Will football ever be bigger than cricket in India?

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In India, cricket is by far the most popular sport. But football is rapidly gaining popularity.
Why is football not more popular in India? Why does a country the size of India not have a decent international team?
Joey D’Urso investigates. Philippe Fenner illustrates.
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#IndianFootball

[@liverbot4854]

One interesting thing about this ordeal, India’s u-17 team beat Atlético Madrid’s u-17s 4-1 and drew 3-3 to Real Madrid’s. So the population does play a factor into quality at a young age, but better coaching and league quality is needed for this quality to improve into the senior team.

[@josuebarboza9809]

Two games lol

[@adriabarba3846]

Also it was their 3rd squad, their C team

[@kiminonawa2550]

Under 17 is called C team

[@iancrasta3479]

But do u think that u-17 Indian players were really u-17?

[@ronnlina]

​@@adriabarba3846 under17 is called c team pal

[@Banjara1345]

As Indians its very important for us to realize that we can be good at both Football and Cricket. The 2 sports can mutually co-exist.

[@nameetpandit8938]

Exactly! Look at England and Australia.

[@ayubali2431]

Exactly! Just like countries like England and Australia dominating in both Football and Cricket (meanwhile India can't even excel at the only sport they are good at 😭) Don't even get me started on Japan and South Korea with thier baseball obsession and who could forget USA with 3 or 4 more sports before football

[@Ironbanner12]

Tennis too!

[@muhammadmuaziqbal]

Totally agree. Look at Australia. With 2.5 crore(25M) people, they still top so many sports. It takes a healthy sporting culture and support with proper coaching facilities to achieve that..

[@Dr.Moshiur_Rahman]

Sadly bcci won’t let football get as big as cricket

[@RSG_TheMonster]

As someone who lives near Kerala, I can tell you that the entire state is filled with die-hard football fans! Almost every teen I've seen in Kerala isn't without a Messi/Ronaldo/Neymar jersey!!! Edit: Yes, Bengal and North-East have a similar footballing culture as well

[@sharonfx7994]

Sadhanam kayyil undo

[@MrJonathangibbs]

That just shows how different each state is, Kerala is tiny compared to other states. Kerala is Indian football, and has nothing to do with Indian cricket.

[@sharonfx7994]

@@MrJonathangibbs i never seen in my lifetime in kerala cricket world cup getting more hype than fifa world cup i think its same thing happening at bengal too

[@listey]

Why don't they wear the shirts of the Indian national team star players?

[@aravindulgent]

​@@listey because they're all aNtInAtIoNaLs. Duh

[@tenmeh]

So, the thing is that our dad's generation watched the 83 WC live and they became cricket fans and when we were born the only sport that our dads would watch is cricket. This is how cricket was rooted in our cultures. Maybe the coming generation would be more attached to football and the distribution of the following would be more even.

[@kazuma2060]

​@@TWOMUFC actually those legends of football retired which and mismanagement which led to downfall of football in India.

[@nps7742]

Nah cricket is going to be wealthy sports and india is going to control it just like baseball or basketball in USA. India will never able to generate the profit from football it getting from cricket because india will never attract top players from Latin America and Europe to india but in cricket top players are the one india create...

[@nps7742]

@@kazuma2060 what mismanagement we don't have the money to compete with Europe in the past let wait some years it will change

[@siddhantrasaily4836]

We being world champions in 83 and Tendulkar ofc.... More reasons for why cricket has its hold...

[@Satu_Supari]

I hope that doesn't happen. Wannabe footballers are worst cringe to exist in India.

[@upsidedownwithkris6754]

as a Indian I want both sports to do well, hopefully someday in next 25-30 years we will be competing in WC

[@IdentifiantE.S]

Yes ! 🤝

[@jeremyforbes5244]

im American and we have been where you guys are now. its a long road, but you will find the journey very gratifying. we are now the best team in north america, and india has both the resources and hard work to do the same in asia

[@listey]

​@@jeremyforbes5244there's not exactly much competition in North America so it's not a huge achievement

[@100c0c]

​@@listeyNorth and Central American countries are better at football that all most all of Asia. There are more countries in AFC but easier teams.

