The FIFA World Cup will be kicking off in Qatar at the end of November but India and China – home to around 40% of all humans – will, once again, not be represented. Even given cricket’s huge popularity in the country, it seems incredible that no team from India has ever played at the top level of international football.
None of the best gambling sites will offer anywhere near reasonable odds for that to change in the near future either. There have been improvements in the last few years, but India has a long way to go before they are playing the best teams in the world. But why is that? And what can be done to make things better?
The Story So Far
Football has been played in India since the middle of the 19th century, thanks to the game being introduced by British soldiers. But for years it was still a game primarily for non-Indians, even as leagues and tournaments began. It was not until the 1930s that there was even an Indian national on the board of the governing body.
But things changed quickly after that with what can probably be referred to as the golden age of Indian football coming just after WW2. India even qualified for the 1950 FIFA World Cup – but never played a game, as the costs of travelling to Brazil were deemed too high. India only qualified because of the withdrawal of other opponents – but this remains the closest the nation has ever got to participating at the highest level.
The 1960s saw some involvement at the Asian Cup and at the Summer Olympics. But then everything went very quiet. There has been success on a micro-regional level but those in charge of the game now concede that improvements in the AFC have to be prioritized – and then that could lead to a rise in the FIFA rankings.
Domestic Improvements
One way that football can improve on an international level is by making advances at a domestic one. Up until fairly recently there was no real professional national league. But that all changed with the introduction of the I-League in 2008. Suddenly there was more interest in the game – and more money invested.
The emergence of a rival Indian Super League in 2014 changed everything again though. The I-League had suffered from a drop in popularity and now this new league was attracting wealthy backers that had previously concentrated on pumping millions into cricket.
Although there was a strange situation where India had two top tier leagues for a while, this season will be the first where the I-League acts as a second division, with the champions winning promotion to the Indian Super League. With new rules concerning the number of Indian players in each squad, there is a hope that the mistakes of the China Super League have been learned and the game will develop even further in the country.
The Future of Indian Football
There are grand hopes for the future of football in India now that the domestic league is attracting impressive overseas talent at the same time as putting a lot of money into the game at a youth level.
This has already had a knock-on effect on the national side – at all levels. Hosting the FIFA U17 World Cup in 2017 has been used as a springboard for players to develop further and that has been shown with the results of the senior team recently. After another success at the 2021 SAFF Championship, a place at the 2023 AFC Cup has also been booked.
There is still a long way to go before India reaches its full potential in the sport. But with a top 20 ranking in AFC and appearances in the biggest continental competitions, the dream of a place at the World Cup finals may become reality before too long.
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