India's New Game: Futsal

Image Credit: AIFF(X)

Be it school children, college students or office goers, life has taken a toll on the "metro" cities and staying associated with football, the game they love, has been difficult to say the least. That is when, the concept of turfs came into existence and it changed the picture. Now, for a limited budget, people were able to book the turf for a certain amount of time and play. Now, futsal has rules and regulations but the type of futsal that is played in the rooftop turfs is somethings else with no particular rules and ever changing regulations. This can be traced back to India's first interaction to the sport, known to us as futsal. India's international futsal journey began with the AFC Futsal Development Programme in August 2017, establishing the base for its growth in India. The AIFF launched the domestic Futsal Club Championship in 2021, creating a talent identification platform that has grown from 16 to 17 teams across four editions. The historic international debut came on August 12, 2023, when India faced Bahrain in Isa Town under head coach Joshuah Vaz. Despite losing both the friendlies, these matches marked India's entry into international futsal.

India's competitive debut followed during the AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2024 Qualifiers in Tajikistan from October, 2023. David Laltlansanga made history by scoring India's first international futsal goal and scoring a hat trick against the hosts, despite a 6-3 defeat. The campaign ended without qualification after losses to Myanmar and Palestine. The women's team debuted on January 15, 2025, in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, during the AFC Women's Futsal Asian Cup 2025 Qualifiers. Drishti Pant scored the first women's futsal goal against Kyrgyzstan in a 4-3 defeat. The historic moment came on September 24, 2025, when India achieved their first ever international victory, defeating Mongolia 3-0 in Kuwait. Seaon D'Souza scored twice while Anmol Adhikari added the third under new coach Reza Kordi. This historic win came despite India's 135th FIFA Futsal World Ranking against Mongolia's 110th position. As Reza Kordi ambitiously stated, "With the right system and regular competition, India can reach the top four in Asia". While this target may be a distant reality, India's journey from complete absence to international victory in less than a decade suggests that ambitious goals in futsal is not something impossible to achieve. The victory represents the culmination of eight years of structured development, establishing India as an emerging force in Asian futsal.