Overview
- Origin
- 1930s Uruguay
- Category
- Team
- Olympic discipline
- No
- Paralympic discipline
- No
- Central pathway
- Federation and state pathway
- Athlete profiles on SportSupport
- 0
Governance and status
Each field below is shown only where we hold a source for it; anything else reads “Not currently verified” rather than a guess. Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports recognition is granted year by year, so it is only ever shown with the year it applies to. Last reviewed: September 2026.
- Indian governing/organising body
- AIFF Futsal
- Ministry recognition
- Not currently verified
- International federation
- Not currently verified
- Khelo India inclusion
- Not currently verified
- TOPS eligibility
- Not currently verified
- Olympic status
- Not on the Olympic programme
- Paralympic status
- Not a Paralympic discipline
Futsal is listed on SportSupport in the team category. Its recorded origin is 1930s Uruguay. It is not on the Olympic programme. We list AIFF Futsal as the Indian governing/organising body for the sport.
Futsal has a federation and state-level pathway in India, and athletes selected through AIFF Futsal may be eligible for state sports-quota employment and state cash awards where their state notifies the discipline. TOPS does not apply, as the discipline is outside the Olympic programme.
Scholarships & Funding
Central, state and private scholarships available for futsal athletes in India.
- Khelo India Talent Identification & Development (KITID)
Stipend, boarding, coaching and kit at accredited centres for talent identified through the Khelo India selection process (Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports). Applies only to disciplines on the official Khelo India Games list, and only to athletes it selects.
- National Sports Development Fund (NSDF)
Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports fund used to sponsor elite athletes' training, foreign coaches and equipment. Allocations are made case by case; we hold no record of NSDF support specific to futsal.
- Pension for Meritorious Sportspersons
Lifetime monthly pension for retired internationals who meet the scheme's medal criteria at Asian, Commonwealth or World Championship level — Government of India. Whether a given futsal event counts depends on the scheme's notified list.
- State sports quota and government employment
Many states reserve government and public-sector posts for national-level medallists. Which futsal events and which certifying bodies a state accepts varies by state, so check your state's current notification.
Indian Players
No profiles yetNo athlete profiles are recorded for futsal yet. We only list athletes we can source, so this section stays empty until verifiable profiles exist.
Browse the full athlete directory →Rules
A 5-a-side indoor variant of football played on a hard court with a smaller, low-bounce ball. Games run two 20-minute halves with a running clock that stops on dead balls; unlimited rolling substitutions are allowed.
Authoritative rulebook: AIFF Futsal. Age-group and school-level variations are published by SGFI and the state associations each season.
Positions
Typical roles across team sports. These are category-level descriptions, not a sourced futsal squad list.
- Attackers / forwardsPrimary scorers who operate closest to the opposition goal or scoring zone.
- Midfielders / all-roundersLink play between defence and attack; usually the highest work-rate positions.
- DefendersDeny the opposition space and possession in the defensive third.
- Goalkeeper / last lineSpecialist stopper with distinct kit and rules; the final line of defence.
- Captain & vice-captainOn-field leadership, decision-making and communication with match officials.
Equipment
Standard kit and infrastructure required to train and compete in futsal at a federation-recognised event.
- Futsal ball (smaller, low-bounce)
- Indoor court with goals
- Indoor futsal/court shoes
Governing/organising body
AIFF Futsal is the body we list as the Indian governing/organising body for Futsal, and state associations affiliated to it run age-group competition. We hold no current-year Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports recognition record for it, so this is not a statement of current recognition — recognition is granted year by year.
- Origin
- 1930s Uruguay
- Olympic
- No
- Paralympic
- No
- Category
- Team
Major Indian Events
Domestic competitions we hold a source for in futsal.
- AIFF Futsal Club Championship
India's premier club futsal competition, organized by the All India Football Federation since 2021 (debuted with 16 teams). The 2025-26 edition (Bhavnagar, Gujarat) featured clubs from 13 state associations, several making their tournament debut — the primary domestic pathway feeding national team selection.
International Events
Continental and world-level competitions we hold a source for in futsal.
- SAFF Futsal Championship
Both India's men's national team ('Futsal Tigers') and women's national team ('Futsal Tigresses') made their first-ever appearance in 2026, with both sides finishing runners-up.
- AFC Futsal Asian Cup qualifiers
India has competed in qualification rounds — men's team debuted internationally in August 2023 (FIFA ranking 130 as of May 2026), women's team debuted in January 2025 (FIFA ranking 86 as of Dec 2025) — but neither has yet reached the main Asian Cup or FIFA Futsal World Cup.
Leagues
No dedicated professional league is currently catalogued for futsal. The national championship under AIFF Futsal remains the top domestic competition.
All leagues →International Players
Globally recognised futsal athletes to know outside India.
The international federation for futsal maintains the current world ranking — check the federation site for the up-to-date top names.
Career Options
Ways to build a career in futsal — on the field, on the sidelines and behind the scenes.
- Playing pathway through AIFF state-association futsal leagues feeding into the Futsal Club Championship and national team selection
- Coaching certification through AFC Futsal coaching courses — AIFF has run AFC Futsal Level 1 and Level 2 certification programmes
- As a fast-growing indoor variant of football with lower infrastructure costs than 11-a-side, futsal is opening earlier competitive pathways in states newly represented at the national championship
Related academies
0 listedNo futsal academies are catalogued in the directory yet. Browse the full academy list or list your academy to appear here.
FAQs
Common questions about futsal in India.
Who governs Futsal in India?▾
We list AIFF Futsal as the Indian governing/organising body for Futsal, and state associations affiliated to it run age-group and state-level competition. We hold no current-year Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports recognition record for it, so this is not a statement that it is currently a recognised national sports federation — recognition is granted year by year.
Is Futsal an Olympic sport?▾
No, Futsal is not on the Olympic programme.
How do I start playing Futsal in India?▾
The usual routes are a school team under the School Games Federation of India (SGFI), a college team under the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), or a private academy affiliated to your state association under AIFF Futsal. Age-group state championships follow from there.
What government schemes support Futsal athletes?▾
TOPS does not apply, as Futsal is outside the Olympic programme. State-government cash awards or sports-quota employment can apply where a state notifies the discipline, which varies by state. Futsal does not appear on the official Khelo India Games discipline list, so we make no Khelo India claim for it.
Futsal in every state & UT
Dedicated pages for Futsal in each Indian state and Union Territory — academies, schemes, athletes and how to start.
- Futsal in Andhra Pradesh
- Futsal in Arunachal Pradesh
- Futsal in Assam
- Futsal in Bihar
- Futsal in Chhattisgarh
- Futsal in Goa
- Futsal in Gujarat
- Futsal in Haryana
- Futsal in Himachal Pradesh
- Futsal in Jharkhand
- Futsal in Karnataka
- Futsal in Kerala
- Futsal in Madhya Pradesh
- Futsal in Maharashtra
- Futsal in Manipur
- Futsal in Meghalaya
- Futsal in Mizoram
- Futsal in Nagaland
- Futsal in Odisha
- Futsal in Punjab
- Futsal in Rajasthan
- Futsal in Sikkim
- Futsal in Tamil Nadu
- Futsal in Telangana
- Futsal in Tripura
- Futsal in Uttar Pradesh
- Futsal in Uttarakhand
- Futsal in West Bengal
- Futsal in Andaman & Nicobar Islands
- Futsal in Chandigarh
- Futsal in Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu
- Futsal in Delhi
- Futsal in Jammu & Kashmir
- Futsal in Ladakh
- Futsal in Lakshadweep
- Futsal in Puducherry