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Since India's independence, there have been many different coaches for the national team, out of which some were foreign. The most successful coach for India was Syed Abdul Rahim, who led India to gold in both the 1951 and 1962 Asian Games while also achieving a fourth-place finish during the 1956 Summer Olympics.
While the most successful foreign coaches for India were Bob Houghton and Stephen Constantine; both of them helped the team to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup. With Houghton in charge from 2006 to 2011, India won the Nehru Cup twice and the AFC Challenge Cup in 2008, which allowed them to participate in their first AFC Asian Cup for 27 years.
Since Houghton resigned as head coach in 2011, the Indian national team's FIFA ranking touched its lowest at 173 in the team history in March 2015, but Stephen Constantine, who was appointed for the second time as the head coach of India, revived the Indian team from its meagre condition.
Under Constantine, the team remained unbeaten for two years from June 2016 to March 2018 winning 11 matches and drawn 2 matches, which helped them to qualify for 2019 AFC Asian Cup, 8 years since Houghton left. He also helped the team to reach a better FIFA ranking of 96 in July 2017, which was the best in last 21 years.
Let's have a look at every Indian Team Football coach since 1948.
Every Indian Team Football Coach
Manolo Márquez
- Appointed - July 20, 2024
- Post Ended - July 2, 2025
- Matches - 8
Manolo Marquez was appointed as the head coach of the Indian men’s football team in June last year. Under his tenure, the Blue Tigers picked up just one win in eight matches, a 3-0 victory over the Maldives in a friendly in March.
Marquez took over the top job in Indian football after guiding Hyderabad FC to the Indian Super League (ISL) title in the 2021-22. He also won the Super Cup trophy with FC Goa earlier this year. Last year, he juggled dual responsibilities, serving as head coach of FC Goa during the 2024-25 season while continuing his role as head coach of the Indian national team.
Igor Stimac
- Appointed - May 15, 2019
- Post Ended - June 17, 2024
- Matches - 53
Igor Stimac, who was part of the famous Croatia side which finished third in the FIFA World Cup 1998 in France, had replaced Englishman Stephen Constantine as India’s head coach in 2019.
Stimac's five-year-long tenure has been a mixed bag for Indian football. He led India to the SAFF Championship title twice in 2021 and 2023. India also won the 2023 Tri-Nation Series and Intercontinental Cup under him. However, India’s performances at higher-tier football events under Stimac have been disappointing at best. Despite qualifying for the AFC Asian Cup 2023 in Qatar, India failed to register a single point or goal in the group stage of the main event.
Under the Croat, India made the second round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 AFC qualifiers but failed to progress any further after a slew of disappointing results on the field. Stimac has been in charge of the Indian senior team in 53 international matches, winning 19, drawing 14 and losing 20.
Stephen Constantine
- Appointed - January 16, 2015
- Post Ended - January 31, 2019
- Matches - 43
This was Stephen Constantine's second tenure as India's coach when he took up the job in 2015. He previously served as the boss between 2002 and 2005. The combined seven years makes him the longest-serving foreign manager for the Indian team.
Under Constantine, India witnessed a surge in the Fifa world rankings, famously breaking into the top-100 last year after a string of good results. In early 2016, Constantine tasted silverware with the Indian team as his side beat Afghanistan 2-1 to win the SAFF Championship title. Between 2017 and 2018, the Indian team went on a memorable unbeaten streak of 13 games before crashing to a 1-2 loss against Kyrgyzstan.
The Indians also won the Intercontinental cup on home soil and booked their place in the AFC Asian Cup after missing out on the 2015 edition under his coaching.
