New Delhi, July 3 (IANS) Former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia believes Indian football remains some distance away from qualifying for the FIFA World Cup despite Asia receiving an unprecedented eight direct qualification spots due to the expanded tournament, saying the national team still has plenty of ground to cover to match the continent’s leading nations.

Speaking on the progress of Asian football during the ongoing FIFA World Cup, Bhutia said the expansion of Asian qualification berths is a welcome development, but cautioned that India is not yet ready to capitalise on the opportunity.

“I think Asian countries this year have increased the number of quotas to eight teams from four, which is a very positive sign. But I think India still is quite far away in terms of qualifying within that eight-team quota as well,” Bhutia, who is part of the expert panel for ZEE5’s FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage, told IANS in an exclusive conversation.

The former striker stressed that India’s focus should be on raising the overall standard of football rather than simply targeting qualification. “So for India, I think a lot of work has to be put in, and there are a lot of challenges, but we will have to work a lot to reach that standard,” he added.

Bhutia’s remarks come at a time when Asian football continues to make steady strides on the global stage. Nations such as Japan, South Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Iraq again qualified for the FIFA World Cup, while debutants Uzbekistan and Jordan marked historic first-ever World Cup appearances in 2026.

Bhutia was particularly impressed by the competitiveness shown by Asian sides at the tournament, saying the performances reflected the significant progress made across the continent over the past decade. “If you look at the standards of football that were played by Asian countries, it was very impressive. I think every team scored a goal, every team has got a point out of this World Cup,” he said.

Despite a record eight teams qualifying, the Asian sides had a largely disappointing 2026 FIFA World Cup, with seven of their sides eliminated in the group stage. Japan also lost to Brazil in the round of 32, ending the continent’s fight in the World Cup. However, their strong fight has shown a path for the future.

–IANS

sds/bsk/