India and the FIFA World Cup: A Story of Passion Without Participation

The FIFA World Cup becomes not only a football competition but also an international celebration every four years. All over the world, millions of fans stay awake at unusual times, gather at cafés, and flood social networks with their forecasts, joys, and disappointments.

India is also a participant of this festival.

From busy showings in major cities to discussions during night hours on whether Argentina, Brazil, or France will win the cup, Indians follow the World Cup with amazing interest. But while celebrating this event, one question keeps appearing every four years:

"Why is India, a nation of over 1.4 billion people and millions of football fans, unable to participate in the most important football event?"

There are some interesting statistics here.

India is one of the largest media markets for the FIFA World Cup. Hundreds of millions of fans are watching the 2026 World Cup in India through TV and streaming services.

But when it comes to performance on the field, the scenario is completely opposite. The Indian team has never participated in the FIFA World Cup. On the contrary, countries like Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Iran have been taking part in the tournament regularly, whereas India is an outsider to the same.

This is often attributed to cricket.

Cricket definitely is dominant in Indian sport in terms of funding, sponsorship, infrastructure, and media coverage. But to attribute this failure only to cricket would be oversimplification. 

Even countries that have lesser number of people and less financial capacity have succeeded in becoming football-playing nations. Croatia, having fewer people than several cities of India, reached the finals of the World Cup in 2018 and semi-finals in 2022. Likewise, Morocco became the first African nation to reach a semi-final in the World Cup in 2022. This was not achieved in one day. It took decades of hard work to reach there.

A perfect example of such an event is the current year’s World Cup, which saw Cabo Verde come up with something spectacular. The nation is home to less than half a million people compared to most Indian cities and towns. However, Cabo Verde is among the success stories from the ongoing competition. This team had never qualified to play in any World Cup prior to now, but in their debut tournament, they went unbeaten in the group stage by drawing against football powerhouses like Spain, and giving two-time World Cup champions Uruguay a run for their money. Not even defending champions like Argentina could easily beat them in the knockout stage of the competition when they took the match into extra time before losing 3-2. 

This is where India has traditionally fallen short.

For a long time, football in India lacked a robust youth base. There were few opportunities for young players to get quality coaching, compete in leagues, and get professional training. The transition from playing football at the school level to the professional level was vague.

Fortunately, things are starting to change now.

The introduction of the Indian Super League in 2014 has helped put the spotlight on Indian football. There have been more football academies, more participation of children in football at school levels, and better training for young players from an earlier age. This may not yield results in World Cup qualification efforts soon, but the development of football takes time. Japan spent decades developing itself into a football power after starting the J-League in the early 1990s. Currently, it is one of the most successful Asian countries in football and regularly qualifies for the World Cup.

It looks like India can expect to follow the same path.

However, some positive signs can be seen. Kerala, West Bengal, Goa, and several northeastern states still contribute talented players as well as devoted fans. The establishment of domestic leagues as well as local tournaments creates the atmosphere of football culture gradually.

It should be noted that there is an interesting facet of India's attitude to the World Cup which frequently remains unnoticed. Even though India does not have its national team participating in the tournament, people of Indian origins appear to be represented in the World Cup.

One of the most remarkable stories from the current World Cup involves Tahsin Mohammed Jamshid who represents the Qatar national team and whose roots originate from Kerala. Born and brought up in Doha, the son of Indian immigrants from Kannur, Tahsin comes from a football-loving family. His father, Jamshid, used to be a football player representing Calicut University before moving to Qatar. Many years later, his son made it to the top league in football. It was an emotionally significant event for many fans in Kerala.

It is not just Tahsin. The players from India who have participated in the World Cup include people playing for teams like New Zealand, Australia, and DR Congo. Such stories reflect the fact that talent from India associated with football is indeed playing at the highest levels already, although there is a need for creating an environment for nurturing such talent in India.  

Emotional ties between India and football have been exemplified very well by the visit of Lionel Messi to India in 2025. Thousands of fans flocked from Mumbai to Kolkata and many other places in India during the trip taken by Messi just to meet him. This reflects the reality that while statistics might show otherwise, India is a country of football lovers who live and breathe the game. It is hard to think of another nation where fans cheer for their favorite team even though they are from a different part of the world.

However, perhaps the greatest transformation has occurred psychologically.

Where previous generations would be supporting their football by backing a foreign team every four years as neutral supporters of the tournament, today’s young footballers dream of playing for India in the World Cup. 

This dream counts. 

India qualifying for the FIFA World Cup is unlikely to happen within one generation of players or even one successful league season. It requires investment, good coaching, proper infrastructure, and patience on the part of all stakeholders. 

Nevertheless, for the first time in many years, the discussion has moved from “Will India ever qualify?” to “When will India qualify?”

As another World Cup fires up the passion of millions of Indians, it is evident that India celebrates other people's goals, other people’s victories, and other people’s trophies.

The day will come soon enough when India might stop being a spectator at football's biggest spectacle.

On that day, it will be much more than a sporting achievement. It will be a fulfillment of a dream cherished by an entire nation.