“Do we have a stable league? How many games did we play last year?’: Sandesh Jhingan on India’s absence from the FIFA World Cup

Indian football team captain Sandesh Jhingan in action. New Delhi: As the 2026 FIFA World Cup creates a stunning buzz, from Cape Verde to Curaçao, the two minnows of world football, the Indian football team is watching the action unfold from the comfort of their homes. Moreover, the top domestic league has no concrete financial structure in place, with the governing body, the All India Football Federation (AIFF), yet to ratify the next course of action with the clubs.At the same time, social media is abuzz with questions and debates as to why India is still missing out on the World Cup despite expanding to 48 teams. This allowed the likes of Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan to make their tournament debuts in Canada, Mexico and the USA. Sandesh Jhingan, captain of the Indian national team, said the country had made some strides in continental football, but they were marred by inconsistency in domestic football.“When I made my debut in 2015, I remember talking to the players and saying that the first thing is that we have to be regular in the Asian Cups. We made it to 2019. We made it to 2023. And also our goal is to play against big Asian teams and go there and get a result. We did that against Qatar, against China. We could qualify for the Asian Cup as well against China. We were able to qualify against China as well,” said Sandesh Jhingan, who is a World Cup expert on Zee5.“First of all, why do we (do) ask this question only every four years? You know what I noticed? I just arrived in India a few days ago. And I got this channel, Unite8 Sports. It shows football 24 hours. And I play football, I’ve been part of the national team for more than ten years. Watching football 24 hours gives me so much joy that the children of the world ask why we never had so much coverage on TV. Cup only after four years, we do it every six months or three months enough to reach this level or is it just a question we have to ask ourselves every four years and then forget about it?

I think right now the most important thing for us as a nation is to have stable, structured domestic football for boys, girls, men, women of all ages.

Sandesh Jhingan

“So the need right now, do we have a stable league? How many games did we play last year? How many months are our players sitting at home? Those are the real questions that need to be asked.”“I think right now the most important thing for us as a nation is to have stable, structured domestic football for boys, girls, men, women at all age groups and to have a plan for the next five years so that we know this is going to happen for the next five years.“And around that the national team coach can build for the country, friendlies and important matches. So what we need is structure and stability,” he continued.

In a post on social media, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu argued that before we dream of appearing in the FIFA World Cup, we should play the Asia Cup more regularly. (Instagram)

India’s opening wicketkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu had earlier agreed with Jhingan’s views in a post on social media.“I absolutely love the conversation so many people are having about why we’re not at the (World Cup). People asking and answering are essential,” he wrote on Instagram.“As a player I can tell you that. We are not in the World Cup because we are not in the Asian Cup. To get to the World Cup, we have to be regulars in the Asian Cup and then be regulars in the knockout stages of the same. It is a step-by-step process. So the real question is, why didn’t we get to the Asian Cup?” he added.“You qualified on merit like Argentina, England”

Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha saves the ball during the FIFA World Cup Group H match against Spain in Atlanta. (AP)

The 2026 FIFA World Cup has brought a lot of confusion. Bottom-placed New Zealand held Iran to a 2-2 draw, Qatar held off Switzerland, Paraguay beat Germany in the round of 32 were some of the biggest shocks. But arguably none was bigger than the third smallest nation in World Cup history when Cape Verde drew 0-0 against Spain. They then followed it up with a 2-2 draw against Uruguay.“The most obvious one is Cape Verde. After the Spain result, you could tell they were going to fall apart next game. That was the general impression,” Jhingan said when asked which rookie team had impressed him.“(But) You’re in the same tournament as Argentina, who qualified on merit. You’re in the same tournament as England, who also qualified on merit. You also qualified on merit.

Cape Verde players celebrate after their World Cup Group H match against Spain in Atlanta. (AP)

“So there’s no difference between them and you until the final whistle blows, until the trophy is lifted. Until then it’s 11 vs 11 and who can do the job best.” “And that’s again why football is the best sport because no matter how many big players you have, no matter how many stars you have, on the day if you don’t play your best and the other team does, they can get a result.“And that’s what they showed against Spain and then Uruguay. And I liked it and I admired that even until the last minute they went for the winner,” he concluded.Watch FIFA World Cup 2026 LIVE exclusively on ZEE 5 in Hindi, English, Malayalam and Bangla.