ARDIYA, KUWAIT: There were a handful of Indian supporters at the Qushaian Al-Mutairi Hall in Ardiya on Wednesday, 24 September 2025, but they were the fortunate few to witness a historic moment unfold. India recorded their first-ever international futsal victory as they overpowered Mongolia 3-0 in the last Group A clash of the AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers. The two sides went into the break with India narrowly leading 1-0.

It was not just their maiden win on the international stage, but also the first clean sheet in Indian futsal’s young history. In a sport still taking its initial steps on the national front, this landmark result may well mark a turning point in the Indian futsal.

The star of the evening was Seaon D’Souza, who netted a brace with goals in each half. Anmol Adhikari put the finishing touches, registering the third and final goal.

India had already been eliminated from the qualifiers following defeats against Kuwait (1-4) and Australia (1-10). However, with pride at stake and a chance to finish on a high, the team showed remarkable character. With the victory, India ended third in Group A with three points in their second appearance in the tournament’s qualifiers.

Mongolia, ranked 110th in the world (25 spots above India), entered the match equally eager to break their winless run in qualifiers stretching back to 2018. India had to dig deep and deliver a performance of discipline and desire to secure the result.

Much like in their spirited display against Kuwait, India approached the match with confidence and tactical discipline. Although Mongolia dominated possession early on, India stayed compact defensively, threw themselves into blocks, and denied the opponents time and space.

The first breakthrough arrived in the 17th minute. India captain Nikhil Mali saw his shot blocked by the advancing Mongolian goalkeeper Narmandakh Battulga, but pounced on the loose ball and laid it off to D’Souza, who smashed his shot into the top left corner to hand India a 1-0 lead going into half-time.

The second half saw Mongolia push hard for an equaliser, but India held firm. Then, in the 33rd minute, India launched a swift counter-attack. A long ball released Mali, who drew the goalkeeper out before feeding D’Souza with a clever pass. The forward calmly slotted the ball into an empty net, bringing up his third goal of the tournament.

India’s momentum continued, and they struck again in the 35th minute. Aman Shah played in Anmol Adhikari, who made no mistake to put the result beyond doubt.

The final whistle confirmed a famous 3-0 win for India, capping off their campaign with a performance to remember – one that may inspire a new generation of Indian futsal players.

Player of the match Seaon D’Souza said, “It feels absolutely amazing. I am really proud of myself and my team because this marks our first victory in futsal, and I was able to contribute with two goals. I would like to express my gratitude to my coach, teammates, the team physio, the entire support staff, and of course, the Indian fans in Kuwait who came to support us in every game. I am deeply grateful to them, and I would like to dedicate these goals to my mom and dad.”

India: Aleef Rahman Mollah (GK), Ozen Vivian Silva (GK), Vishal Dube (GK), Aman Shah, Lalsangkima, Anmol Adhikari, Bijoy Gusai, K Roluahpuia, Seaon D’souza, David Laltlansanga, Fredsan Marshall, Jonathan Lalrawngbawla, Nikhil Mali (C).

Credits: AIFF Media

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The post India trounce Mongolia to get historic first win on futsal court appeared first on Football Counter.

With the Asian Football Confederation team coming over for “guidance and support,” AIFF Technical Director Savio Medeira feels Futsal in India will soon catch the imagination of all. In an interview, he speaks at length about the AFC support; the coach education programmes involved, pilot projects, women’s Futsal and much more.

Excerpts from the Interview:

The AFC Futsal Team had come visiting early last month. What next?

The visit of the AFC contingent was immensely helpful. WE need to thank them for all their guidance and support. Since then, we have had a detailed study on their report and have kicked-off the groundwork immediately. We have already met different stakeholders and the work is going on as per the plan.

What is the plan?

Unless you have quality coaches in the country, your project can’t sustain. Our first plan is to organise two Coach Education Programs in November followed by another two in December this year. We’ll have the first two courses in Mumbai and Mizoram respectively. We’re pondering over holding the next two in Delhi and Goa probably.

Also Read: Gurpreet, Chhetri return for AFC qualifiers against Macau

Is AFC going to play a key part in these programs?

Absolutely. I would like to mention that in a calendar year, every National Federation has to submit their Futsal plan within the month of June. After the 4-day Futsal Workshop across India, AFC official Mr. Ali made a special request to the authoritative body to consider India’s case separately. Hence, we got the nod to hold the Coach Education Programs where AFC Intructors will be present by themselves to hone our coaches’ skills.

When can we expect our first ‘official’ Futsal Championship?

Very soon. In fact, we’ll kick-off our pilot project in 2017 itself, probably in December this year. We’re thinking of starting with 3-4 states and maybe the eventual final will be played in the Capital. Moreover, we are in plans to kick-off women’s Futsal soon.

The post AIFF planning ‘Official’ Futsal project in December 2017 appeared first on Football Counter.

After a good even start, Kochi went ahead through an easy touch at far post by Moraes in the 13^th minute. The second quarter ended in a quick pace with both sides missing quite a few half chances and the scored remained 1-0 at half time. In the third quarter, a dubious foul by giggs ended with a free kick for Kochi and Michael Salgado shot directly into the net as the crowd started roaring only to be disappointed as the Goal was disallowed for being an indirect free kick. The last quarter saw a very defensive tactics implemented by Kochi as Mumbai piled on attacks after attacks. With amount of shots (24) on goals, Mumbai deservingly got the equalizer in the dying moments of the game when Angellot came up with an excellent juggle to get the ball past two Kochi defenders before vollying it on goal. The Match eventually ended in a 1-1 draw and went to the first ever penalties of the league.

The slightly modified penalty shootout rule gives an option for the striker to take as many shots as he wants, shoot or dribble past the Goalkeeper from 9 meters but find the goal within 5 seconds. Both teams are given 3 chances after which sudden death begins. Mumbai started with a miss as Foglia‘s shot was blocked by Casalone, while on the other hand chaguinha showed his super skill to put Kochi ahead. The next two penalties saw Mumbai score one through their ever reliable Angellot, and a miss from Kevin Ramirez, while for Kochi both Paulino and Moraes missed thier chance. And so begun the sudden death, Perez and Gekabert both scored to make it 2-2, But the Marque Players Giggs and Salgado both ended up missing it as the shootout continued. It finally boiled down to the Goalkeepers of the match to finish it off and while Amado scored, Casalona hit his shot wide to hand over the trophy to the Mumbai.

The Most Valuable Player of the tournament was awarded to Angellot (Mumbai 5s), while the golden Arm Band went to Chaguina (Kochi 5s). The Best Indian Player was awarded to Jonathan Piers (Bengalore 5s).

The post Mumbai 5s Crowned Premier Futsal Champions appeared first on Football Counter.

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Interested teams need to pay an entry fees of Rs. 2500 to confirm their entry.

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