Given that FIFA is looking to make the 2026 World Cup a 48-team affair, India have a good chance of qualifying for the same, feels Subrata Dutta, Senior Vice-President of the All India Football Federation (AIFF),
"With FIFA in the process of expanding the 2022 World Cup to 48 teams, it has given us a greater incentive and I believe if all stakeholders work in synchronisation to develop the sport in the country, then there is no reason why we cannot qualify for the 2026 World Cup," stated Dutta, speaking on the sidelines of FICCI’s GOAL Summit 2019.