The Indian men’s and women’s national football teams face a big hurdle in their quest to participate in the Asian Games 2026, scheduled for September 19 to October 4 in Japan. The Sports Ministry released new criterias for team sports eligibility, requiring a team to be ranked in the top eight in Asia or to have finished in the last eight of the AFC Asian Cup. Based on current standings, neither the men's nor the women's team meets this benchmark.
The men’s team, currently ranked 24th in Asia, falls well short of the top-eight ranking requirement. Their most recent appearance at the AFC Asian Cup in 2024 ended with an elimination in the group stage. Historically, the men's team has won two Asian Games gold medals in 1951 and 1962, but their best showing since 1970 was a quarterfinal finish in 1982. So, for a team whose Asian Cup qualification is yet to be confirmed, a rise in rankings by the March cut-off date remains unlikely.
The women’s team currently fares better, ranking 12th in Asia, but still not meeting the Ministry's top-eight requirement. They were forced to withdraw from the 2022 Asian Cup due to a COVID-19 outbreak. However, with the next edition of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup scheduled for March next year, their still remains a certain leeway. The women's team has qualified for this tournament on merit for the first time and if they can secure a top-eight finish in Australia, they will, as per the criteria, clear the criteria for the Asian Games.
This is not something that the Indian football team has no acquaintance with in fact, in the last edition of the Asian Games in Hangzhou, both teams were only allowed to travel after receiving a special discretion from the Central Government, an exception that may or may not be granted again. The Ministry's document explicitly states that teams whose "aim is just for participation and not aiming for excellence" will not be approved.
Given the guidelines, the only possible path for now, appears to be through the "relaxation clause" in the Ministry guidelines, which allows for participation if "recommended with justifiable reasons" by experts and the SAI. WHile the women's team prepares for its Asian Cup outing, the men's team is hoping for some sort of reprieve to avoid missing the Aichi-Nagoya Asian games in 2026.