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.Smarto Dey, 20, a football enthusiast, demonstrates a football stunt along FIFA Gully, a street decorated in celebration of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Kolkata, India, on June 17, 2026 [Sahiba Chawdhary/Reuters]Published On 28 Jul 2026As 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.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4France legend Zinedine Zidane confirmed as new national team managerlist 2 of 4Football: Roberto Mancini named Italy head coach for second timelist 3 of 4Five wickets, no runs: West Indies cricketer makes bowling historylist 4 of 4UFC: Conor McGregor calls for ‘Last Dance’ vs Max Holloway in 2027end of listBut 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 India-football-federation" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="173304" data-entity-type="organization">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.”Children play football in front of cutouts of Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Brazil’s Neymar Jr put up by supporters ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, in Kozhikode, India, on June 9, 2026 [CK Thanseer/Reuters]Confined to pocketsIn 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 developmentAIFF 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.“In South Korea and Japan, kids play over 40 competitive matches per season. This is missing in India,” he said.“We start developing players too late. Most under-15 players get only 12 to 15 competitive games yearly. Some get called up to the youth national camp after playing less than 20 competitive games.“We’re short on qualified coaches. Many states don’t even have a youth league… we just can’t compete like that.”But India’s size, the very thing that makes it an attractive sports market and led to the huge success of cricket’s Indian Premier League, also makes it difficult for the AIFF to implement widespread reforms.“If even half the states were doing a proper job at grassroots, things would grow,” Hmar added.The uncertainty over the ISL, which forced some teams to suspend player salaries last year, also dealt a blow to the clubs’ development programmes.“If you can provide stability, gradually the investment will increase,” Puskur said.Global football stars like Lionel Messi of Argentina (centre) – seen here at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi, India on December 15, 2025 – have a high fan profile in India, despite the national team’s underwhelming on-field performance [Adnan Abidi/Reuters]A limited windowWith India bidding to host the 2036 Olympics, the government is considering the launch of a “sports passport” that allows Indian-origin athletes to represent the country.The AIFF leadership has backed the initiative, believing it will help improve the national team’s performances. But the proposal is still far from becoming law, and Hmar said Indian football needs to act fast.“The other nations aren’t sitting idle… if we don’t match them, even if we improve, we will remain where we are,” he said.While Indian football hangs in limbo, fans like Roy can only live in hope.“They are talking about a 64-team World Cup,” he said. “It won’t gift us anything, but more places mean more hope.”