Indian women have better chance of playing FIFA World Cup than men: Bhaichung Bhutia

India Today

22-05-2025

Former India captain and football legend Bhaichung Bhutia believes that the women's national team can play in the FIFA World Cup before the men's side. The Indian men's team has been dreaming about making it to the grandest stage in international football for quite some time but have failed to make it through. Speaking at India Today's State of the States: Sikkim at 50, Bhutia was asked if the men's team can make it. The former India captain said that it is definitely possible and FIFA increasing the number of participating teams for the tournament is an advantage. advertisementHowever, Bhutia believes that the level of competition in Asia makes it tough for India to crack down one of the four allocated spots at the moment. However, the legendary footballer feels that with the right generation of players and with a strong grassroots program, it can become a reality.
"I think in life, if North Korea could play in a FIFA World Cup, I'm sure India can. And the good thing is—actually, the very good thing is—FIFA has increased the number of participating teams from, I think, 32 to maybe 48.""The difficult part for India is that Asia has over 60 countries, but we only get four spots to qualify for the World Cup. And those four spots are usually taken by Japan, Korea, and Australia—who, by the way, play in the Asian qualifiers. So Australia takes one, and the remaining spot usually goes to either Iran or Saudi Arabia."advertisement"So, it becomes nearly impossible for a country like India—or even China. China has been trying to qualify for the World Cup and still hasn't made it." "So, the level of competition is much more challenging. But yes, I believe we need the right generation of players—maybe seven or eight—born around the same time. We also need our grassroots football program to be very strong, where kids are playing every day, every week, and competing regularly.""We also need a strong education program for coaches," said Bhutia. Will the women's team make it to World Cup before men's side?Bhutia was asked if the women's team have a better chance of making it to the global tournament than the men's side and explained the reason behind it. The former India captain said that in the women's level, the major gulf countries aren't present, which gives India an advantage. However, Bhutia said that the absence of residential academies is hurting women's football to grow to its full potential. "Yes—much better. Absolutely. I'll tell you why. Maybe the ladies can show us the way. Again, just like in the men's format, the number of participating teams in women's football has increased. And when it comes to men's football, Gulf countries dominate. They own major clubs."advertisement"But in Gulf countries, women's football isn't big at all. So that gives countries like India a better opportunity and higher chances of qualifying. About 20 countries probably don't even participate in women's qualifiers. India's women's team is currently ranked much higher than the men's team globally.""But again, it comes down to grassroots investment and infrastructure. We don't have a single elite women's football academy in India. Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools is the only residential football academy for girls right now. There aren't enough girls at that level moving on to play in the Indian Women's League. That's where a lot of federations and academies must step up and invest—at the elite level—in girls' football.""Only then can we raise coaching standards, training quality, and competitive levels. I genuinely believe women's football in India has a much better chance of qualifying for the World Cup than the men's team," said Bhutia. India is 12th in the AFC rankings for women's and 22nd in men's. The major difference in the women's scenario has been the absence of Gulf countries. Trending Reel