India U-20 Football Team to be Fielded in the I-League For 2024-25 Season, Says AIFF: Report

Indian football seeks a revival at the grassroots level yet again, as recent reports state that the AIFF has decided to field the Under-20s National Team in the upcoming 2024-25 season of the I-League.

The move comes on the back of the AIFF disbanding its developmental side, Indian Arrows, back in 2022, due to the difficulty in fulfilling AFC’s stringent licensing criteria.

But, yet another step has been taken in the right direction to promote young talent and foster more growth, as integrating the juniors in the environment of the I-League can be expected to produce some top talent.

“It is not exactly the revival of the Indian Arrows project. But we want to prepare the U-20 boys and girls teams for the senior team from here on,” AIFF Acting General Secretary M Satyanarayan reportedly told News9 Sports.

“We have thought of a year-long plan for the U-20 teams and the first step to provide them more game time is to let them play competitive matches in the I-League.”

Currently, the U20 side’s nomenclature, home venue and head coach are undecided, as the AIFF seeks funding for the young side. But, it has been informed that the side shall enjoy immunity from relegation, similar to the Indian Arrows back when they played in the I-League.

But first, international duty lies ahead for the youngsters.

Under the guidance of former international Ranjan Chaudhuri, the U-20 team will participate in the SAFF U-20 Championship in Nepal from August 16-28 and then tackle Iran, Mongolia and Laos in the group stage of the AFC U-20 Asian Cup 2025 Qualifiers in Laos from September 21-29.

Chaudhuri believes it is his mission to get as many of these boys prepared for the top level as possible.

“We have been SAFF Champions before. So, we are expected to win the title again. However, that is not the ultimate target,” said Chaudhuri. “I believe it is important for us to cultivate a good footballing culture within this team, and ensure that we provide them a platform from which they can eventually be put in a supply line to the senior national team.”