched that run, though Bob Houghton came closest in the modern era, winning the AFC Challenge Cup in 2008. Sunil Chhetri carried the side through the years in between, scoring 95 international goals, a tally no one else in Indian football has approached.
The SAFF Championship is where India has hoarded its silverware, winning it eight times, most recently in 2023, and matches against Pakistan and Bangladesh carry the weight the SAFF title lacks against the rest of Asia — the history between them adds an edge no other fixture on the calendar has. The 1964 Asian Cup final, lost as runners-up, remains the closest India has come to continental football's top prize.
Ranked as high as 94th in the world in February 1996, the team had fallen to 173rd by March 2015.
Latest results
Fixtures and results| 25 Sep | Friendlies |
Panama
H
|
1:1 | D |
| 9 Jun | Friendlies |
Tajikistan
A
|
1:1 | D |
| 5 Jun | Friendlies |
Tajikistan
A
|
1:3 | L |
| 30 May | Friendlies |
Zimbabwe
H
|
0:1 | L |
| 27 May | Friendlies |
Jamaica
A
|
0:2 | L |
| 26 May | Friendlies |
Nigeria
A
|
Standing
Asian CupGroup stage · Group B
| # | Team | M | W | D | L | Goals | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 Australia
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4:1 | 7 |
| 2 |
 Uzbekistan
|
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4:1 | 5 |
| 3 |
 Syria
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1:1 | 4 |
| 4 |
 India
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0:6 | 0 |
Team statistics
matches counted in total: 64
64
Matches
20
wins
21
draws
23
losses
69–74
Goals
−5
Difference
1.1
Scored per game
wins
draws
losses
scored — above the line
conceded — below the line
| Metric | Total | Home | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matches | 64 | 33 | 31 |
| Scored | 69 | 43 | 26 |
| Conceded | 74 | 32 | 42 |
| Scored per game | 1.1 | 1.3 | 0.8 |
| Conceded per game | 1.2 | 1.0 | 1.4 |
| Difference | −5 | +11 | −16 |
Key players
by appearances over the last yearSquad of India
by appearances over the last year| Number | Player | Position | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 |  Rahim Ali |
Forward | 1 |
| 9 |  Vikram Pratap Singh Sandhu |
Forward | 1 |
| 18 |  M. K. Sahan |
Midfielder | 1 |
| 1 |  Gurpreet Singh Sandhu |
Goalkeeper | 1 |
| 6 |  Akash Mishra |
Defender | 1 |
| 16 |  Bijoy Varghese |
Defender | 1 |
| 5 |  Sandesh Jhingan |
Defender | 1 |
| 4 |  Pramvir Singh |
Defender | 1 |
| 22 |  Nikhil Barla |
Defender | 1 |
| 19 |  Ricky John Shabong |
Midfielder | 1 |
| 14 |  Farukh Choudhary |
Midfielder | 1 |
 Hrithik Tiwari |
Goalkeeper | 1 | |
 Albino Gomes |
Goalkeeper | 1 | |
 Rahul Bheke |
Defender | 1 | |
 Roshan Singh |
Defender | 1 | |
 Jeakson Singh Thounaojam |
Defender | 1 | |
 Nikhil Chandra Shekhar Poojary |
Defender | 1 | |
 Lallianzuala Chhangte |
Midfielder | 1 | |
 Parthib Gogoi |
Midfielder | 1 | |
 Macarton Louis Nickson |
Midfielder | 1 | |
 P. N. Nufal |
Midfielder | 1 | |
 Edmund Lalrindika |
Forward | 1 |
Fixtures of India
-
3 Oct · 15:00
Brazil
H
Friendlies
-
25 Sep
Panama
H
1:1
D
-
9 Jun
Tajikistan
A
1:1
D
-
5 Jun
Tajikistan
A
1:3
L
-
30 May
Zimbabwe
H
0:1
L
-
27 May
Jamaica
A
0:2
L
-
26 May
Nigeria
A
-
31 Mar
Hong Kong
H
2:1
W
-
18 Nov
Bangladesh
A
0:1
L
Honours of India
- SAFF Championship 1993, 1997, 1999, 2005, 2011, 2015, 2021, 2023 8
- Asian Games 1951, 1962 2
- Nehru Cup 2007, 2009 2
- Challenge Cup 2008 1
- AFC Asian Cup 1964 1
Team news
Real Madrid captain Federico Valverde has serious ankle injury
Real Madrid confirmed Federico Valverde has a serious left ankle injury after Lee Kang-in's tackle in the 2-1 derby loss to Atlético; he may miss 2-3 weeks.
Joao Pedro a Doubt for Chelsea's Trip to Brentford
Xabi Alonso would not confirm the extent of Joao Pedro's knee injury, with Brazilian reports suggesting the forward needs at least three weeks out.
Sporting risk losing Maxi Araújo and Zalazar for Braga
Uruguay call-ups for Maxi Araújo and Rodrigo Zalazar, plus Colombia's Luis Suárez selection, put both Sporting players in doubt for the trip to Braga on 9 October.
Diego Forlán explains Luis Suárez's absence
Uruguay's interim coach said Suárez chose to focus on Inter Miami rather than join the squad for friendlies against Japan, South Korea and India.
Ancelotti Drops 15 as Brazil Rebuild Begins Post-Neymar
Ancelotti names his first post-World Cup Brazil squad, dropping Neymar and Casemiro while recalling Raphinha and handing debuts to eight uncapped players.