There is no spark of hope left in Indian football. The country continues its downward spiral, and a string of dismal results has left the fans of Men in Blue disheartened, disillusioned, and questioning whether the beautiful game still has a future in India.

The last time India won a match was back in March - a 3-0 victory over a depleted Maldives side. But in the cutthroat landscape of Asian football, that result meant little. India’s performance on the bigger stage has been a resounding zero. The last truly significant win came way back in 2023, when they edged past Kuwait 1-0 in the second round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 AFC Qualifiers.

Losses against teams - some of whom do not even have access to basic facilities like proper training grounds, fitness equipment, or structured leagues - such as Afghanistan and Syria in 2024, Thailand in 2025, and the inability to beat Bangladesh, have pushed Indian football to the brink. The most recent blow came against Hong Kong, ranked 153rd, leaving fans disillusioned and furious. Now ranked 133rd in the latest FIFA standings, India stand just two spots away from their worst ranking in over a decade - a sobering 135.

The current state of Indian football has left every stakeholder of the game disappointed. Fans are disheartened, and club owners are beginning to question whether it is worth investing in Indian football every year.

Desperation Grows

Desperation around India's failure has grown further over the last couple of weeks as the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign nears its end, with Asian countries like Uzbekistan and Jordan sealing their spots in the sporting showpiece.

It was no so long ago that these countries were at the same level as India. In 2018, Uzbekistan were ranked 96th - just a spot above India - while Jordan, once ranked as low as 152 with an average rank of 96, have made remarkable progress by qualifying for the World Cup. They even played the final of the AFC Asian Cup 2023.

Uzbekistan and Jordan’s qualification is living proof that intent backed by meticulous planning can transform a nation's fortunes - not in decades, but in years. Their success echo one simple truth: change is possible, if you care enough to make it happen. In stark contrast, Indian football floats aimlessly, clinging to a distant dream called 'Vision 2047' - a lofty ambition to play the World Cup a quarter-century from now. But dreams without direction are just delusions. While others savour success and sprint ahead, India stands still - visionless, voiceless, and vanishing from the spotlight.

“This is completely unacceptable, just not good enough under any circumstances,” said Bengaluru FC owner Parth Jindal, in the aftermath of India’s defeat to lower-ranked Hong Kong, which left India at the bottom of their group in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

India’s most glaring weakness remains painfully invariable - the inability to find players who can score goals. Against Hong Kong, it all came down to one moment in the 39th minute: Ashique Kuruniyan, with an open goal in front of him, missed. It was not just a chance squandered - it was a snapshot of everything broken in Indian football. A team that can not finish, a system that cannot nurture strikers, and a nation still waiting for someone to take responsibility.

The Indian Super League (ISL) was once hailed as the conveyor belt that would propel Indian football forward. Instead, it has become a revolving door of missed opportunities. Despite all the promises of building academies and nurturing homegrown talent, ISL clubs continue to prefer foreigners over Indian strikers - the very players the national team so desperately needs. Sunil Chhetri, who retired last year, had to return simply because there is no one else to score goals. Rather than investing in Indian forwards, clubs chase flashy signings and inflate the transfer market. Yes, Indian football is now one of Asia’s most lucrative markets - but it is a glittering shell that does little to feed the soul of the national team.

When the All India Football Federation (AIFF) could have stepped in and sit with clubs to address the crisis, Kalyan Chaubey - at the helm since September 2022 - has chosen to stand on the sidelines. Rather than assert authority, he makes polite requests, citing helplessness. With the Indian Super League owned by Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) and not the AIFF, Chaubey’s influence is reduced to ceremonial. And in that vacuum of power, Indian football continues to drift - leaderless and directionless.

"I cannot say anything about reducing the number of foreigners in the domestic league; it is the stakeholders' decision, but in the interest of the national team, if they decide to give more time to Indian positive strikers, I will be happy to accommodate," Chaubey said at a press conference on Friday.

Bad governance has long been Indian football’s recurring issue — and it continues to hurt. This became glaring as Uzbekistan, once struggling seven years ago and where India is today, made rapid progress by investing in grassroots football. Instead of excuses, they invested in grassroots football, built real infrastructure, and trained former players to shape the next generation. The results - their products are now playing out in Europe’s biggest leagues - Eldor Shomurodov at AS Roma, Abdukodir Khusanov at Manchester City. Meanwhile, in India, as the desperation for a win grows, AIFF bats for allowing Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) to magically fix what decades of neglect have broken. It is not a plan; it is a desperate shortcut.

Hence, Chaubey's attempt to dodge responsibility has not gone unnoticed. When he could have done much more for Indian footballers, he resorted to the blame game. With India’s chances of qualifying for the AFC Asian Cup 2027 hanging by a thread, Chaubey seems to have given up. “If we have to qualify for the AFC or any near FIFA competition, we should have planned 10 years back, not now," said Chaubey - a shameless attempt to pass on his responsibility.

When he took charge, he promised to make Indian football better by getting rid of a rotten system and focusing on developmental work. But now, after all these years of empty talk, his favourite solution to every problem in Indian football is allowing OCI players.

"Several countries ranked below India have adopted the method of having naturalized citizens and it has worked for them. AIFF has initiated communication with relevant departments of the Indian government for OCI and PIO players and the initial response is encouraging. We are in touch with 33 players and we are assisting them in getting OCI cards,” Chaubey said.

"We are trying to get a top striker - one of the top 10 in the world. We will take four or five Under-23 strikers and give them a few days’ crash course in finishing from him,” he said, suggesting a solution to Indian football’s goal-scoring crisis.

However, that remains a distant dream, as it is a complex issue requiring constitutional changes and involves stakeholders beyond the Sports Ministry and the Sports Authority of India.

With no vision in sight, India - now 24th among 46 teams in Asia - looks clueless about how to stop its downward spiral.