Will we ever see India at a World Cup finals?

With a population greater than any other country on the planet, there should be a chance for India to compete in all spheres of life. There are, of course, economic reasons why the nation struggles to sit at the top table in some areas, but the country’s sports teams should be able to challenge for world championships.

With such a huge pool of potential to pull from, India could be a world leader when it comes to sports. Cricket is a perfect example of how India can be successful. It is difficult to overestimate the way the country follows cricket and it has been shown as the team has won a number of major tournaments over the last 40 years. But success in what is regularly termed the world’s game has largely escaped India.

When it comes to FIFA World Cups, the Las Vegas betting sites tend not to even feature India. The Blue Tigers have only ever qualified once – in 1950 when the team eventually withdrew – and even appearances at the AFC Asian Cup have been sporadic. But why isn’t India more successful at football? And could the situation change?

The History of Indian Football

India’s first international football match is recorded as before independence and ended in a 5-3 defeat at the hands of Australia. Post-independence, the country first took the field at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, narrowly losing to France. The players famously didn’t wear boots – something that FIFA decided to ban later that year.

Indian players had been playing as touring sides since the late 1930s though. The teams travelled throughout the Southeast Asia region, playing in Japan, Indonesia and Thailand – as well as in Australia. There are even unverified accounts of an international match played against what was then called Ceylon in 1933.

The Golden Years

Soon after India’s bootless appearance at the 1948 Olympics came possibly the greatest-ever era of football from the national team. India actually qualified for the World Cup in Brazil in 1950 but had benefitted from the other nations in the qualifying group withdrawing. India itself then withdrew for reasons that are still debated.

What is now understood is that India simply thought that it was better to concentrate on the Summer Olympics, disregarding the FIFA World Cup as not as important. India actually finished fourth in the 1954 Olympics football tournament and fared even better at the Asian Games, winning the competition in 1951 and 1962.

Two years after that last Asian Games triumph, India benefitted from a number of countries withdrawing from the 1964 AFC Asian Cup whose finals were held in Israel. In the end, India finished only behind the hosts and ended a period of relative success before a decline in results.

Rise and Fall

After the growth in popularity of football in India – and the positive results of the national team – India then experienced a fall down the rankings as the sport became more irrelevant from the 1970s onto the end of the 20th century. India did not even enter the qualification campaigns for the World Cup and either failed to qualify or didn’t even enter AFC Asian Cup and Asian Games tournaments.

It was only the SAFF Championship (South Asian Football Federation) where India triumphed at the end of the century. With other nations of a similar lowly ranking, India has been able to become the most successful nation in the history of the competition. But success on a global scale continued to elude India.

The Nations League Effect

There has been some improvement in recent years and some of that can be put down to a global improvement for some of the smaller nations, in footballing terms. In Europe and the Americas, traditional footballing minnows have improved thanks to the introduction of Nations Leagues tournaments.

The reason why these teams have recorded better performances is that they have had the opportunity to play teams of a similar standard in meaningful games. Rather than being heavily defeated by more successful nations, there has been a developmental rise.

Although there is no AFC Nations League tournament, India’s continued success at the SAFF Championship and appearances in other similar competitions have had a positive effect.

Football Culture

Part of the historical problem when it comes to Indian football is the lack of a football culture in the country. Other sports, such as hockey and cricket, are more popular, but there are areas of the country where football enjoys a higher profile. Kerala, West Bengal and much of the northeast have a long history of football tradition. But that is not the case in many places.

The increase in money invested in the national league has seen more of a fan culture forming though. That, alongside the growth of a supporters group for the national side, has improved the situation. But football fans seem to be fighting a losing battle, even in some of the major cities.

There is much to be hopeful about when it comes to Indian football

The Asian Cup

Recent results on an international level may help with that relative lack of football fan culture. India won yet another SAFF Championship in July of this year but the really big news is India’s qualification for the next Asian Cup. The 2023 edition, being held in Qatar at the beginning of 2024 because of weather conditions, will be India’s third appearance in the last four.

The Blue Tigers share a group with Australia, Syria and Uzbekistan, so there is not a lot of hope of progressing to the knockout stages. But some good performances – and even just one win – would be a huge achievement. The profile of the sport will only improve with continued participation at the highest level.

The Future Looks Bright

When India climbed to 99th in the FIFA world rankings after the SAFF Championship triumph earlier this year, it was the first time it had enjoyed a place in the top 100 since 2018. The highest-ever ranking was 94th back in 1996. Although India has since dropped to 101st, there is genuine hope for the future.

Further investment across the country is needed – and football may never usurp cricket in the nation’s affections. But more success on a local level will breed success and the fans can then begin to be proud of the national side. Then India may even start challenging for a place at a World Cup finals.