Rama Krishna Sangem
PM Modi the other day spoke of many achievements during his 12 years run at the Centre since 2014. Bur, he hasn’t spoken why he could not revive Indian football in this period. A small country like Curacao, a Caribbean island, of just 1.5 lakh population is participating in the FIFA World Cup 2026 that kicks off tonight, June 11 in Mexico City.
But, not India, a country of 146 or even 150 crore people is left out of the grand gala global event. We are just spectators now. Watching the sport, that occurs once in four years, on TVs or giant screens specially arranged in clubs and pubs. There are many smaller countries that sent teams to the FIFA, but alas! Not India.
We have had a glorious football past 60-70 years ago. Our All India Football Federation is formed way back in 1937, 89 years back. But we never were participated in the world cup. In 1950s India just qualified once to go to the cup, but we withdrew the last minute. One of the reasons -even shameful – our team members had funds problem.
Let’s take a look at what analysts say
India does not participate in the FIFA World Cup because the national team consistently falls short in the highly competitive qualification stages. This is primarily driven by an underfunded grassroots development system, a massive talent-scouting deficit, and inconsistent management that has resulted in a declining global FIFA World Ranking.
Development: Unlike global powerhouses, India lacks a deep-rooted, structured youth academy system. The absence of widespread scouting and consistent training at the school and university levels hinders the ability to cultivate elite, world-class talent.
The Blue Tigers have struggled to find consistent form against other Asian nations. India’s ranking slide has complicated its qualification routes, often forcing the squad into difficult preliminary playoff situations rather than securing direct entry.
The sport in India has frequently dealt with administrative uncertainty, legal disputes, and a shortage of specialized, elite coaches. This disrupts player development and prevents a unified, long-term approach to team building.
The 1950 Missed Opportunity: India qualified for the 1950 World Cup by default but withdrew prior to the tournament. While popular myths suggest it was because FIFA banned them from playing barefoot, the reality is that the All India Football Federation prioritized the Olympics and could not justify the expensive travel costs to Brazil at the time.
Will we be there at least by 2047?
Viksit Bharat doesn’t mean just becoming an X trillion dollar economy. India becoming a developed nation doesn’t mean we bagging cricket world cups continuously. It also means, India getting many gold and silver medals in the Olympics too. We being there on FIFA world cups too. We should not just allocate thousands of crores of rupees on sports, it’s our duty to utilize the funds properly. Can we expect Indian team will be in the FIFA at least by 2047?
Good
Good article