Big four in World Cup semis? Yet India, China etc didn't even qualify
India and China have the biggest populations in the globe and many of the combined 2.89 billion are big football fans - yet their national teams are conspicuously absent from a men's World Cup with 48 teams.Meanwhile the 2026 tournament has the four highest-ranked teams in the last four - France v Spain and Argentina v England.China qualified just once in 2002 and went out in the group stage in Japan and South Korea. They lost all three matches without scoring a goal. Despite piling vast sums into football development, the Chinese league has stalled.Cricket and hockey-mad India has never reached the men's World Cup.Population does not translate into footballing success, but FIFA president Gianni Infantino has given them some hope of making the 2030 or 2034 editions by saying an increase to 64 teams should be looked at."The whole world must be allowed to dream of the World Cup and not only Europe and South America," Infantino was quoted as telling Swiss portal blue Sport on Saturday.The tournament has only just been expanded to 48 for this edition. But the sight of debutants Cape Verde reaching the knock-outs and giving holders Argentina a fright, plus the Democratic Republic of the Congo impressing in only their second World Cup, means accusations of extra teams not being competitive can be combatted.Apart from the US and Brazil, eight of the 10 most populous countries on the planet are not at the World Cup - but soon might be.IndiaIn the world's most populous country, cricket is the unchallenged national sport. The national team's successes and the billion-dollar Indian Premier League tie up talent, money and attention - to football's disadvantage.The other key reasons cited for the lack of success in football, which is nevertheless popular in India, include bad infrastructure, insufficient talent development and the demanding climate.India wants to catch up. A professional league, the Indian Super League, has aimed to professionalize football since its launch in 2014, with investment from business and the entertainment industry.But the road to the World Cup is long. India were eliminated in the second qualifying round for 2026, finishing in the group behind Qatar and Kuwait.ChinaChina once again missed out on qualifying for the World Cup. In the FIFA world rankings they are way down in 91st place.President Xi Jinping, like many Chinese, is considered to be a football fan and has set the goal of making his country a major footballing nation. But so far the Chinese game has made headlines more for match-fixing and corruption cases.Observers see a structural problem - clubs and leagues cannot develop independently in China where the Communist Party has built up a web of bureaucratic hurdles and controls over decades.Still, there is hope: the women's team are doing better, ranking 16th in FIFA's standings.IndonesiaIn the world's largest archipelago (at least 280 million inhabitants), football is by far the most popular sport. But the country's only World Cup appearance dates back to 1938 - then still known as the Dutch East Indies.As recently as the 1950s, Indonesia were among Asia's leading football nations. But political upheavals were followed by decades of mismanagement, corruption allegations and a lack of youth development. Talent farming is also hampered by the country's geography with more than 17,000 islands. In 2015, FIFA temporarily suspended the football association after the government intervened in the league's operation.Things are looking up again. The association is investing more heavily in youth and can now also draw on professionals trained in Europe with Indonesian roots - including Kevin Diks of Borussia Mnchengladbach and Maarten Paes of Ajax Amsterdam.PakistanInterest in football is also high in Pakistan (over 255 million inhabitants). Many fans wear Messi shirts and the Lyari district in the port city of Karachi is also called "Mini Brazil" - because of enthusiasm for the South American team.But the country's sports infrastructure is geared towards cricket, which was introduced during British colonial rule. Still, attempts have long been made to establish a professional football league.Disputes, little money for youth programmes and a lack of good pitches nationwide are stifling development.Pakistan has never been at the World Cup, but the South Asian country is represented in every games this time: the match ball "Trionda" is made for manufacturer Adidas in the industrial city of Sialkot.NigeriaNigeria (about 242 million inhabitants) are among Africa's football heavyweights despite missing the 2026 World Cup. As in other West African states, there are football academies that fuel many young people's hopes of a future as a professional. After the "Super Eagles" failed again, however, there was criticism that talent development had been neglected.BangladeshBangladesh is the eighth biggest country in the world by population with its near 180 million but has also never made a men's football World Cup.Yet images of thousands of fans in Bangladesh wearing Lionel Messi shirts and supporting Argentina have gone viral, showing a love of football exists.Brazil matches also brought many streets in Dhaka to a standstill.But Bangladesh's own men's national team went winless in their group in the second round of World Cup qualifying. Six matches, 1 goal scored and 20 conceded.Weak management, insufficient investment and poor infrastructure are seen as the reasons.In March, a Bangladeshi team played in the Women's Asian Cup competition for the first time. The national association celebrated qualification: "Get ready, Asia. Bangladesh has arrived on the football map!"EthiopiaEthiopia (about 139 million inhabitants) is known for its strong long-distance runners. In men's football it is among Africa's strugglers (FIFA ranking 143). Armed conflicts, a poor security situation and limited pitches make progress difficult. The national team have even had to play home matches abroad in recent years because none of the stadiums met international standards.And Russia?Russia, normally a fairly frequent tournament qualifier, is not taking part in the World Cup because FIFA and UEFA have excluded Russian national and club teams from all international competitions until further notice after Russia's attack on Ukraine in February 2022.The 2018 hosts could be back in soon though if football bodies follow the International Olympic Committee's lead and lift the suspension.
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