Yearender 2025: From Lionel Messi's GOAT Tour Visit To ISL Chaos, Everything That Transpired In Indian Football This Year

Indian football endured a bruising 2025 year with administrative collapse, ISL suspension, a fall in rankings, and the senior men's team's failure. These things overshadowed the rare highs from the women’s and junior sides in Indian football, leaving the future of the game in this country facing an uncertain future.

Another highlight of the year was football maestro Lionel Messi's visit to India alongside his Inter Miami teammates, Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul. While the Argentine did not come to play any match like his prior visit in 2011, his arrival briefly sparked some public interest and conversation around football.

Here's a look at everything that went down in Indian football this year.

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Senior Men's Team Downfall

The senior men's team did not just stumble; instead, they fell off the cliff this year. From a performance's point of view, they continued their downward spiral, reinforcing those concerns that were already raised last year. While the Blue Tigers managed to get some victories, including getting a bronze finish at the CAFA Nations Cup in September.

However, they have failed to deliver when it truly mattered. The biggest blow came in November when they lost 1-0 to Bangladesh in the AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifier, marking their first defeat at the hands of Bangladesh in 22 years.

Slide In FIFA Rankings

The  AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifier defeat, coupled with losses to Hong Kong and Singapore, ensured India's failure to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup for the first time since 2011. These results triggered a further slide in the FIFA rankings. India is currently holding the 142nd position.

All India Football Federation Chaos

Off the pitch, the situation for Indian football was more alarming. All India Football Federation faced an administrative crisis as they failed to secure a new commercial partner for the Indian Super League (ISL) following the expiry of its agreement with Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) on December 8.

The consequences were immediate in the sport. ISL, which was way into their season, was suspended with no certainty of whether it would ever return. Additionally, sponsors started pulling out, with City Football Club exiting Mumbai City FC amid the uncertainty.

This failure by the AIFF highlighted the flawed internal system in Indian football.

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Sunil Chhetri's U-turn From International Retirement

Sunil Chhetri, who announced his international retirement earlier this year, reversed his decision due to India's goal-scoring crisis. Chhetri's U-turn from his international retirement showcased how Indian football struggled this year.

Lionel Messi's GOAT India Tour Chaos

While Messi's visit sparked public interest in Indian football, the breakdown of law and order in Kolkata proved deeply embarrassing. Following the embarrassing display in Kolkata, the remaining legs in Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Delhi were conducted smoothly.

Women And Junior Teams Provide Some Hope

Amid the dark year in Indian football, the performances from the women's side and the junior team ensured some genuine hope in the future of Indian football.

The Indian Women's Team created history in July by qualifying directly for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 for the first time ever. Meanwhile, at the club level, East Bengal FC, the reigning Indian Women’s League champions, earned a direct spot in the next edition of the AFC Women’s Champions League after they became the first team to win a main-draw match in the AFC Champions League.

The junior team, on the other hand, won the seventh SAFF U-17 Championship title in Sri Lanka after winning against Bangladesh on penalties. Additionally, they also qualified for the 10th AFC U-17 Asian Cup finals after their 2-1 win against Iran.