India had qualified for both football tournaments
India’s men’s and women’s football teams are set to miss the Asian Games 2026 despite qualifying for the continental tournament.
Both teams were withdrawn after failing to meet the Government of India’s eligibility criteria for team events, which only allows national teams ranked among Asia’s top eight to participate at the Asian Games.
The men’s and women’s football draws are scheduled to take place on July 23, but both Indian teams have reportedly already been replaced ahead of the event, which takes place in Japan’s Aichi-Nagoya from September 19 to October 4.
A last-minute relaxation of the policy, similar to what happened before the Hangzhou 2023 Asian Games, now appears unlikely.
The same ranking criteria previously prevented India’s football teams from competing at the Jakarta 2018 Asian Games.
For Hangzhou 2023, both teams were initially set to miss out before the Sports Ministry relaxed the rules shortly before the tournament, allowing them to take part.
India had qualified for both football tournaments at Aichi-Nagoya 2026 based on the Asian Football Confederation’s qualification criteria.
For the men’s competition, 15 of the 16 teams that qualified for the AFC U-23 Asian Cup secured places at the Asian Games, while 11 of the 12 teams that featured at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup earlier this year qualified for the women’s tournament.
Australia were not included in the qualification process despite appearing in both competitions because they are not members of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).
However, while India met the sporting qualification requirements, neither team’s current ranking met the Indian Sports Ministry’s selection policy.
The Indian men’s football team are ranked 138th in the FIFA rankings and 26th in Asia, leaving them outside the required top-eight position.
The women’s team are closer to the required threshold but remain outside the criteria, with India ranked 69th in the world and 13th in Asia.
The Indian women recently won the SAFF Women’s Championship on home soil, continuing their strong record in the regional tournament.
All India Football Federation (AIFF) Deputy Secretary General M Satyanarayan said:
“There are some rules of the government based on which they depute teams for the Asian Games.
“We have 40 national federations, not all of them send teams. In football, we are not among the top eight in Asia”
Indian football has a historic connection with the Asian Games, particularly through the men’s national team.
India won gold at the inaugural New Delhi 1951 Asian Games before repeating the achievement at Jakarta 1962. The team also secured a bronze medal at Bangkok 1970.
However, India’s performances at the continental tournament have declined since those successes.
The women’s team have made three appearances in Asian Games football, finishing eighth at Bangkok 1998, ninth at Incheon 2014 and 13th at Hangzhou 2023.
Their absence from Aichi-Nagoya 2026 will mark another setback for Indian football, with both teams missing the chance to compete against Asia’s leading nations on one of the continent’s biggest sporting stages.
