The Successful Failure

Why football failed in India ?

The country with cricket in its veins, football is just another sport trying to carve its own identity in this realm of bats and balls. As the FIFA World Cup 2026 started on the other side of the globe, the Indian National Team failed to qualify for yet another global spectacle, despite the increased number of teams to forty-eight.

But how did the most populous country fail to play the most populous sport in the world? - Let's find out.

The Early Era

The sport was brought into India by the British during the colonial era; it was mainly played by the soldiers and naval officers. Slowly it seeped into the Indian culture and became a predominant sport in many households. With time, Kolkata became the hotspot for footballing activities in the country, and two of the oldest and most decorated clubs in India came into existence: Mohun Bagan and East Bengal football club. As the game's popularity increased, many people turned in numbers to support their club. The impact of the sport was visible as many working-class people played football after office hours and competed in various tournaments.

Mohun Bagan players after winning IFA Shield in 1911.

The Indian Football Association (IFA) came into existence in 1893, with the sole aim of governing the sport in the British Raj colonies. At that time, the sport was categorized as amateur, with no professional contracts and full-time duties. The Britishers imposed various bans and segregated Indian players from training with the officers, but the players stood firm and trained under scarce resources. All of the players, including the elite ones, during the British era were government employees working in railways, agriculture, etc.

The Golden Era

Just after independence, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) was formed in 1948, which is India's highest football-governing body. The golden era of Indian football kicked off during its initial years as the team won gold in the inaugural Asiad in 1951, and repeating the historical feat in 1962, the team also finished as runners-up in the 1964 Asian Cup (Asia's premier continental championship). The golden era of Indian football capped off with the third-place finish in the Asian Games in 1970. 

Indian squad before departure for 1962 Asian games in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Between those fruitful years, club football's rise was substantial, as many new clubs were formed, such as Salgaocar SC, Dempo FC, Trau FC, and more. The players were now given paid leaves and other concessions while training and playing for the national team.

During those years, the nation produced many skilled and talented players, such as the holy trinity of Chuni Goswami, P.K. Banerjee, and Tulsidas Balaram and the towering defense men, Jarnail Singh and Peter Thangaraj.

The Decline

Here came the flashy 1970s; the football craze cruised over Asia, and many countries started making and investing in new facilities, leagues, players, and, most importantly, scouting from grassroot levels. India lagged behind in this era of enhancement and globalization, with very slow progress and limited investment scathed the football landscape in India very badly. After the 1970s, the national team's performance also plummeted and the team took nearly twenty years to qualify for the Asian Cup in 1984. 

It was only in 1996 that the country got its first professional football league, the National Football League (NFL), with club contracts, a broadcaster (Doordarshan), and sponsors. The NFL continued until its dissolvement in 2007. The league was rebranded from 2007 onwards as the I-League, which featured many international players. 

The major breakout in Indian football's professionalism was the Indian Super League (ISL), which started in 2013. The league was designed to increase the viewership, get the corporate sponsors, and, crucially, create a pipeline of players for the national team.

During the initial years, ISL enjoyed corporate backing and no major disruption in broadcasting; however, over time, the league suffered with declining viewership, and questions arose of its long-term sustainability. Finally, the bubble burst in 2025, when all national leagues (the ISL, I-League one, and I-League two) were suspended for an indefinite time due to a broadcasting fiasco, as there were no broadcasters to telecast matches; finally, the federation secured the deal with FanCode. For the 2025-26 season, the league was played in a truncated format rather than a full-season format, with only 91 matches across three months.

Not only is domestic football in jeopardy, but the national team continues to disappoint at the global stage with the current ranking of 137 among 211 nations. The sport is in big turmoil due to government interference, lack of world-class facilities, absence of lucrative offers, and frequent club-national team conflicts; all these reasons resonate with the current state of Indian football.

Despite the lows, fans never disappoint, here they are with Blue Tigers Tifo.

The Future

As things stand, the road to success looks bleak, and the federation needs to take various major steps regarding the infrastructure, player development, and nationwide reach of the sport. 

There are some points I want to highlight that can be addressed, which are

Firstly, the government should allow dual nationality, which would enable many foreign-born and -raised players of Indian ancestry to represent the country, in accordance with FIFA rules that require a player to switch their allegiance to a nation before turning 21 and to possess a passport from that country. This rule was one of the reasons for the rise of Arab nations on the world stage, as most of their players were born and raised in different countries and were scouted at a young age to represent their home country. Examples include Achraf Hakimi, born in Madrid, Spain but plays for Morocco; Hakan Calhanoglu, whose parents immigrated to Germany, where he was born and plays for Turkey; and many more. 

All the decisions regarding the sport are taken in Delhi, rather than footballing hubs like Kolkata, Goa, or Kerala. The federation must have its offices in any of these regions, as they can monitor the activities of the boards and players effectively. Also, the stadiums and training facilities must be upgraded to meet the demands of modern football.

AIFF should establish a dedicated coaching center to prepare homegrown coaches and minimize reliance on foreign coaches. Also, the strength, conditioning, and rehabilitation are all vital aspects that have to be addressed, and the player should be treated accordingly.

One of the reasons why India fails to develop a world-class team is the lack of scouting at a young age and developing them from grassroot levels. Indian clubs can follow the academy model, such as La Masia of FC Barcelona, which is considered the best football academy in the world. Following the footprints, India also has its own academy, Minerva Academy FC, which was founded by Ranjit Bajaj, who says, "When we have 10 Indian players playing in the Champions League, the World Cup dream can come true.", The academy's goal is to nurture budding talent and prepare them for the European level.

Minerva Academy, who defeated Liverpool's academy, here they are with Gothia Cup, Sweden.

Corruption and mismanagement are yet another talking point that should be addressed thoroughly, with timely reports and a collaborative model with transparency.

Although the future of Indian football is unbeknownst to us, the best we can do is to support the sport. Hopefully the sun will shine someday and bring us the joy and pride to see our country in the World Cup, with the tricolor flying high and our national anthem echoing around the globe.

-Sarthak P. Khode 😊