[@billmartin4093]

@@listey It's still a much bigger achievement than anything India has accomplished.

[@hoejackborseman1059]

Hello Tifo, India is now ranked 98th in the men's FIFA ranking after beating Lebanon. Edit: This is my 1st highlighted comment. Thanks Tifo ❤ & thanks everyone for the engagement. This wasn't possible without you all as well.

[@divyanshusaini6119]

98

[@prasannarajendran9315]

Shame on people like you simply Gaslighting facts. What difference does it make 101 or 98?? It's people like you who stunt football growth in the country. Buzz off.. FIFA increased WC to 48 but still we won't qualify that's the fact

[@mo1ya938]

​@@nigerianwayWhat does total population have to do with anything if most of that population isn't interested in the sport.

[@kevinrod14]

All that overpopulation but still can’t find good players.

[@papayapie2]

​@@kevinrod14dude the problem isn't the players, it's the structure, bad coaching, management, infrastructure, etc. what did you even learn from the video?

[@dinamofrombengal]

Not an Indian, but I would say the popularity of football is very much regional. Kerala and Bengal are two states I can think with die hard football fans. Kolkata during world cup looks completely different, and not to forget the much rivaled Kolkata derby between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan.

[@richardlobo88]

Goa as well.

[@SimonBelmont-zk6nn]

Goa and Northeast aswell

[@rutvikrs]

Mail id is dinamo from Bengal but not an Indian? 🤔

[@shashankjayaram]

@@rutvikrs hes prolly a bangladeshi

[@anjanmondal8363]

​@@shashankjayaramyes Bangladesh known as bengal as well. Becaz both west Bengal and Bangladesh used to known as bangla(Bengal in English) where's it divided as west Bengal and east Bengal. Now east Bengal changed it's name to Bangladesh (referring to their language bangla+desh). Where's west Bengal still known as west Bengal. But many people still actually use the term bangla(Bengal) . It is just reffering to the language.

[@adhnaanahmed5029]

As an indian i wanted both the sports to prosper just like how england has top lvl teams for both cricket and football.hope it will happen in coming years

[@sayanmandal1289]

For your information rn India ranks 98 and hoping to go upward. India now won Intercontinental cup few days ago. And football culture is quite old in some places of India like Kolkata, West Bengal, Kerala, Mumbai etc. Mohan Bagan was the first Indian team to beat British Navy , Asia's oldest club rivalry is in Kolkata between East Bengal and Mohan Bagan, but in terms of popularity and bigger fan following Kerala is dominating. We have 2nd largest football stadium in the world, but still we are lagging behind in many points like infrastructure for Football perticularly , some development, awareness, encouragement and lot of investment.

[@muderer_executioner]

It's not that any football aficionado doesnt know about this but that is not what this video is about

[@Nishantkj]

Football is already a significant rival in popularity in many parts of urban North India, not to mention South and East India, among children who play at local ground

[@techmania5957]

Well most children watch European football And nobody out of those considers football as a viable career in india

[@lohithpaladugu6456]

Even kabaddi beats football in popularity in recent times. You can tell by seeing the hotstar viewership of kabaddi matches which is 10 times more than for football matches.

[@iameverywhere8551]

​@@lohithpaladugu6456fr people around me wherever I go talk about cricket or kabbadi during pkl season No one cares about ISL Although there are some so called fans that only care about football during world cup or by watching reels

[@AmanKumar-de1kc]

@@iameverywhere8551 No one will care about a sub-standard league when you can watch the leagues of much higher quality football from around the world, or IPL, the best cricket league in the world. Why do people not watch SMAT/Ranji and prefer watching IPL? Because of the obvious quality difference

[@KrishnaDas-il9vu]

If football has to grow in India then I'd say media will have a big role in this. Marketing will be the key factor. Clubs like Mohanbagan and East Bengal should advertise by their history and players like Chetri and Bhutia should advertise by their performance statistics. I League should become the 2nd division tournament with promotion and relegation system. ISL clubs should bring at least decent coaches from Europe. ISL Clubs should sign famous players who doesn't cost that much at twilight of their career to grab attention.

