India football captain and goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu has said that a potential expansion of the FIFA World Cup to 64 teams could improve India's prospects of qualifying for the tournament, but cautioned that the national side must first concentrate on breaking into Asia's top 15 before entertaining larger ambitions.

The Expansion Proposal and What It Means

FIFA president Gianni Infantino recently expressed support for studying a proposal to expand the 2030 FIFA World Cup to 64 teams. The 2030 edition is already set to be a landmark event, with matches spread across six countries and three continents. The expansion proposal has, however, triggered debate around player workload and the broader future of international football.

Gurpreet, speaking as part of the Zee5 FIFA WC 2026 expert panel, acknowledged the potential upside for India while also recognising the strain such a format would impose on players competing in Europe's elite leagues.

What Gurpreet Said

'From India's point of view, it's good because the more teams there are, the better for us. It's not that busy for us anymore,' said the 33-year-old goalkeeper.

He added: 'I feel for teams playing in Europe and other countries, who are already playing 50-60 matches; it will be very hectic for them. But again, there will be a thought process behind it. They must have thought about how to do it, keeping the fatigue in mind and keeping the league format in mind.'

India's Immediate Priority: Asia's Top 15

Gurpreet was clear that India should not allow speculation about a larger World Cup to distract from the hard structural work required to rise up the Asian football ladder. He stressed a step-by-step approach rather than leapfrogging to aspirational targets.

'As an Indian football fan and as an active Indian player, I personally want us to be at the World Cup as soon as possible. But right now, my priority is how we can reach Asia's top 10, even Asia's top 15,' he said.

'We need to take one step ahead of the other, not jump straight away to where we want to be. That's not the goal. You want to build one step at a time. For us, the immediate target should be to get into the top 15 of Asia and then take it from there,' Gurpreet added.

Context and Broader Significance

India currently sits well outside Asia's elite footballing bracket, making the push into the top 15 a meaningful near-term benchmark. This comes amid growing interest in Indian football following the Indian Super League's expansion and increased investment in grassroots development. Notably, a 64-team World Cup would widen the Asian Football Confederation's allocation of berths, potentially opening a realistic path for nations like India that have historically been on the fringes of qualification.

Whether the expansion proposal clears FIFA's governance hurdles remains to be seen, but Gurpreet's measured take reflects a maturity within the Indian football set-up — one that prioritises process over shortcuts.