Indian icon Bhaichung Bhutia stated that a 64-team football World Cup, which the world governing body FIFA is considering, would increase India's chances of making it to the main event, but it might also lower the caliber of the matches.
The South American governing body CONMEBOL formally proposed in April of last year to increase the number of teams competing in the 2030 World Cup from 48 in the 2026 edition to 64.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino recently stated that his organization will review the suggestion following this World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. However, FIFA has not yet made a decision. Argentina, the reigning champions, will play Spain in the championship game on Sunday in New York.In honor of the tournament's centennial, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay will host the first three games of the 2030 edition, which will be primarily co-hosted by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. In 1930, Uruguay hosted the inaugural World Cup.As an Indian football fan, I believe that having more teams is a good thing. In an exclusive interview with PTI, Bhutia stated, "I'm not saying that India will qualify, but if they increase to 64 from 48, India will have a better chance to qualify. However, that doesn't mean that the country need not do any work." We still need to improve our system, structure, and grassroots development in order to generate more players and encourage more children to play football.

"India must concentrate on making it to the U-17 and U-20 World Cups, followed by the senior squad. Only then will we have an opportunity similar to that of Morocco and Uzbekistan. Despite being small countries, Morocco and Uzbekistan consistently qualify for the U-17 and U-20 World Cups.
Conversely, the former captain of India stated, "But yes, from the perspective of overall football fans across the world and the value and the excitement of World Cup, the quality of football, I think would definitely decrease if you have 64 teams playing in the World Cup." The Indian women's team has a better chance than men to qualify for the World Cup.

The national women's team can qualify for the World Cup earlier than the men's squad, according to Bhutia, who was the face of Indian football in the first ten years of this century before retiring in 2011.
48 teams will compete in the 2031 Women's World Cup, which is expected to be co-hosted by the USA, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Jamaica, up from 32 in the 2027 edition.
The Indian men's team is ranked 26th among Asian nations and 138th worldwide, while the women's team is placed 13th in Asia and 69th overall.For the first time, Asian nations will qualify for the 2031 Women's World Cup through a separate qualifying process rather than the Asian Cup, as was previously the case. Eight direct spots for the 2031 Women's World Cup are probably going to go to Asia. A 12-nation inter-confederation play-off tournament for three additional 2031 Women's World Cup slots is probably going to include two more Asian nations.In my opinion, the Indian women's team has a far greater chance of making it to the World Cup than the men's team.However, women's football needs to be given greater attention. There must be more teams in the elite Indian Women's League (IWL), separate leagues for various age categories, and numerous grassroots football programs.

"If we don't give women greater opportunity and respect, why would a young girl want to play football and pursue a career in it? We must assist her in becoming a fully professional football player. Only then will parents be able to envision a bright future for their kids, which will undoubtedly benefit the sport."
The concept of adding OCI (Overseas Citizens of India) and PIO (Persons of Indian Origin) players to bolster the national squad was also approved by Bhutia.In the short run, this should undoubtedly be helpful. In terms of performance and outcomes, we are undoubtedly having trouble right now. Thus, elite players that compete in the top divisions are always available to bolster the squad."Also, just because an OCI is player is playing somewhere in the world but is not really outstanding than any of our players, then thereis no point (of bringing) the OCI players."