(From top left) Salman Rashid, Ojas Mainkar, Nathan Gomes, Mohammed Salah, Dishang Mehta, Himadri Gautam, Lin Zhen, Angel, Areeb Alvi, Xin and Aadit Ramesh
Dubai - Khaleej Times spoke to some UAE-based football fans whose respective national teams - India and Pakistan - have never played in a World Cup
Published: Wed 11 Jan 2017, 9:36 PM
Last updated: Sat 14 Jan 2017, 3:07 PM
The biggest sporting event in the world is only going to get bigger.
Yes, Fifa has made the global game even more popular with the announcement on Tuesday that the World Cup, its showpiece event, will have 48 teams from 2026 onwards.
It's obviously a massive boost for the countries that will now get a better chance to qualify for the World Cup for the first time.
Khaleej Times spoke to some UAE-based football fans whose respective national teams - India and Pakistan - have never played in a World Cup.
We also spoke to a few Chinese fans who have seen massive investments from corporate houses in football in their country in recent times.
Also, an Egyptian fan hoped his pain of not seeing his team in the World Cup on a regular basis will finally be over.
But a Mexican fan, whose national team has featured regularly in the World Cup, said Fifa has made this decision only to make more money!
Aadit Ramesh (Indian): I think India's chances will definitely be higher because of the impact ISL (Indian Super League) has had on Indian football in recent years. Lot of top European clubs have also opened their academies in India. I think this will definitely help the sport grow in the country. With the right kind of set-up and people, I am sure India will be in much better position to qualify for the World Cup in future.
Dishang Mehta (Indian): I think the young generation in India is quite interested in football. I see lot of kids play football in the place I come from in India. Now this decision will obviously give the kids massive encouragement. And don't forget India did qualify for the 1950 World Cup but they were not allowed to take part because they refused to wear boots! So we do have a football tradition in our country.
Salman Rashid (Pakistani): If a country qualifies for the World Cup, it's the biggest boost they will get in terms of infrastructure. I recently saw this movie Dangal which showed that when one woman won a medal in wrestling, lot of other women got inspired to take up wrestling. It can do the same magic in football as just participating in a World Cup is no less than winning a medal for countries like India and Pakistan!
Lin Zhen (Chinese): Of course, we now have more chances to qualify for the World Cup. The Fifa decision to increase the number of teams in World Cup has come at a time when lot of positive things are happening in Chinese football. Our economy is growing very fast and corporate houses are investing big money to get big players like Carlos Tevez in Chinese club football. I believe it will inspire the Chinese national team to play better in future.
Xin (Chinese): Of course it's very good news for a lot of countries that have not qualified for the World Cup. Our team (China) qualified only once in 2002. So now probably yes, it will give our team a better chance in future. But having said that, the standard of football in China needs improvement. Yes, the Chinese Super League is attracting lot of big players, but I think lot needs to be done at the grassroots level to improve our football.
Mohammed Salah (Egyptian): We are the most successful country in African football. We have won the African Cup of Nations seven times. But we always had bad luck in the World Cup qualifiers. We have qualified only twice (1934 and 1990). Now Egypt will have a better chance to qualify as Africa will now have nine World Cup slots. Maybe the quality of football will suffer in the World Cup with so many teams, but as an Egyptian I am very happy.
Himadri Gautam (Indian): It's a battle between pragmatism and being a dreamer. On one side we have the minnows, like Iceland the last time. They were exciting to watch, but minnows can disrupt the quality of the game. There will be 48 countries and five knockout rounds which is great for the viewers and advertisers but it will surely affect the game. However, there will be diversity and it will be exciting. I'm for it!
Areeb Alvi (Indian): I think it's a nice move because it allows more competition and more countries would be watching the tournament compared to before. This might also help the tournament last a bit longer because of increased number of fixtures. Overall I am very happy as a football fan as it will bring more joy to the people who have never seen their countries in the World Cup before.
Ojas Mainkar (Indian): Football has got such a big market in Asia and Africa. The popularity of the game, especially in Asia, is rising every year - thanks to the Premier League and Real Madrid and Barcelona. I am sure the fans will be delighted when they see their own national teams in the World Cup. That will definitely help the game grow.
Nathan Gomes (Indian): This decision should have probably been taken by Fifa years ago. The tournament will definitely be a lot more competitive. The biggest plus point is that lot more Asian countries and African countries will get a chance to qualify for the World Cup. That's indeed a very positive change considering the popularity the game enjoys in Asia.
Angel (Mexican): I definitely think the quality of football will suffer with too many teams in it. Of course, it's good news for countries that have never gone to the World Cup. But if you ask me, Fifa hasn't really done it to help the sport grow in those countries. They are only looking at making more money. More matches will get them more money. It's a big marketing move from Fifa, in my opinion.
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