We don't have a serious grassroots programme with a long-term vision
India, home to 1.4 billion people, has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup — a paradox that reveals how sheer population alone cannot conjure sporting greatness. The absence speaks not to a lack of passion, as football-mad states like West Bengal and Kerala attest, but to decades of structural neglect: underfunded grassroots programs, institutional mismanagement, and the long shadow of cricket over every other sport. As the expanded 48-team tournament opens new doors across Asia, India finds itself watching from the outside, ranked 136th in the world, contemplating the distance between aspiration and architecture.
- India has slipped to 136th in FIFA rankings — below World Cup debutants Uzbekistan and Jordan — after failing to advance past the third round of Asian qualifiers for the first time.
- The Indian Super League, once a symbol of football's commercial promise, stumbled through a severely delayed season without sponsors, leaving hundreds of players in uncertainty and eroding confidence in the federation's leadership.
- Cricket's gravitational pull remains overwhelming: middle-class families chase IPL contracts, draining football of the talented youth it desperately needs to build a competitive pipeline.
- Four players of Indian origin are representing other nations at this very World Cup, exposing a policy gap — OCI cardholders must currently renounce foreign citizenship to play for India, a rule that may soon change.
- Former captains Bhutia and Chettri are urging patience and realism: qualify consistently for the Asian Cup, establish India among Asia's top 15 to 20 nations, and only then set sights on the World Cup.
India has never appeared at a FIFA World Cup. For a nation of 1.4 billion people, the absence is both a statistical anomaly and a mirror held up to decades of structural failure. In states like West Bengal, Kerala, and Goa, football is genuinely beloved — Indian journalists fill World Cup press boxes even as their country has no team to cover. Yet the recurring question from outsiders says it all: does India even play football?
Former captain Baichung Bhutia believes qualification is possible but refuses to offer false hope. With the expanded 48-team format granting Asia nine spots, nations like Uzbekistan and Jordan have broken through — both ranked far above India's current 136th position. What India lacks, Bhutia argues, is not talent but infrastructure: no serious long-term grassroots programme, and a middle class increasingly steering children toward cricket's lucrative IPL contracts rather than football.
The institutional picture is troubling. The Indian Super League, launched in 2014 with Bollywood glamour and business investment, recently collapsed into a curtailed, sponsorless season that left players in limbo. The AIFF's Vision 2047 — promising to bring 35 million children into the game — has quietly faded. A brief 2023 resurgence, when India climbed back into the FIFA top 100, has since unravelled. The team failed to reach the third round of World Cup qualifiers and missed out on the next AFC Asian Cup entirely.
One meaningful reform remains on the table: allowing overseas Indian citizens to represent the national team without surrendering their foreign passports. At this World Cup alone, four players of Indian origin are competing for other nations. If the policy changes, diaspora talent could reshape the squad overnight. Until then, Indian fans will watch from home — cheering the world's superstars, and quietly reckoning with how Curaçao, the smallest nation ever to reach a World Cup, managed what 1.4 billion people have not.
India has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup. With 1.4 billion people, it remains the world's most populous nation absent from football's biggest stage. The Blue Tigers, as the men's national team is known, have never advanced past the preliminary rounds of Asian zone qualifiers. Yet the paradox is sharp: in football-mad states like West Bengal, Kerala, and Goa, the World Cup is celebrated with fervor. Indian journalists now cover the tournament from the press box despite their country having no stake in the competition. One senior football writer who has attended four World Cups recalled the recurring question: "Does India even play football?" Most outsiders know the country only as a cricket nation.
India is not alone in this limbo. China, the world's second-most populous country, has also failed to qualify. FIFA, however, recognizes the commercial weight of these markets and dispatched a high-powered media rights team to India to secure a last-minute broadcasting deal for live coverage. The question persists: can India ever break through?
Former national team captain Baichung Bhutia believes it is possible, though he offers no false comfort. With the expanded 48-team World Cup format, the Asian quota has grown to nine spots—teams like Uzbekistan and Jordan now qualify. "It will require a lot of hard work," Bhutia said. The talent exists in a country of India's size, he insisted, but what is missing is the foundational infrastructure. "We don't have a serious grassroots programme with a long-term vision," he said. Shyam Thapa, now 78, won bronze for India at the 1970 Asian Games, the nation's last major continental achievement. He echoed the call for sustained grassroots investment, emphasizing that bringing more children into the game was essential. His frustration was audible: middle-class and upper-middle-class parents increasingly steer their children toward cricket, chasing lucrative Indian Premier League contracts. "There can be good money in football too," Thapa said, but the message has not reached Indian families.
