The history of football in India is a long and detailed one, as it was the national sport at one time. The impetus for this was to unify the Indian Army. There is evidence of football games being played in the army since at least 1949. India is home to some of the oldest football clubs in the world, and the world's third oldest competition, the Durand Cup. There was a time when football in India was highly celebrated. The Indian football outfit was called the "Brazilians of Asia".
1800s
Football was introduced to India by British soldiers in the mid-nineteenth century. It spread because of the efforts of Nagendra Prasad Sarbadhikari. In 1888 the Durand Cup was founded by then India's Foreign Secretary, Mortimer Durand at Shimla, India. The Durand Cup is the third oldest football competition behind the FA Cup and the Scottish Cup. It was initiated, as a recreation for British troops stationed in India. Royal Scots Fusiliers won the first edition of the cup by beating Highland Light Infantry 2–1 in the final. In 1893, the IFA Shield was founded as the fourth oldest trophy in the world. Calcutta, then capital of British India, soon became the hub of Indian football. Sarada FC was the oldest Indian football club.
Calcutta FC was the first club to be established in 1872. Other early clubs include Dalhousie Club, Traders Club and Naval Volunteers Club.
In 1889 India's oldest current team Mohun Bagan A.C. was founded as "Mohun Bagan Sporting Club". This was the first club to be under the rule of the army. Both Hindus and Muslims players played in it. Several football clubs like Calcutta FC, Sovabazar and Aryan Club were established in Calcutta during the 1890s. Tournaments like the Gladstone Cup, Trades Cup and Cooch Behar Cup also started around this time. R B Ferguson Football Club was established on February 20, 1899 in Thrissur, Kerala and it was the oldest football club in the southern part of India. The club was named after the Kochi Police Superintendent, R B Ferguson. The club was famed by the nickname Young Men's Football Club and played a huge role in promoting football in Kerala during the early 1900s.
The first Indian Federation, the Indian Football Association, was founded in 1893 but did not have a single Indian on its board.
1900–1950
Several clubs were founded, more Cup competitions were introduced and Indian players became more common. The major event that showed a rise in Indian Football was in 1911 when Mohun Bagan AC defeated East Yorkshire Regiment 2–1 in the final of the IFA Shield. This was the first time an Indian team won a major national tournament. The Durand Cup, first held in Shimla in 1888, was the first Indian football competition and is incidentally the third oldest surviving competition the World over. It was started by Sir Mortimer Durand.
In the 1940s "Aurora Football Club" the second newest club in southern India was formed in Kerala. It was formed by the football loving fans of Ollur (Thrissur) which started its football journey from Thrissur.
The first known official international tour by Indian team which consists of both Indian and British players were in 1924, where the team was led by legendary Indian footballer Gostha Paul. Football teams consisting of entirely Indian players started to tour Australia, Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand during the late 1930s. The first international match India played before independence is yet to be verified, but the trace of first international match that India played overseas was against Ceylon in 1933. It was India's second International tour, where Gostha Paul led the Indian side to a victory over the host country with 1–0 score. On 4 July 1936 India played against visiting Chinese team, which was held at Calcutta. The match was a draw 1–1 After the success of several Indian football clubs abroad, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) was formed in 1937.
In 1938, India made an official tour to Australia where they played matches against many clubs and the Australian national side. From 3 September 1938 at Sydney, India played 5 friendly matches. At the Sydney match they saw a defeat of 5–3. Second match was at Brisbane, where the Indians fought back for a draw of 4–4. In the third match at Newcastle on 17 September, India registered their first win by a margin of 4–1. However, he Australians defeated India in the next two matches held at Sydney and Melbourne with a score of 5–4 and 3–1 respectively.