The India national under-23 football team represents India in international under-23 football and is controlled by the All India Football Federation. Currently a member of the Asian Football Confederation the team can compete in three competitions: the Olympic Games, the AFC U-23 Championship, and the Asian Games. Since only allowing under-23 sides to compete in the Olympic Games in 1992, India have never qualified for the summer games. The under-23 side have also never participated in the AFC U-23 Championship while at best only making it to the round of 16 in the Asian Games.
The under-23 side participated in their first ever tournament during the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, South Korea. They were put into a group with China, Turkmenistan, and Bangladesh. Their first match was against Bangladesh. India won 3–0 through a brace from future senior captainBaichung Bhutia and a strike from Renedy Singh. India played their second match two days later against Turkmenistan. They won 3–1. Bhutia again scored a brace while Abhishek Yadav scored the third goal as India ran out 3–1 winners. Unfortunately, in their final match against China, India could not find the net as they fell 2–0 and thus were knocked-out of the Asian Games.
During the 2006 Asian Games India were placed in a group with Iran, Hong Kong, and Maldives. In their first match against Hong Kong, India drew 1–1 with Pappachen Pradeep scoring the lone Indian goal. In their second match, India faced off against Maldives and won 2–1. Irungbam Surkumar Singh and Subhas Sumbhu Chakrobarty were the scorers for India that night. Finally, in their last match against Iran, India once again lost 2–0 and thus were once again knocked-out of the Asian Games.
Before the 2009 SAFF Championship in Bangladesh, it was announced that India would send the under-23 side to the tournament. India were placed in Group A with Afghanistan, Maldives, and Nepal. In their first match against Afghanistan, India won 1–0 through Jeje Lalpekhlua. In their next match against Nepal, a Sushil Kumar Singh goal was the difference as India won again 1–0. Despite losing the last match of the group stage to Maldives 2–0 India were still through to the semi-finals. India defeated Bangladesh in the semi-finals 1–0 through Sushil Kumar Singh. Finally, in the final against Maldives, India won through penalties 3–1 after finishing extra-time with the score at 0–0 to win the championship.
From 1908 to 1988, football at the Olympics was played by senior national teams. and between these years India national football team competed at all Games from 1948 to 1960. From 1992, FIFA allowed only U-23 national teams to play the tournament at the Olympics. Though U-23 players were allowed, the qualifying matches of 1992 Olympics to 2012 Olympics were played by the Senior national team of India but failed to qualify to the Olympics finals from 1992 to 2012. AFC started AFC U-23 Championship from 2013 which is now acted as the qualifying tournament for the Olympics for the Asian countries, where top three teams are allowed entry to Olympic finals. India is yet to qualify for the AFC U-23 Championship and thus also at Olympics since then.
AFC U-23 Championship
was initially set to be held as AFC U-22 Championships in 2013 and its qualification matches in 2012, but the finals tournament was postponed to be played in January 2014. Till now, three championships held, in 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2020. However, India failed to qualify to any of the championships.
