It was called the most successful FIFA U-17 World Cup ever, with a record-breaking attendance of 1,347,133, exceeding China's record of 1,230,976 from 1985.

[14] They defeated East Yorkshire Regiment 2–1 in the tournament's final in a victory that is still regarded as one of the greatest win by an Indian football team before independence.

[16] India qualified by default for the 1950 FIFA World Cup in Brazil because all of their scheduled opponents withdrew.

It was not because of a lack of financial assistance, particularly to purchase tickets for the sea journey, or because the team were not allowed to play barefoot.

In this period, the national team won numerous titles under the coaching of Syed Abdul Rahim.

India won the gold medal in the first Asian Games in 1951, beating Iran by one goal.

In 1956, no longer playing barefoot, India reached the semi-final in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, becoming the first Asian country to do so and ranking fourth in the tournament.

[15] India also won the Merdeka Cup and the Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament, while East Bengal garnered good reviews after touring Romania.

According to former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, India is "The sleeping giant of world football".

[22][23] In an international tournament at the 1970 Asian Games, India won the bronze medal after defeating Japan 1–0.

[26][27][28] In club football, on 24 September 1977, Mohun Bagan held onto a 2–2 draw at the Eden Gardens stadium in Calcutta, against a Pelé-led New York Cosmos.

[29] Mohun Bagan would have won the tie had it not been for a controversial penalty awarded to the visiting team that ensured the draw.

[30] The next day, the newspaper Ananda Bazar Patrika described Goutam Sarkar as "India's very own Beckenbauer".

[33] In August 2007, the Indian national team won the Nehru Cup for the first time, beating Syria 1–0.

India was eliminated in the group stage, which included South Korea, Australia, and Bahrain.

[39] The India national under-23 football team won the first round of the 2012 Olympics qualifiers against Myanmar but were eliminated by Qatar.

The Indian senior national team had several successes during their initial years, but is no longer considered one of the best in Asia.

As of 2023[update], few of India's national football stadiums meet current world standards.

[8] However, prior to the start of the tournament, India withdrew due to the expenses required in getting the team to Brazil.

[8] But this reason was untrue because FIFA was ready to give money to India (AIFF) for their trip to Brazil.

[100] Other reasons cited for why India withdrew include FIFA not allowing Indian players to play in the tournament barefoot and the All India Football Federation not considering the FIFA World Cup an important tournament compared to the Olympics.

The team managed to qualify following other nations' refusal to play against India due to political reasons.

The match ended in a 2–1 defeat, with Sarangapani Raman scoring the lone goal for India.

After India's first round opponents, Hungary, withdrew from the tournament, the team played against hosts Australia in the quarter-finals.

A Neville D'Souza hat-trick, the first by an Asian footballer in the Olympics, helped India win 4–2.

[143] In 1951 Asian Games India won their first match against Indonesia in the first round and then defeated Japan in semi-final and went on to win against Iran in the final in front of the home crowd.

[24] This was the last time India ever finished on the medal podium, the next years proved to be hard to regain their dominance as the side went through a sharp decline.

[159] India has played in the final of every championship except the 2003, tournament where they claimed bronze medal.

[160] India has participated in every edition of senior football at the South Asian Games, except in 1984.

[254] Note that the Chinese football clubs Guangzhou FC, Shandong Taishan, Beijing Guoan, the Tianjin Jinmen Tiger and Shanghai Shenhua ranked above the Kerala Blasters with millions of followers on Weibo.