Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 03:55am on 18 Jun 2026,Thursday Sports
Despite a population of 1.4 billion and passionate football cultures in states like West Bengal, Kerala and Goa, India has never qualified for a FIFA World Cup. Former captain Baichung Bhutia believes qualification is possible but requires a strong grassroots system, long-term planning and better football infrastructure. Veteran footballer Shyam Thapa blames the lack of youth development and cricket’s financial dominance for limiting football participation. India has fallen to 136th in FIFA rankings and recently failed to qualify for both advanced World Cup qualifiers and the AFC Asian Cup. Proposed eligibility reforms for Overseas Citizen of India players could strengthen the national team. (PC: Getty Images)
