The India national football team represents India in international football and is governed by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). The team is affiliated to FIFA and Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Indian team, which was once considered one of the best teams in Asia, had its golden era during the 1950s and early 1960s. During this period, India won gold at the 1951 and 1962 Asian Games, while finishing fourth at the 1956 Summer Olympics. Thus, India became the first Asian nation to reach the semi-final of a FIFA organised major tournament. India has never participated in the FIFA World Cup, although they did qualify by default for the 1950 FIFA World Cup of Brazil after all other nations in their qualification group withdrew. However, India withdrew prior to the beginning of the tournament due to unspecified reasons. The India national football team is arguably the strongest team in South Asia, it has appeared four times in the AFC Asian Cup, Asia's top football championship, and finished as runners-up once in 1964. India regularly participates in the SAFF Championship, the top football tournament in South Asia. It has won this tournament record eight times since its inception in 1993, thus India is the most successful team in the region. History Early years (1930s–1940s) The first known official international tour of the Indian team, which at that time consisted of both Indian and British players, was in 1924, when it was led by Indian footballer Gostha Paul. Football teams consisting of entirely Indian players started to tour Australia, Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand during the late 1930s. The first international match India played before independence is yet to be verified, but they are known to have played Ceylon in 1933, winning 1–0. After the success of several Indian football clubs abroad, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) was formed in 1937. In the same year, India carried out a lengthy tour of Australia at the request of the Australian Football Association. From August to October, they played 17 matches against various state, district, and club teams, and 5 friendly matches against the Australian national team. The first of these, on 3 September in Sydney, is India's first international game to be recognised by FIFA, and ended in a 5–3 defeat. After drawing the second match in Brisbane 4–4, India won the third match at Newcastle 4–1 to claim their first international win.