Every Indian Team Football Coach Since 1948
| Name | Appointed | End of time in post | Time in post | Matches | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manolo Márquez | Jul 20, 2024 | Jul 2, 2025 | 347 days | 8 | 0.88 |
| Igor Stimac | May 15, 2019 | Jun 17, 2024 | 1860 days | 53 | 1.34 |
| Stephen Constantine | Jan 16, 2015 | Jan 31, 2019 | 1476 days | 43 | 1.81 |
| Wim Koevermans | Jul 1, 2012 | Oct 7, 2014 | 828 days | 15 | 1.20 |
| Savio Medeira | Oct 28, 2011 | Jun 30, 2012 | 246 days | 13 | 1.31 |
| Armando Colaco | May 17, 2011 | Oct 27, 2011 | 163 days | 4 | 0.25 |
| Bob Houghton | Jul 1, 2006 | Apr 23, 2011 | 1757 days | 34 | 1.29 |
| Syed Nayeemuddin | Sep 30, 2005 | Mar 9, 2006 | 160 days | 4 | 1.00 |
| Stephen Constantine | May 24, 2002 | Apr 1, 2005 | 1043 days | 9 | 0.56 |
| Sukhwinder Singh | Jul 1, 2001 | Jun 30, 2002 | 364 days | 0 | - |
| Islam Akhmedov | Jan 1, 2001 | Dec 31, 2001 | 364 days | 2 | 0.00 |
| Rustam Akramov | Jan 1, 1995 | Dec 31, 1997 | 1095 days | 3 | 1.33 |
| Jiri Pesek | Jul 1, 1993 | Jun 30, 1994 | 364 days | 0 | - |
| Derek D'Souza | Jul 1, 1992 | Jun 30, 1993 | 364 days | 0 | - |
| Chuni Goswami | Jul 1, 1991 | Jun 30, 1992 | 365 days | 1 | 0.00 |
| József Gelei | Feb 4, 1990 | Jun 30, 1992 | 877 days | 1 | 0.00 |
| Syed Nayeemuddin | Jul 1, 1987 | Jun 30, 1989 | 730 days | 2 | 0.00 |
| P.K. Banerjee | Jul 1, 1985 | Jun 30, 1986 | 364 days | 0 | - |
| Arun Ghosh | Jul 1, 1984 | Jun 30, 1985 | 364 days | 0 | - |
| Milovan Ciric | Jul 1, 1984 | Jun 30, 1985 | 364 days | 0 | - |
| Joe Kinnear | Jul 1, 1983 | Jun 30, 1984 | 365 days | 1 | 0.00 |
| P.K. Banerjee | Jul 1, 1981 | Jun 30, 1982 | 364 days | 0 | - |
| Bob Bootland | Jul 1, 1981 | Jun 30, 1982 | 364 days | 0 | - |
| G.M.H. Basha | Jul 1, 1979 | Jun 30, 1980 | 365 days | 0 | - |
| Arun Ghosh | Jul 1, 1978 | Jun 30, 1979 | 364 days | 0 | - |
| G.M.H. Basha | Jul 1, 1976 | Jun 30, 1977 | 364 days | 0 | - |
| Sheoo Mewalal | Jul 1, 1976 | Jun 30, 1977 | 364 days | 0 | - |
| Jarnail Singh | Jul 1, 1975 | Jun 30, 1976 | 365 days | 0 | - |
| P.K. Banerjee | Jul 1, 1972 | Jun 30, 1974 | 729 days | 0 | - |
| G.M.H. Basha | Jul 1, 1970 | Jun 30, 1971 | 364 days | 0 | - |
| Jarnail Singh | Jul 1, 1968 | Jun 30, 1969 | 364 days | 0 | - |
| Sailen Manna | Jul 1, 1967 | Jun 30, 1968 | 365 days | 0 | - |
| S.R. Deb | Jul 1, 1966 | Jun 30, 1967 | 364 days | 0 | - |
| Sachindranath Mitra | Jul 1, 1965 | Jun 30, 1966 | 364 days | 0 | - |
| Mohammed Hussain | Jul 1, 1964 | Jun 30, 1967 | 1094 days | 0 | - |
| G.M. Pentiah | Jul 1, 1963 | Jun 30, 1964 | 365 days | 0 | - |
| Harry Wright | Jun 12, 1963 | Jun 4, 1964 | 358 days | 1 | 0.00 |
| Sailen Manna | Jul 1, 1960 | Jun 30, 1961 | 364 days | 0 | - |
| T Shome | Jul 1, 1957 | Jun 30, 1958 | 364 days | 0 | - |
| Saroj Bose | Jul 1, 1954 | Jun 30, 1955 | 364 days | 0 | - |
| Abdul Rahim | Jul 1, 1950 | Jun 30, 1963 | 4747 days | 8 | 1.13 |
| Balaidas Chatterjee | Jul 1, 1948 | Jun 30, 1949 | 364 days | 0 | - |