India, the world’s most populous country, has roughly over 1.4 billion people who call this Asian nation their home. With such a large population, it does come as a surprise that they are ranked as low as 141st in the FIFA world rankings. To put that into perspective, Curaçao, the smallest nation to ever qualify for the FIFA World Cup, has a population of just over 150,000, and they find themselves ranked 81st in the rankings (as of 01/02/2026).

Why does India find itself in this situation? Well, common knowledge is that cricket takes centre stage in popularity for the majority, but according to surveys, around 21% of people in India are football fans. This equates to roughly 305 million people. Why then does India perform so poorly when it comes to football? What are the factors behind the unfulfilled potential of this great nation?

National Team

Focusing on the national team to begin with, we already see disappointing results. The national team failed to qualify for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup recently. Since the beginning of 2024, the national football team has won just two games. Firstly, against the Maldives on March 19th in 2025, a comfortable 3-0, although the Maldives themselves are not renowned for their footballing prowess. Following that, a 2-1 win over Tajikistan in August 2025 at the CAFA Nations Cup (Central Asian Football Association).

Is there any sign of improvement? In the near future, it looks unlikely. Just in October 2025, the national team recalled all-time record goal scorer Sunil Chhetri back to the roster. Usually, a positive decision when recalling someone with 95 international goals; however, Chhetri is now 41 years old. India proceeded to start Chhetri for their game against Singapore of which Chhetri played 78 minutes. If having a 41-year-old striker leading the line for your nation isn’t bad enough, it seems, in recent years at least, there is no alternative. That said, Chhetri has now retired from international football, so the AIFF (All India Football Federation) need to find a solution quickly.

Domestic Football

With the national team performing like a damsel in distress, the AIFF need to turn to their domestic leagues and look to develop some younger talents that can steer the course of the national team back onto the right track. Recent happenings, however, have stalled this.

The 2025-26 Indian Super League (ISL) has been delayed. Severe administrative, financial and legal uncertainty in reference to the Master Rights Agreement between the AIFF and Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) appears to be the disruption. The ISL is in all sorts of problems because of this situation. Operations have been suspended, player contracts have been terminated, and many clubs have stopped training until a solution is found. In fact, there has been an exodus of players from the league who seek greener pastures.

The deal that was struck, which organised and operated the ISL, simply expired after its 15-year agreement had come to an end. The ISL did not have a new management ready to take over, nor did they have ownership structures ready to go; this has resulted in the carnage. Without the investment from the outside sources, clubs in India have demanded that the AIFF take on the financial burden. The clubs aren’t playing; therefore, they are not receiving the income they require to operate.

Meetings have been held with the league potentially resuming on the 14th of February, but even that is still up in the air. The second tier, I-League, is scheduled to return a week later on the 21st of February, but don’t expect these dates to be exact. With the current affairs ongoing, these dates are likely to change; in fact, at one stage, it was suggested that the leagues would not operate at all for the foreseeable future.

City Group And Players In Desperation

A football federation in crisis. No games, no league, a struggling national team, can the situation get any worse? In the wise words of Mick McCarthy, “It can”. On top of the AIFF crisis and the national teams’ struggles, the small sparkle of hope was that of The City Football Group. The City Group bought a controlling stake in Mumbai City in 2019. This encouraged football fans from India that there might be hope for the production of better players who would see a stark improvement for their national team. However, due to the ongoing issues with the AIFF, in December 2025, the City Group divested their shares in Mumbai City, marking the end of its role as majority owner.

How has this affected the players, the staff and all those involved in the game itself? Looking at online social media, it seems that the players have taken the news badly. Players have been seen on social media begging the AIFF for a resolution. Referees have written to the AIFF stating they need to start earning again, and national celebrities have been calling on FIFA to act.

If the current situation continues, not only will both the league and the national team decline, but, once they do restart domestic football, the ISL may be at risk of losing its automatic spot for the AFC Champions League. In January 2026, the Asian Football Confederation granted India a one-season exemption due to the ongoing issues, which will allow ISL and the Super Cup (domestic cup) champions to participate in the AFC Champions League Two qualifiers.

What is the solution? Honestly? We don’t know yet. The hope is that FIFA steps in to resolve this situation that is devastating Indian football. When the ISL was first launched in 2014, the hype behind the project was huge. The attraction of big-name players such as Alessandro Del Piero and David Trezeguet brought in the crowds, which averaged at 24,000 for the first three seasons. Since then, the league average attendance has more than halved, which of course brings in less revenue, which again affects the sponsorship deals.

Famously, former FIFA president Sepp Blatter spoke of “awakening football’s sleeping giant”; this appears a long way off with the current circumstances the AIFF find themselves in. A sad story, but hopefully one that can find a happy ending, and can someone please replace Sunil Chhetri up front and score some goals for the national team?

Researched and Written by BSc Cavan Campbell

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