FIFA World Cup: For India, qualification is still just a distant dream
India failed to qualify for next year’s Asian Cup, making a FIFA World Cup 2030 or 2034 appearance unlikely. As the FIFA World Cup 2026
India failed to qualify for next year’s Asian Cup, making a FIFA World Cup 2030 or 2034 appearance unlikely. As the FIFA World Cup 2026 reached its final week, Gourav Roy, an Indian software engineer living in San Francisco, drove more than 9,650 kilometres (6,000 miles) across the United States to attend both the semifinals and the final. For Roy, it was the next best thing to what he had grown up dreaming of: seeing India play in the World Cup. But the possibility of that dream coming true is looking ever more distant as deep-rooted systemic issues and the failure to implement reforms have left the country of 1.45 billion ranked a lowly 138th in the world, failing to even qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup. “I’ve learned to love without expectation. That’s the burden of the Indian football fan,” said Roy. While countries with tiny populations like Curacao and Cape Verde qualified for the 2026 World Cup, India remains a prime example of wasted potential in the planet’s most popular sport. Those working in Indian football say the problems range from poor youth development systems, a lack of popularity, and a national federation (the All India Football Federation) struggling to implement a uniform vision with a loose patchwork of state associations.
“If you ask me, to clean up the system and reorganise it will take a full cycle of four years,” Ravi Puskur, the CEO of Indian Super League (ISL) club FC Goa, told Reuters. “Then it’s another 20-25 years to get us to the World Cup.” Confined to pockets In cricket-mad India, football remains popular only in a handful of states like West Bengal, Goa, Kerala, Mizoram and Manipur. The ISL, launched in 2014 with the backing of Reliance Industries, one of India’s biggest conglomerates, tried to change that with limited success. In 2025, the AIFF and Reliance did not renew their partnership as negotiations stalled amid a Supreme Court case to implement a new constitution for the federation. This year, under new management led by clubs, the ISL is yet to finalise a broadcaster and announce fixtures. NorthEast United CEO Mandar Tamhane, who previously led Bengaluru FC, said clubs alone cannot fix Indian football. “You’re talking about the government, corporate India… it has to be a collective effort,” he said. “The federation has to make sure the clubs, state associations, the corporates and other stakeholders all work together.” Weak youth development AIFF executive committee member and Mizoram’s sports minister Lalnghinglova Hmar said the government can help with infrastructure, but for Indian football to improve, the country’s youth development system needs a drastic overhaul.
The BriefWire