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The Indian football team recently suffered an exit from the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. In recent times, the Blue Tigers have faced several failures and this was one among them, which came under head coach Igor Stimac.
With the failures piling on, the pressure on the team and head coach only increased, putting his job under threat. After a string of negative outcomes, the sacking of the Croatian tactician was long overdue. Eventually, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) dismissed Stimac as the head coach of the Indian football team on June 17, 2024.
This ended a five-year-long stint of the Indian football team with Stimac at the helm. He took over as the head coach in 2019. The Blue Tigers saw many highs and lows during his leadership. Interestingly, he also goes down as one of the longest-serving managers of the national side.
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Here is a look at the top three head coaches of the Indian football team with the longest stints
#3 Bob Houghton - 44 matches
Englishman Bob Houghton is the third-longest serving head coach of the Indian football team. He took over as the head coach in 2006 and held the position till 2011.
India played 44 matches under Houghton's leadership. During the period, they managed to win 14 games, draw six, and faced 24 defeats.
Speaking of his highs as the head coach of the national team, he led the Blue Tigers to two Nehru Cup triumphs in 2007 and 2009. The team also won the AFC Challenge Cup in 2008 while finishing runners-up at the SAFF Championship in the same year.
#2 Igor Stimac - 46 matches
Igor Stimac spent five years as the head coach of the Indian football team. During his time, he oversaw as many as 46 matches. The Croatian tactician succeeded Stephen Constantine after he resigned from the position in 2019 following India's AFC Asian Cup exit.
Stimac led India to the SAFF Championship title in 2021 and 2023, apart from the Tri-Nation Series and the Intercontinental Cup in the same year. However, the failure to lead the side to the third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, among other defeats, led to his sacking.
The team tasted 19 victories, drew 12 matches, and lost 15 out of the 46 under his leadership.
#1 Stephen Constantine - 60 matches
Stephen Constantine tops this list. He remains the head coach who has served the Indian football team for the longest time. The Englishman took over the post for the first time back in 2002, spending three years as head coach until 2005.
However, he was appointed once again in 2015 and stayed as the head coach for four years until 2019. Currently the head coach of the Pakistan football team, Constantine is the only foreigner to manage the Indian team twice.
Under his realm, the Blue Tigers witnessed a significant rise in their FIFA rankings, going from 173 in March 2015 to 97 in December 2018. He led the team for 60 matches across two stints, 18 in his first and 42 in his second.
