New Delhi: At a time when the FIFA World Cup 2026 has produced stunning reversals, from Cape Verde to Curaçao, two of the minutiae of world football, Indian football team watches the action unfold from the comfort of their homes. Additionally, the top-tier domestic league has no concrete financial structure in place and the governing body, the All India Football Federation (AIFF), is yet to ratify the way forward with the clubs.At the same time, social media was abuzz with questions and debates as to why India continued to miss out on the World Cup, even when it was expanded to 48 teams. This allowed Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan to make their tournament debuts in Canada, Mexico and the USA. Sandesh Jhingan, captain of the Indian national team, said the country has made some strides in continental football, but they have been marred by inconsistencies in domestic football.“When I made my debut in 2015, I remember talking to the players and I said, the first thing is that we have to be regular in the Asian Cups. We made it to 2019. We made it to 2023. And also our goal 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 half, we got a result against Thailand so we could qualify were on the right track,” said Sandesh Jhingan, Zee5 expert FIFA World Cup.“First of all, why do we only ask this question every four years? You know what I noticed? I just arrived in India a few days ago. And I set up this channel, Unite8 Sports. It shows football 24 hours a day. And I play football, I’ve been part of the national team for more than a decade. Watching football 24 hours a day gives me so much joy. We’ve never had so much TV footage where kids can watch football. So instead of asking why we’re not in the World Cup after four years, are we doing enough every six or three month to reach that level or is it just a question that is asked every four years and then forgotten?
I think the most important thing for us as a nation right now is to have stable, structured domestic football for boys, girls, men, women of all ages
Sandesh Jhingan
“So the current question is, do we have a stable league? How many games did we play last year? How many months are our players sitting at home? Those are the right questions to ask.“I think the most important thing right now for us as a nation is to have stable, structured domestic football for boys, girls, men, women at all ages and to have a plan for the next five years so we know that’s what’s going to happen for the next five years.“And around that, the coach of the national team can build for the country, friends and important matches. So what we need is structure and stability,” he continued.
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu argued in a post on social media that before we dream of playing in the FIFA World Cup, we should play the Asian Cup more regularly. (Instagram)
Earlier, India’s opening wicketkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu agreed with Jhingan’s views in a post on social media.“I absolutely love the conversation that so many people are having about why we’re not at the World Cup [World Cup]. People ask questions and accountability is necessary,” he wrote on Instagram.“As a player, I can tell you. We are not in the World Cup because we are not in the Asian Cup. To get to the World Cup, we have to be regular in the Asian Cup and then be regular in the knockout stage of it. It is a step-by-step process. So the real question is, why didn’t we get to the Asian Cup?” he added.‘You qualified on merit like Argentina, England’
Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha makes a save during the FIFA World Cup Group H match against Spain in Atlanta. (AP)
The 2026 FIFA World Cup brought many twists and turns. The lowest-ranked New Zealand, who tied Iran 2-2, Qatar, who kept Switzerland at bay, and Paraguay, who beat Germany in the round of 16, were some of the biggest shocks. But arguably none was bigger than the third-smallest nation in World Cup history in Cape Verde’s 0-0 draw against Spain. They then continued with a 2-2 draw against Uruguay.“The most obvious one is Cape Verde. After the result in Spain, you could have assumed they would fall apart in the next game. That was the general perception,” Jhingan said when asked which of the rookies impressed him.“(But) You’re in the same tournament that has Argentina, who qualified on merit. You are in the same tournament as England, who also qualified on merit. You also have merit based qualifications.
Cape Verdean soccer 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 blows, until the trophy is lifted. Until then it’s 11 on 11 and who can do the job best. “And this is again the reason why football is the greatest sport, because no matter how many great 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 plays, results can come.“And that’s what they showed against Spain and then against Uruguay. And I loved it and I admired it, that they kept going for the winner until the end,” he concluded.Watch FIFA World Cup 2026 LIVE and exclusively on ZEE 5 in Hindi, English, Malayalam and Bengali.
