As the Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five begins in Brazil, with India’s Kalina Rangers competing, futsal might just give Indian football the push it needs.
At first glance, the Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five — an international five-a-side futsal competition — can seem like just another flashy event built around the popularity of a superstar. Football often thrives on passion but is equally driven by business, so it’s easy to dismiss a tournament tied to a big name. Yet in less than a decade, this event has turned into one of the biggest of its kind, spanning 62 countries and drawing over 1.25 lakh participants worldwide. Surprisingly, India has emerged as one of its strongest contributors.
The tournament arrived in India at the same time astro turfs and small-sided pitches were mushrooming across cities. In 2016, only about 500 Indian teams entered, but by 2019, that number had shot past 3,000. The winners earned a trip to Brazil for the world finals at Neymar’s football institute in Praia Grande. In fact, by 2018, India ranked second only to Brazil in terms of entries. And this is just one competition — in Mumbai alone, futsal events are held almost every weekend.
The steady rise of futsal, alongside popular local formats like the Kerala Sevens, shows how deeply the shorter version of the game has caught on in India. What it also highlights is the need — and opportunity — for a formal national futsal league, which could eventually pave the way for an official Indian futsal team.