The gap between India and its Asian peers is stark. Nine teams from Asia qualified for this World Cup: Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, South Korea, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq. Jordan and Uzbekistan made their debuts—and both rank higher than India in FIFA standings. Uzbekistan sits at 52nd globally; Jordan at 63rd. India has slipped to 136th after a sharp decline over the past eighteen months. Kalyan Chaubey, the first former footballer to lead the All India Football Federation, took office in 2022 with measured language. "I will not sell dreams," he said then. "I will say we will take Indian football forward from its current condition." Nearly four years later, the question is whether his administration has delivered.
Many believe the opposite has occurred. In 2014, the AIFF launched the Indian Super League with considerable fanfare, attracting investment from business, Bollywood, and cricket figures. It was professionally managed and drew quality foreign players. Now its future is uncertain. The latest season was severely delayed after the federation failed to secure commercial partners, leaving hundreds of footballers in limbo and generating widespread negative coverage. The AIFF eventually ran a curtailed version without sponsors and is now reconsidering its approach. Chaubey's Vision 2047—an ambitious roadmap promising to bring 35 million children into football—has faded into the background. The disconnect between stated ambitions and actual results has only widened.
A brief resurgence in 2023 offered hope. The senior men's team climbed back into FIFA's top 100 after winning an invitational tournament and the South Asian Football Federation Championship. Since then, the gains have largely evaporated. The team fell short of reaching the third round of AFC qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup for the first time and then failed to qualify for next year's AFC Asian Cup. The immediate priority is now the Asian Cup itself, a competition featuring the continent's top 24 teams. Former captain Sunil Chettri, who returned from retirement in 2025, has advocated for realistic targets. "We need to take one step at a time," he said. Qualifying for all Asian Cups would provide experience against stronger opponents. Only after establishing themselves among Asia's top 15 to 20 nations could India realistically aim for the World Cup.
One potential lever exists: a proposed policy change that would allow overseas citizens of India—OCI cardholders—to represent the national team without renouncing their foreign passports. Currently, players of Indian origin holding foreign citizenship must give it up to play for India. Australia-born Ryan Williams did exactly that and made an immediate impact. At this World Cup alone, four players of Indian origin represent other nations: Tahsin Mohammed for Qatar, Nishan Velupillay for Australia, Sarpreet Singh for New Zealand, and Samuel Moutoussamy for Congo. If the policy changes, these and other diaspora players could strengthen the squad significantly. For now, that possibility remains unrealized. Indian fans will watch from home as the tournament unfolds, cheering for the world's superstars while wondering how Curaçao—the smallest nation ever to reach a World Cup—managed what 1.4 billion Indians have not.
Citas Notables
We don't have a serious grassroots programme with a long-term vision. It's the most popular team sport in the world and we will need time for the results to show.— Baichung Bhutia, former Indian national team captain
We need to take one step at a time and right now, our goal should be to qualify for all Asian Cups as it will help us play against stronger opposition.— Sunil Chettri, former captain who returned from retirement in 2025
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does a country with India's population struggle so much in football when it dominates in cricket?
It's not really about population or talent. It's about where the money flows and where parents see a future. Cricket has the IPL—a tournament that makes millionaires. Football doesn't have that same visible pathway to wealth, so families don't invest in it the same way.
But the AIFF has been trying. They launched the Indian Super League. Why didn't that work?
It worked for a while, but it became a victim of its own ambition. The federation couldn't sustain the commercial partnerships that kept it alive. When those dried up, the whole structure collapsed. It sent a message: this isn't stable enough to build a career around.
So it's a chicken-and-egg problem—you need investment to develop talent, but you need success to attract investment.
Exactly. And meanwhile, the countries that are beating India—Uzbekistan, Jordan—they've made different choices. They've invested consistently in youth development. India talks about Vision 2047 and bringing in 35 million children, but there's no actual system in place to do it.
What about the idea of letting overseas Indians play for the national team?
That could genuinely change things. There are four players of Indian origin at this World Cup playing for other countries. If they could play for India instead, the team would be stronger immediately. But it's still just a proposal.
Is there any reason to think things will improve?
The honest answer is not soon. The team needs to qualify for the Asian Cup first, then establish itself among Asia's top teams. That's years away. The infrastructure just isn't there yet.