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

Bhaichung Bhutia believes that it is spreading 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 cost of the overall quality of the competition.FIFA is considering increasing the number of teams at the 2030 World Cup from 48, as there were in the 2026 edition, to 64. The proposal was officially presented by the South American football confederation CONMEBOL in April last year.A decision has yet to be made, but FIFA president Gianni Infantino recently said the governing body would consider 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 World Cup will mainly be hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, while the first 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.Speaking to news agency PTI, former Indian captain Bhaichung Bhutia said 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 perspective, 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 increase to 64 from 48,” Bhutia said.At the same time, he stressed that the expanded tournament alone would not solve the problems of Indian football.“But that doesn’t mean the country doesn’t need to do anything. We still need to establish the right system, structure, basic 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 have consistently developed talent through youth football.“India needs to focus on qualifying for the U-17, U-20 World Cups, then the senior team, then only we have a chance like Uzbekistan and Morocco do. They (Uzbekistan, Morocco) regularly qualify for the U-17 and U-20 World Cups 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 perspective of 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 you have 64 teams playing in the World Cup,” the former India captain said.