Indian footballer Sumit Rathi on Wednesday asserted that India can qualify for the FIFA World Cup within five years if the country overhauls its footballing approach and prioritises grassroots development, but cautioned that persisting with the current system could postpone the dream by 50 years or more. Currently ranked 136th in the FIFA men's rankings, India has battled inconsistency at the international stage despite a growing domestic league and rising financial commitments to the sport.

The Grassroots Imperative

Rathi, a defender, stressed that grassroots football and systematic player development must become the centrepiece of India's footballing strategy if the nation wants to compete at the highest level. He argued that administrators, coaches, physiotherapists, and club officials must fundamentally rethink their approach. "We should work on developing football at the grassroots level, and people in power need to change their thinking," Rathi said. "If that thought changes, we can see results in five years. But if things continue in the same repeated mode, then even 15 years is less. It can take 50 years."

Long-Term Vision Over Short-Term Gains

The defender underscored the need for a long-term strategic mindset rather than chasing immediate wins. He highlighted that the global football landscape is intensely competitive, with standards rising across all nations. "We are not competing with 10 or 15 countries. Football is such a game that any team can win on any day. The competition level is increasing day by day. Other countries are also improving," Rathi noted.

Domestic Players Must Lead

Rathi contended that Indian Super League clubs and other domestic franchises should entrust key positions to Indian players rather than over-relying on foreign imports. He argued that this structural shift would accelerate player development and strengthen the national team pipeline. "In our clubs, the major positions should be played by Indians. Automatically, we will improve and represent India at the FIFA level soon," he explained. "The level I have played at, I think, there is only a small difference. The difference is that we are getting fewer competitive matches."

Overseas Indian-Origin Players as a Shortcut

Rathi also endorsed the inclusion of overseas Indian-origin players, such as Ryan Williams, in the national squad as a potential accelerator for India's footballing progress. He suggested that even one or two world-class Indian-origin defenders, full-backs, midfielders, or strikers could compress a five-year development timeline into just two years. "If one or two main centre-backs, full-backs, midfielders or strikers of Indian origin play for us, the work of five years can happen in two years," Rathi concluded.

Investment Without Output

The defender flagged a critical gap: despite substantial financial investment in Indian football, the country has failed to produce consistent world-class talent across all positions. "You are investing so much, and you have everything, but if you don't produce proper strikers, defenders, midfielders and goalkeepers, then difficulties are going to come," Rathi warned, signalling that structural reform — not money alone — is the bottleneck.