Why India, a nation of 1.4 billion, is absent from the World Cup

As the FIFA World Cup kicked off last week, Indian football fans once again confronted a familiar lament: why does a country of 1.4 billion people not have a team at the tournament? The Indian men's national team, known as the Blue Tigers, has never progressed beyond the preliminary rounds of Asian zone qualifiers, making the question a perennial cliché for those tracking the team's fortunes.

The irony is stark. In football-crazy Indian states such as West Bengal, Kerala, and Goa, the World Cup is celebrated with fervor. A growing number of accredited Indian journalists are covering the event on the ground, despite the country having no stake in the competition. "We have faced frequent questions in the press box as to whether India plays football. Most of them know us as a cricket-playing nation," joked a senior Indian football writer who has covered four World Cups.

India is not alone. China, the world's second-most populous country, also failed to qualify. FIFA, however, is well aware of the importance of these markets. The governing body dispatched a high-powered media rights team to India to secure a last-minute broadcasting deal for live coverage of the matches.

Can India ever reach the World Cup?

Baichung Bhutia, former national team captain and one of Indian football's biggest names, believes it is possible—but not without significant effort. "Yes, India can definitely play [in the World Cup] as nothing is impossible. The quota of Asian teams has gone up to eight [along with a ninth team in Iraq which came through from confederation play-offs this time] in the bigger 48-team format, where teams like Uzbekistan and Jordan are playing. However, it will require a lot of hard work," he said.

Bhutia emphasized that talent is not the issue. "What is lacking is the right ecosystem as 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," he added.

The grassroots gap

Shyam Thapa, 78, who helped India win bronze at the 1970 Asian Games—the country's last major continental success—also stressed the need for sustained grassroots development. "I have run a youth academy myself for years and can vouch for the fact that the more young children take to the game, the more the chances of finding brighter talents. However, what has the All India Football Federation (AIFF) done to set such a system in motion?" he asked, with a trace of irritation in his voice.

Thapa, a canny striker famed for his bicycle-kick goals, lamented that middle-class and upper-middle-class parents are increasingly steering their children away from football and toward cricket. "Many Indian parents are taking their children to cricket coaching camps, hoping they would get a lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) contract. They need to understand that there can be good money if they can make a career in football too," he said.

The scale of the challenge

A closer look at the nine Asian teams that qualified for this year's World Cup underscores the enormity of the task. The teams are Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, South Korea, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq (via inter-confederation play-offs). Jordan and Uzbekistan made their long-awaited debut, and both are ranked well above India in the current FIFA standings. Uzbekistan is 52nd in the world, Jordan 63rd, while India has slipped to 136th after a sharp decline over the past 18 months. The rankings highlight the scale of the challenge facing Indian football.