New Delhi: At a time when the 2026 FIFA World Cup has produced stunning upsets, from Cape Verde to Curaçao, two minnows of world football, the Indian football team is watching the action unfold from the comfort of their homes. Additionally, the top-tier domestic league has no 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 rife with questions and debate over why India continues to miss the World Cup, even when it has been expanded to 48 teams. It has allowed the likes of Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan to make their debuts at the tournament in Canada, Mexico and the USA. Sandesh Jhingan, captain of the Indian national team, said the country has made some steps in continental football but have been disrupted by inconsistencies in domestic football.“When I made my debut back in 2015, I remember talking to the players and I said, first thing is that we need to be regular at the Asian Cups. We made it to 2019. We made it to 2023. And also our objective is to play against the big Asian teams and go in there and get a result. We did that against Qatar, against China. Even in the Asian Cup in the first one, we got the result against Thailand. We could have qualified. So we were on the right path,” said Sandesh Jhingan, who is an expert on Zee5 for the FIFA World Cup.“First of all, why (do) we only ask this question every four years? You know what I’ve noticed? I just arrived in India a few days back. And I put this channel, Unite8 Sports. 24 hours it shows football. And I’ve been playing football, been part of the national team for over a decade now. Watching football 24 hours gives me so much joy. We never had that much footage from the TV where kids can see football. So rather than asking why we are not at the World Cup only after four years, are we doing enough every six months or three months to reach that level? Or is it just a question to ask every four years and then forget about it?
I think right now the most important thing for us as a nation is to have a stable, structured domestic football for boys, girls, men, women at all age groups
Sandesh Jhingan
“So the need of the hour right now, do we have a stable league? How many games we played last year? For how many months our are players sitting at home? These are the real questions that needs to be asked.“I think right now the most important thing for us as a nation is to have a stable, structured domestic football for boys, girls, men, women at all age groups and have a plan for the next five years so we know this is what’s going to happen for the next five years.“And around that, the national team coach can build for the country, the friendlies and the important games. So what we need is structure and stability,” he continued.
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu argued in a social media post that before dreaming of the FIFA World Cup appearance, we should be playing the Asian Cup more regularly. (Instagram)
Earlier India’s first-choice goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu had agreed with Jhingan’s views in a social media post.“Absolutely loving the conversation so many people are having about why we are not at the WC [World Cup]. People asking questions and accountability is necessary,” he wrote on Instagram.“As a player, I can tell you. We are not at the WC because we are not at the Asian Cup. To reach the WC, we have to be regulars in the Asian Cup and then be regulars at the knockout stages of the same. It’s a step-by-step process. So the real question is, why did we not reach the Asian Cup?” he added.‘You have 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 given multiple upsets. Lowest-ranked New Zealand holding Iran to a 2-2 draw, Qatar keeping Switzerland at bay, Paraguay beating Germany in the Round of 32 have been some of the biggest shocks. But arguably none have been bigger than 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.“Most obvious is Cape Verde. After the Spain result, you could have guessed that the next game they’re going to fall apart. That was the general perception,” said Jhingan when asked which team from the newbies have impressed him.“(But) You’re in the same tournament which has Argentina, who qualified on merit. You’re in the same tournament which has England is, who also qualified on merit. You have also qualified on merit.
Cape Verde players celebrate after the World Cup Group H match against Spain in Atlanta. (AP)
“So there’s no difference between them and you until the final whistle is blown, until the trophy has been lifted. Till then, it’s 11 vs 11, and who can do the job in the best way. “And that’s the reason again why football is the greatest sport, because no matter how many big players you have, no 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 that’s what they’ve shown against Spain and then Uruguay. And I loved it and admired it, that even till the last, they kept on going for the winner,” he concluded.Watch the FIFA World Cup 2026 LIVE and exclusively on ZEE 5 in Hindi, English, Malayalam, and Bangla.