India’s history with the world-known football tournament has always been a dicey one.
India and FIFA’s History
The 2022 FIFA World Cup, also known as Qatar 2022, is an international association football tournament contested by the men’s national teams of FIFA’s member associations, and the 22nd FIFA World Cup.
The event is taking place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022. Starting with an extravagant opening ceremony on 20th November, football lovers all over the world are waiting for the matches starting today.Â
Indian football enthusiasts apart from rooting for their favorite teams also start questioning why their own country is not on the list.
And the answer is always the same: given the standard of play in India, India will never compete in the World Cup. Perhaps Indian football will benefit if the truth hidden behind this brazen response is revealed. This truth is most likely being kept hidden by Indian football officials.
Even those who are critical of Indian football agree that the country’s level of play falls far short of international standards.
Our players lack the necessary skill and fitness to compete in the mega event at the location. The Blue Tigers may have had their golden years from the late 1940s to the late 1960s when they competed in four Olympics and won gold twice in Asian games.
Today at the FIFA World Cup: Amidst turmoil back home, Iran opens their campaign against group-favorites England
How the ISL and the I-League are assisting Indian football
The Indian Super League (ISL) began with big names from the world of football, including Robert Pires, Alessandro Del Piero, Roberto Carlos, David Trezeguet, and Diego Forlan.
However, critics of Indian football claim that the presence of former superstars in the league will not benefit the national team. The presence of these world-class professionals has undoubtedly benefited Indian players.
India has never competed in the FIFA World Cup, but it has hosted the U17 World Cup and will host the U17 FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2020.
Despite this, India was invited to the 1950 FIFA World Cup in Brazil after the other teams withdrew from pre-tournament qualifiers. However, India withdrew for either of the following reasons:
FIFA prohibited Indian players from competing barefoot.
The AIFF, India’s football governing body, stated that the costs of flying them to Brazil were prohibitively expensive.
The Asian Games and the Olympics were the AIFF’s top priorities, not the FIFA World Cup.
Because the FIFA World Cup became such a big deal, India missed out on capturing the lightning. The transition from 2010 to 2020 was one of the most significant for the national team.
When you have a goal and an intention, the possibilities multiply exponentially. Is this, however, enough to qualify India for the World Cup? Definitely not.
The Indian team finished third in the campaign, behind Qatar and Oman, which was also the joint qualifier for the 2024 AFC Asian Cup.
Young footballers frequently wonder why India does not compete in the World Cup. Since seeing Sunil Chhetri’s picture with great players like Messi and Ronaldo, their curiosity has skyrocketed. But India still has a long way to go.
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