Asia is doing well at the FIFA World Cup. How far is India?

The opening week of the 2026 FIFA World Cup has been kind to Asia.

South Korea came from behind to beat the Czech Republic. Australia beat Turkey. Japan dominated the Netherlandswhile Saudi Arabia and Qatar took points away from Uruguay and Switzerland. Even first-timers Jordan and Uzbekistan showed enough to suggest they belong on football’s biggest stage.

As these results came in, a familiar conversation began to gather momentum among Indian football fans.

Why is India not here?

Football World Cup | FIFA World Cup Schedule | FIFA World Cup Points Table | football news

It’s a question that comes back every four years. With the World Cup approaching, smaller nations are beginning to make headlines and attention inevitably turns to a country of more than 1.5 billion people that remains absent from soccer’s biggest tournament.

This year, however, the interview feels a little different.

The teams that raise these questions are not Croatia, Uruguay or some distant football fairy tale. They are countries from India’s own continent, many of which were once considered realistic benchmarks of where Indian football hoped to be. South Korea have established themselves as giant killers at the World Cup (Photo Reuters)

This is why Asia’s impressive start to this World Cup is both encouraging and uncomfortable from India’s perspective.

For years, Indian football fans have looked at nations from Europe or South America and wondered what separates them from the rest of the world. But watching this World Cup, it’s hard not to notice that the gap that matters most is much closer to home.

Japan is no longer considered an outsider in major tournaments. South Korea have built a reputation for punching above their weight on the biggest occasions. Australia became regular participants in the World Cup. Saudi Arabia and Qatar have developed enough quality to compete with established football nations. Even Uzbekistan and Jordan, making their long-awaited debuts, arrived as teams to belong rather than tourists grateful for the invitation.

This is perhaps the biggest takeaway from the opening week of the tournament. Asian football is just not growing. It has already grown.

ASIA DOESN’T MAKE THE NUMBERS ANYMORE

The expansion of the World Cup to 48 teams brought with it familiar criticism. Will the tournament be diluted? Would too many teams arrive to simply participate?

Asian officials spent the opening week making a convincing response.

South Korea showed resilience against the Czech Republic. Australia frustrated and then punished Turkey. Japan matched a Dutch side ranked among the best in the world. Saudi Arabia and Qatar picked up valuable points against opponents many expected them to lose to. Australia stunned Turkey 2-0 in World Cup opener (Photo Reuters)

These are not isolated results either.

The last few World Cups have been full of reminders that Asian teams are increasingly comfortable competing against traditional football powerhouses. Japan defeated both Germany and Spain in Qatar. Saudi Arabia handed the eventual champion Argentina their only defeat of the tournament. South Korea defeated Portugal. Morocco, while representing Africa, showed how nations outside the established elite can build a structure capable of challenging the best in the world.

It is not that Asia will suddenly dominate world football. The continent is no longer content with mere representation.

The numbers tell their own story. Asia sent a record nine teams to the tournament and for much of the opening week looked more than capable of competing with the established powers of Europe and South America.

None of this happened overnight.

Japan and South Korea have spent decades investing in youth development and coaching structures. Australia has built a robust football career. Saudi Arabia and Qatar poured resources into their home game. Even more recent success stories like Jordan and Uzbekistan are reaping the rewards of long-term planning rather than short-term fixes.

Take Uzbekistan. For years, they were talked about as one of the near teams in Asian football, constantly producing talented youngsters but falling short of qualification. Their eventual breakthrough was not built on one golden generation or one lucky campaign. It came through persistence and a system that continued to produce players capable of competing at a higher level.

Jordan’s story is similar. Their performance in this World Cup is not the result of a miracle. It is the product of years spent improving standards, investing in players and creating a pathway that allowed the national team to go further.

For Indian football fans, these performances should offer some hope. They are proof that football progress is possible even outside the traditional powers.

They also offer perspective.

India is currently ranked 138th in the world and 26th in Asia. The nine AFC teams in this World Cup are not just ahead of India. Most belong to a completely different level.

It may sound harsh, but acknowledging reality is usually the first step to changing it.

INDIA’S PROBLEM IS BIGGER THAN THE WORLD CUP

It’s tempting to look at the World Cup and wonder how far India is from entering the party. But the telling question concerns a tournament much closer to home.

India failed to qualify for the 2027 Asia Cup, a competition designed for the top 24 Asian teams. This fact says more about the current state of Indian football than any discussion about the World Cup.

This point is worth pausing because World Cup debates often distort the conversation.

The expansion to 48 teams has encouraged many supporters to believe that qualification should now be a realistic goal for India. In theory, more places should create more opportunities. In practice, however, India still has considerable ground to catch up before even considering this phase.

AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey generally avoids selling unrealistic dreams. Shortly after assuming office in 2022, Chaubey said he would not “sell dreams” of India playing in the World Cup in a fixed time frame and instead promised to focus on improving the game from his current position.

It was a realistic assessment then, and it remains so now.

The concerns surrounding Indian football run deeper than one failed qualifying campaign. The future of the Indian Super League remains uncertain. The state leagues, which are supposed to function as a foundation for player development, have struggled for relevance. Grassroots programs continue to produce more promises than results, while issues like age fraud refuse to disappear from the conversation.

In football, there is always a temptation to look for a quick fix. Change the coach. Change the formation. Change players.

These solutions are easier to implement because they create the impression of action.

The reality is that changing coaches alone will not solve the structural problems that have existed for years.

That’s not to say there aren’t any positives.

Former captain Sunil Chhetri has often argued that Indian football needs to take a more measured view of progress.

“We have to take one step at a time,” Chhetri said during an informal interaction with reporters a few years ago. “Once we can establish ourselves among the top 15-20 Asian countries, only then can we think about raising the bar for the World Cup.”

Judged by this measure, there is still much work to be done.

There are also opportunities that did not exist before. The continued push to allow OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) card holders to represent the national team could significantly boost India’s player base. In this World Cup alone, several players of Indian origin represent other countries Ryan Williams has already shown the value such talent can bring.

But even that conversation requires caution.

OCI players could help improve the national team. They cannot replace the need for stronger youth development, better coaching, healthier state leagues and a domestic structure capable of consistently producing footballers.

In other words, they can be part of the solution, but they cannot be the solution.

Therefore, this World Cup should not be viewed only through the lens of India’s absence.

During every tournament there is a tendency to fixate on the end goal. The World Cup is a dream. The goal is the World Cup. The World Cup becomes the only measure of success.

The reality is more complicated.

Before India can think of joining Japan, South Korea or Australia at the World Cup, they must first establish themselves among the stronger Asian footballing nations. Before they can compete with the continent’s elite, they must become regular participants in the Asian Cup. Before they can dream of making it to the World Cup, they need to stop missing out on tournaments much closer to home.

The next World Cup qualification cycle is expected to start in late 2027. It may sound far away, but in football terms it is just around the corner.

Because if Indian football today doesn’t ask tougher questions about local development, state leagues, governance and the overall direction of the game, there’s a good chance fans four years from now will be doing what they’re doing today.

Watching the World Cup, admiring Asia’s progress and asking the same old question:

Why is India not here?

Football World Cup | FIFA World Cup Schedule | FIFA World Cup Points Table | football news

– The end

Issued by:

Saurabh Kumar

Published on:

20 Jun 2026 11:39 IST