New Delhi: At a time when the FIFA World Cup 2026 has produced stunning encounters, from Cape Verde to Curaçao, two fish of world football, the Indian football team see the action unfolding from the comfort of their homes. Also, the top-tier domestic league does not have a concrete financial structure in place, with the governing body, the All India Football Federation (AIFF), yet to ratify the way forward with the clubs.At the same time, social media has been abuzz with questions and debates about why India continues to miss the World Cup, even when it has been expanded to 48 teams. It allowed Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan to make their debut in the tournament in Canada, Mexico and USA. Indian national team captain Sandesh Jhingan said the country has made some strides in continental football but has been troubled by inconsistencies in domestic football.“When I made my debut in 2015, I remember talking to the players and I said, first thing is that we have to be regular in the Asian Cup. We did it until 2019. We did it in 2023. And also our goal is to play against the big Asian teams and go there and get a result. we qualified. So we were on the right track,” said Sandesh Jhingan, who is an expert on Zee5 for the FIFA World Cup.“First of all, why (why) do we only ask this question every four years? Do you know what I noticed? I came to India a few days ago. And I put this channel, Unite8 Sports. 24 hours shows football. And I played football, was part of the national team for more than a decade. Watching football 24 hours never gives me so much joy from TV. asking why we are not at the World Cup only after four years, do we do enough every six months or three months to reach that level OR is it just a question of doing it every four years and then forgetting?
I think now the most important thing for us as a nation is to have stable and structured domestic football for boys, girls, men, women at all age groups.
Sandesh Jhingan
“So the need of the hour now, do we have a stable league? How many games did we play last year? How many months are our players sitting at home? These are the real questions that must be asked.“I think now the most important thing for us as a nation is to have stable and structured domestic football for children, women, men, women in all age groups and have a plan for the next five years, so we know that this is what will happen for the next five years.“And around that, the coach of the national team can build for the country, friendlies and important matches. So what we need is structure and stability,” he continued.
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu argued in a social media post that before we dream of appearing in the FIFA World Cup, we should be playing the Asian Cup more regularly. (Instagram)
Earlier, India’s first-choice wicketkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu had agreed with Jhingan’s views in a social media post.“I absolutely love the conversation that so many people have about why we’re not on the toilet [World Cup]. People who ask questions and take responsibility is necessary,” he wrote on Instagram.“As a player, I can tell you. We are not in the WC because we are not in the Asian Cup. To reach the WC, we must be regular in the Asian Cup and then be regular in the elimination stages of the same. 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 FIFA World Cup 2026 has given many encounters. Lower-ranked New Zealand holding Iran to a 2-2 draw, Qatar keeping Switzerland at bay, Paraguay beating Germany in the Round of 32 were some of the biggest upsets. But arguably none was bigger than the third smallest nation in World Cup history, Cape Verde’s 0-0 draw against Spain. They then followed it up with a 2-2 draw against Uruguay.“The most obvious is Cape Verde. After the result of Spain, you could have guessed that the next game they are going to fall. This was the general perception,” said Jhingan when asked which team of newcomers had impressed him.“(But) They are in the same tournament as Argentina, who qualified on merit. They are in the same tournament as England, who also qualified on merit. You also qualify on merit.
Cape Verde players celebrate after the World Cup Group H match against Spain in Atlanta. (AP)
“So there is no difference between them and you until the final whistle is blown, until the trophy is lifted. Until then, it’s 11 vs 11, and who can do the job in the best way. “And this is the reason again why football is the greatest sport, because it doesn’t matter how many great players you have, it doesn’t matter how many stars you have, on a given day, if you don’t play to your full potential, and the other team does, they can get a result.“And this is what they showed against Spain and then Uruguay. And I loved and admired, that even until the last, they followed for the winner”, he concluded.Watch FIFA World Cup 2026 LIVE and exclusively on ZEE 5 in Hindi, English, Malayalam and Bangla.
