How India Can Be at the FIFA World Cup in 2038

Up front, I admit my first personal link to Indian football. In 2010–11, I was cooperating with football evangelist Shaji Prabhakaran in the football sphere. Bob Houghton’s time as head coach of the Blue Tigers had come to an end, and once more the All India Football Federation (AIFF) needed a silver bullet. I proposed something deeper and more consequential: bring in a team of coaches from Ireland and build top-down, bottom-up. Put in place a talent pipeline to get India to a FIFA World Cup in 2022. The men involved each had top-level experience as players and coaches. It was to be a “Green Revolution” to put Indian football up where it belongs.

Shaji presented the plan, with full costings and vision, but the AIFF went local with Armando Colaco and then Savio Medeira. Two coaches within a year — and only 6 of 19 matches won. And then, inexplicably, the AIFF went to Ireland to get their next boss — but chose a Dutchman who can best be described as an inveterate sporting spoofer.

What is a ‘sporting spoofer’? Simple — a person who tells lies to increase their profile but who is caught out in the end, or is failed upwards/sideways. They almost always have friends in sports media who defend them aggressively — such is sport. Wim Koevermans is not a bad person or coach, but it took him three years as Ireland’s “International High Performance Director” to realise that football isn’t even in the top three sports in Ireland. After his less-than-sparkling time with India, he failed upwards to become a coach educator with the Asian Football Confederation. Meanwhile, India trundled along — winning, drawing, losing — but not really going places.

So why am I confident of success in 2038?

My second up-front moment is that recent coach Igor Štimac and I worked together in Croatia. I have great time for the man and hoped he would make that step forward for India possible, yet I knew he was like a flyweight boxer, both hands tied behind his back, facing prime-time Mike Tyson. Igor’s successes came despite the structure of Indian football, not because of it. Stephen Constantine, another genuine coach and leader, got India as far as he could. And Manolo Márquez showed that winning lots of matches in the Indian Super League doesn’t translate into triumphant returns for the national team. Yet do I truly believe India will be at the ‘Big Show’ in North America or Oceania? Yes. Yes, I do.

Here’s why:

1. Football is greater than cricket in some parts of India — start with talent from those areas.
2. There are eager partners for Indian football across Asia and Eastern Europe.
3. The money is ready to flow from grassroots level — it just needs a believable infrastructure.
4. There are still years of muscle memory to tap — historical Indian football success matters.
5. Proposed alterations to eligibility laws could open major doors.

The last point can change everything. If India were able to tap into its sizeable diaspora and recruit a few lads with Indian grannies, there would be a ready-made side capable of competing with Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, and Uzbekistan. Forget struggling against the Maldives, Syria, or Bangladesh. India could draw from players in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, and Ireland. It’s short-term and also difficult — but it’s a much-needed start.

Why am I backing a national team with just 12 wins in 57 World Cup qualifiers?

Because there was success in the 1940s–60s. There are people who remember those glory days. Indians remember how, in 1960, India put it up to a brilliant Hungary side at the Olympics. They narrowly lost to the Mighty Magyars, who went on to win bronze and had future Ballon d’Or winner Flórián Albert in their ranks. India were fearless then — they even held France, with Marcel Artelesa, to a 1–1 draw. Artelesa went on to play at the 1966 FIFA World Cup and won a French league and cup double with AS Monaco in 1963. France lost 7–0 to Hungary after drawing with India. In fact, Hungary also put six goals past Peru in the group stage.

Yes, some will point to losing the bronze medal match to Bulgaria at the 1956 Olympics after a semi-final defeat to the ‘Shamateurs’ of Yugoslavia (amateurs in name only). But that Olympics was pointless from a pure sporting perspective. The top three were professionals from the USSR, Yugoslavia, and Bulgaria — countries that didn’t have professional sports on paper, but paid athletes to train, play, and recover. Things are different now. Money matters more — but…

Do we really believe that if the Blue Tigers start to roar and millions of kids take up football, huge corporations won’t want their logos plastered all over the carnival? If we don’t believe this, we don’t understand the business, economic, and political power of sport. As much as I enjoy cricket and its place in Indian hearts — indeed souls — it would be bowled over, hit for six, and stumped as soon as football takes off.

Cold hard cash will be the driver to the FIFA World Cup Finals in 2038. More money will go into equipping kids and coaches. National teams will enjoy better conditions, and confidence will grow in every single player. Plus, show me an Indian parent who wouldn’t be thrilled to see their boy on a billboard earning real money. Indian football isn’t an island — it needs partners. And they are waiting.

My third up-front moment: Russia, Belarus, Slovakia

While consulting with the All-Russian Football Players Union (ARFPU) and numerous Russian clubs, I saw genuine openness to cooperation with Indian clubs. From the Russian Football Union, I heard directly of their desire to link with the AIFF and Indian regional bodies. The Russian Student Football Association even reached out to the AIFF via the ARFPU and the Russian Embassy.

Can you imagine the leap forward for young Indian talents training for a season with former UEFA Cup champions like Zenit St Petersburg or CSKA Moscow? Or even with a top-tier regional club? It would toughen up Indian players and show them they deserve better. Now realise the business ties that would flourish — thus reinforcing point 3. It would even help with the balance of trade between the two countries.

That’s just one example. I have two more: Slovakia and Belarus have also expressed willingness to cooperate with Indian football.

So is that it?

No. We need to go back to basics — to the grassroots. There are parts of India where football is life: Kolkata is one. Kerala, Goa, and Mumbai still elevate football to the highest level. Yes, cricket — and increasingly athletics — are major attractions. But imagine how easy it would be to get kids through the door by showing parents this:

“Your child can play football and, if they excel, have a chance to pursue an education and a professional career — just like the majority of footballers in Russia, Belarus, and Slovakia, who also hold university degrees.”

Money + Education + Chance for eternal glory = The Triple Crown of every parent’s dreams.
We all live vicariously through our children, no matter what we claim.

When you add all of this up, my prediction isn’t so far-fetched. Start the project in 2026, and by 2028 you’ll have a large crop of 10–12-year-olds in the system. By 2036, that group will have foreign league experience, with diaspora players blended in. Asia will have eight guaranteed slots at the World Cup Finals, plus one intercontinental playoff. The odds are in India’s favour — heavily.

Before that, we’ll see success at continental and global levels for Indian youth sides. Indian clubs will win at the Asian level. The buzz for World Cup qualification will dwarf anything cricket has experienced. Football will strip sponsor money away from the IPL. Kids in Mumbai, Delhi, and Manipur will wear shirts bearing the names of local football heroes. When India finally plays at the World Cup Finals, the nation will stop, unite, and delight as the men in blue finish third in their group — with a shot at the knockout stage.

As you read this, you can see it. You can feel it. You can taste the excitement. Now you know this is possible.

There’s a long, difficult road ahead. But it’s a road the AIFF is capable of walking. Had they chosen the Green Revolution I proposed in 2011, India would already be heading to Saudi Arabia in 2034. But the right time to start is now — and recreate the glory days of Indian football.

P.S. When I make a prediction in sports, I’m never wrong. From correctly calling Premier League winners in October to predicting the downfall of reigning champions in August. I might be a stopped clock — but even those are right twice a day.

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