A 64-team FIFA World Cup could help India qualify for the tournament, says former captain

Bhaichung Bhutia believes expanding the FIFA World Cup to 64 teams could improve India’s chances of qualifying for the tournament, but warned that such a move could come at the expense of the overall quality of the competition.FIFA is considering increasing the number of teams in the 2030 World Cup to 64 from the 48 featured in the 2026 edition. The proposal was officially tabled by South American soccer body CONMEBOL in April last year.No decision has yet been made, but FIFA president Gianni Infantino recently said the governing body will review the proposal after the ongoing World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Defending champions Argentina will face Spain in Sunday’s final in New York.The 2030 FIFA World Cup will be hosted primarily by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, while the opening three matches will be played in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay to mark the centenary of the tournament. Uruguay hosted the first FIFA World Cup in 1930.Former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia told news agency PTI that a bigger World Cup would naturally give countries like India a better chance to reach football’s biggest stage.“From an Indian football fan’s point of view, I think it’s a welcome move to have more teams. I’m not saying India will qualify, but India will have a better chance of qualifying if they go up to 64 from 48,” Bhutia said.At the same time, he emphasized that the expanded tournament alone will not solve the problems of Indian football.“But that doesn’t mean the country doesn’t have to do any work. We still have to fine-tune our system, structure, local development and produce more players, bring more kids to football.”Bhutia said India must first build a stronger football system and follow the example of countries that consistently develop talent through youth football.“India must focus on qualifying for the U-17, U-20 World Cup, then the senior team, then only we have a chance like what Uzbekistan and Morocco are doing. They (Uzbekistan, Morocco) regularly qualify for the U-17 and U-20 World Cup despite being small nations.”While Bhutia acknowledged the potential benefit for countries chasing qualification, he also believes the tournament itself could lose some of its competitive edge if the number of teams increases further.“But yes, from the point of view of all the football fans around the world and the value and excitement of the World Cup, I think the quality of football would definitely go down if there were 64 teams playing in the World Cup,” the former India captain said.