Charting the rise of Indian football

India is often referred to as "the sleeping giant of world football". This was not always the case though, as India used to be Asian giants in football in the 50s and 60s.

Those two decades are often referred to as "the golden era of Indian football". During that period, India won a couple of golds in Asian Games (1951 and 1962).

But after 1974, there was a rapid decline in Indian football.

There were some sparks of revival in 2002 during the World Cup qualifiers. India beat UAE (1-0) and drew with Yemen (1-1), but unfortunately they could not make it to the next round as they finished a point short.

The slide continued and at one point of time, India were ranked 173rd (in 2015).

Stephen Constantine was brought back as the head coach and he started the revival of Indian football. India went on to register a 13-match unbeaten run, which catapulted them from a lowly 173 to a more respectable 96. To add to that, India managed to qualify for the Asian Cup 2019.

The youth team seem to have taken a cue from their senior counterparts. The U16 team have qualified for AFC U16 Championship, and as part of their preparation they have toured China, Thailand and Malaysia.

Though they had mixed results on these tours, their performance was widely appreciated.

Presently, they are participating in the WAFF Boys' Championship. In their last game, they defeated AFC champions Iraq by a solitary goal. Before that, in a well fought match, they lost (1-2) to Japan.

The U20 team has also been in peak form of late. Mainly comprising of boys who were part of the India U17 World Cup squad, India U20 have been putting up some great performances.

Presently, they are participating in the COTF Cup. In their last game, they defeated Argentina (2-1) to register one of the most significant wins in Indian football history.

It is ironic that while the whole country was sleeping, the sleeping giant had awakened.

Indian football is on the right track. The youth teams are giving the fans a lot of confidence. The day is probably not far off when we will get to hear the Indian national anthem during the FIFA World Cup.

This might happen as early as 2026, when the total team size participating in the World Cup will be increased to 48. More importantly, there would be nine teams from Asia.

The fans would be hoping for the best, and it is imperative that they keep supporting Indian football.