All you need to know about Igor Stimac’s record as India head coach

Igor Stimac was sacked as the India national football team head coach by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Monday, June 17. 

The decision to terminate head coach Igor Stimac’s contract came just days after the Indian football team failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026 AFC qualifiers third round following their 1-2 defeat against Qatar in their last match at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha on June 11.

With another loss, India finished third in the FIFA World Cup 2026 AFC qualifiers second round Group A with just five points, behind Qatar and Kuwait.

Earlier, the Blue Tigers also had a dismal AFC Asian Cup campaign under head coach Igor Stimac.

India lost all their three group matches against Australia (0-2), Uzbekistan (0-3) and Syria (0-1) to finish at the bottom of the Group B standings. 

Additionally, India failed to score a single goal in the marquee tournament to record their worst performance in the AFC Asian Cup according to the numbers.

Since winning the SAFF Cup in June 2023, the Stimac-coached side managed just a solitary win in their 12 games. Their only victory came in a 1-0 win over Kuwait away from home in November.

“A notice of termination has been issued to Mr. Stimac by the AIFF Secretariat, and he stands relieved of his obligations with immediate effect. The AIFF thanks Mr. Stimac for his service to the National Team and wishes him well in his future endeavours,” AIFF stated on their website.

Know Igor Stimac record and stats as India head coach.

Igor Stimac record and stats India head coach

The Indian national football team played 53 games under head coach Igor Stimac. India registered 19 wins, 14 draws and suffered 20 defeats. 

During Stimac’s five-year reign as head coach, the Indian football team’s FIFA ranking went from 101 after the AFC Asian Cup in 2019 to 99 in 2023, to now a disappointing 121.

His best-ever result as India head coach came against Qatar after the Blue Tigers held reigning Asian champions Qatar in September 2019.

India’s biggest win under Stimac came against arch-rivals Pakistan in the SAFF Championship 2023. Sunil Chhetri netted a hat-trick while Udanta Singh added one more to power India to a 4-0 victory at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.

Earlier, India also defeated Hong Kong 4-0 in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata in June 2022.

On the other hand, India’s biggest defeat under Stimac was registered against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in an international friendly in March 2021. The Blue Tigers suffered a 0-6 loss in Dubai. 

The Blue Tigers recorded a win percentage of just 35.8%, having scored 71 goals while they conceded 76.

Under his tutelage, the Blue Tigers has won four major trophies, including two SAFF Championships, one Intercontinental Cup and a Tri-Nations Series.

As per reports, Igor Stimac is likely to receive INR 3 crore ($360,000) as compensation package after being relieved of his duties with immediate effect.

Photo credit: Alamy