Indian football teams – both men and women – are set to miss out on the Asian Games 2026 despite qualifying for the continental showpiece, which is scheduled in Japan’s Aichi-Nagoya from September 19 to October 4.
Both the Indian teams were withdrawn from the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 roster after failing to meet the Government of India’s eligibility criteria for team events.
The Indian sports ministry’s selection policy only permits national teams ranked among Asia’s top eight to participate in the Asian Games. Neither met the criteria.
A similar ranking criterion had barred the Indian football teams from participating in the Jakarta 2018 Asian Games.
Both teams were also in line to miss Hangzhou 2023 before the sports ministry relaxed the rules in the 11th hour to facilitate their participation.
With the men’s and women’s football draws scheduled for July 23, a last-minute relaxation of the government’s policy, similar to Hangzhou 2023, now appears unlikely.
As per recent media reports, both Indian teams have already been replaced for the upcoming draws.
How Indian football teams qualified for Asian Games
As per the qualification criteria for the Asian Games 2026 football, 15 of the 16 teams qualified for this year’s AFC U-23 Asian Cup made the cut for the men’s tournament at Aichi-Nagoya.
Similarly, 11 of the 12 teams which played the AFC Women’s Asian Cup held earlier this year qualified for the Asian Games 2026 women’s football tournament.
Australia were not in qualification contention despite featuring in both as they are not part of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).
India ticked the boxes for both men’s and women’s qualifications.
However, neither team’s rankings met the Indian Sports Ministry’s selection criteria.
The Indian men’s football team is currently ranked 138th in the FIFA rankings and 26th in Asia, well outside the required threshold.
Though much closer to the mark, the women are ranked 69th in the world and 13th in Asia.
The Indian women’s team also recently lifted the SAFF Women’s Championship title at home.
“There are some rules of the government based on which they depute teams for the Asian Games,” All India Football Federation (AIFF) Deputy Secretary General M Satyanarayan told The Times of India. “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 storied history at the Asian Games.
The Indian men’s football team won a gold medal at the inaugural New Delhi 1951 Asian Games and repeated the feat at Jakarta 1962. They also clinched a bronze at Bangkok 1970.
However, India’s performances at the continental meet have been on a downslide since then.
India’s women have made just three appearances in Asian Games football, finishing eighth in 1998, ninth in 2014 and 13th in the most recent edition at Hangzhou 2023.
read more: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/indian-football-team-asian-games-2026-no-participation-reason
