Despite the best efforts, Football in India has never really found its place. While the Indian Football team has existed way back since 1950, the team has never really done anything worthwhile on the international stage.
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With the AFC Qualifier Tournament going on, the Indian Football team has a chance to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. As everyone is hoping for India to qualify for the next world cup, the biggest hope for India is its captain Sunil Chhetri.
The 39 year old recently shared his views about the state of Football in India and discussed his dream of the Indian team qualifying for the world cup.
Sunil Chetri on India Qualifying for FiFA 2026
Being the best Soccer player from India, the legendary striker holds the record for all time goal scoring and is also the third oldest goalscorer internationally after Christiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. During an interview with FIFA, the captain stressed the importance of maintaining a strong presence in the Asian rankings.
Talking about the possibility of India qualifying for the FIFA World Cup, Sunil Chettri stated that India needs to emerge as a top team in the Asian bracket and stand equal to top teams like Japan, South Korea, and Iran.
While every Indian dreams about the day India will play in the World Cup, the captain of the team is surely ahead of everyone with his own dreams.
“I have so many dreams about that day. It is going to be humongous.”
The Indian team still has yet to raise its rankings and qualify for the World Cup. Talking about the possibility of this happening, Sunil’s eyes had lit up as he shared his vision of the day India will get recognised globally.
During his talk with FIFA he said, “When that happens, the country will go mad. As an Indian, it’s going to be one of the best days of my life. I have so many dreams about that day. It is going to be humongous.”
“The anticipation, the hope that it will bring to the complete nation is something that I know I will never forget in my life. There are so many people like me who can’t wait to see that day, and I just hope it comes soon for us.”
Back in November 2023, India had the opportunity to prove their mettle in the AFC Asian Cup and qualify for the 2026 Tournament. Sadly, India failed to win even a single match and were wiped out of the tournament with 3 loses.
This must have surely affected Chhetri and his team. As India is taking part in the AFC Qualifier Tournament, every eye will be at the Indian national team. Amidst all this, Sunil Chhetri is the one whose dreams have the most weight on the situation, mostly because the striker doesn’t have much time left on his career.
Sunil Chhetri on His Dreams and Upcoming Retirement
Already at 39 years old, Chhetri is nearing the end of his 22 year long career. By the time the 2026 world cup rolls over, Sunil will be 42 years old, making it the only chance he will get at winning the world cup, considering that all will go well.
To reach the FIFA World Cup, the Indian team has to first do well in the qualifier tournament. Recently, the team failed to win against Afghanistan and the match resulted in a draw.
Ending the interview and talking about his dreams, Chhetri said “When I dream, I dream more as an Indian, more as a fan. Me being there in any capacity, it doesn’t matter, because I know I’ll be a fan. I’ll be watching every game that India plays and rooting for my country.
“Because I’m 39, I don’t have long-term targets as far as me being on the pitch is concerned. I think about the next three months, and then the next three months, and then we see how it goes.
“Right now, I feel really good physically. I can see that I do contribute to the team, both for my country and my club. As long as I’m enjoying it, I will be here. I don’t know how many days, how many months, how many years that will be. The day I stop enjoying, and the day I can’t contribute, I will be done.
“I’m just happy that I’m here. This is the bonus period, I’m just enjoying it, I don’t know when it’s going to end. I just want to enjoy it.”
How Strong is the Indian Football Team
For India to qualify for the 2026 Fifa World Cup, it surely needs to do better. As Sunil has put forward, India has to perform well internationally. Currently the Indian Football team is ranked at 2nd on the Second Round Group A table. The team has one win to their name along with a loss and a draw.
In the last FIFA rankings, India was ranked at 102. It can be said that the team has somewhat improved their game and have a chance to qualify for the upcoming world cup.
Can India Qualify for the FIFA 2026 World Cup?
Apart from Cricket, India has never really shined at other sport forms. However, there have been continuous growth in the development of sports other than Cricket, and Football has been the most pushed out sport from the list.
Seeing the stats and the scores, India does have a chance to qualify for the upcoming world cup. Placed at second on the table, the Indian team is being guided by coach Igor Štimac who is a retired Croatian Football player.
According to Sunil Chhetri, the Indian Football team is setting new benchmarks day by day and developing their skills to stand alongside the top teams in the world. Seeing how things are going, the day might not be far when India will stand alongside top international teams.