[@nishithranjanmahato6928]

2015 we ware at 176 now we are at 98 we see improvement Change in playing style Earlier when we reached 96 under constentine we did it by playin long ball tactics Now we are keeping the ball passing it and growing up

[@kiranpandiyan159]

That first goal against Lebanon was sublime, that dribble by changtte, I'm still drooling!

[@nishithranjanmahato6928]

@@kiranpandiyan159 yes am following Indian football since 2016 and the real progress I see is passing in our own half earlier whenever we used to get the ball we used to clear it now I see initial stages of passing football one such example is the goal against Lebanon

[@samizayn5666]

Yes, it would be. Our Cricket team and Cricket board is busy making as much money as possible and that has affected the National Team's performance vastly. If India does not win anything in Cricket in this decade and the National Football team is able to perform well in AFC Asian Cup then maybe it can spark a revolution. India already has a big football fanbase with more than 200M+ followers. The aim is to make football popular in major states of India. Right now, the fanbase is majorly in the North-East area.

[@kasuma377]

That is hardly going to be a factor. India did not win anything for almost more than 20 years. And everyone growing up in the 80s and 90s were/are still die-heart fans. Major factor for popularity is the accessibility to watch the sport as tifo put it quite eloquently. Jio making this world cup free to watch has certainly boosted the fandom.

[@jakeclough8090]

@@kasuma377wining is a lot more important to sports fans now than in the 80s and 90s. People have less patience now. Plus India were less expected to win the cricket back then, ow it’s undeniable that they’re always going to be somewhere in the top 3. Plus India was a lot less developed back then, less people saw them fail and the failures could be blamed on much smaller funding their cricket team got compared to the likes of Australia and England. Now there is no excuse for either of them, everyone in India can watch the cricket and they can easily raise the funds to be the best in the world. Football now has those excuses to use

[@akg1301]

Don't forget Kerala 😊

[@SeeASquaRE]

​@@jakeclough8090 it isn't mate unfortunately, people do not care about winning silverware because it is sports has grown beyond the idea of just silverware. If that were the case most Football clubs would be defunct if everyone supported the winners. Both ICT and IFT have their die-hard fans and I know that they can co-exist but it pains me to see how legends like Sunil Chetri are treated by officials compared to any cricketer. A lot of people in NE and West Bengal love football but the infrastructure just isn't there.

[@samizayn5666]

@@kasuma377 In the 80s and 90s there were no other sports to follow other than Cricket. India's best bet was Cricket. Now, India is seeing success in many other sports as well like Badminton and Javelin with the National Football team improving as well. Back then many other sports were not even broadcasted. Now with the help of Jio, Indians have access to basically any sport they want to. That is why I said that if ICT does not win anything in the next 4-5 years and if IFT shows good performance in the AFC Asian Cup and the World Cup qualifiers then there is a chance that people might slowly start moving into Football. That is how Cricket took over Hockey in the 70s in the first place.

[@Imran7jr]

Update: India's ranking is now 98th 1:44 why recently youtube videos have started to have Arunanchal Pradesh(NE part of India) as desputed territory. Similarly Aksai Chin was suddenly changed to disputed territory on most of online media around 2019.

[@flamesabre07]

As someone who started watching football properly around 2010 WC, I've seen the sport grow quite significantly since then, with social media and internet access playing a huge role amongst the younger generation to help the sport grow. Still a long way to go but good to see Indians finally switching focus to other prominent sports of the world now, with Premier League and UCL playing a huge role in attracting new fans to the game.

[@NazriB]

Lies again? PL CT

[@lohithpaladugu6456]

First support kabaddi then?

[@ananthkrishnas3395]

Understandable that the parts of Jammu & Kashmir under Pakistani or Chinese Control are greyed out. But to grey out Arunachal Pradesh, a state under Indian control based on Chinese claims seems lopsided .

[@StarSprangledBanner]

That's how Google shows indian map outside India.

[@my_father_sorry_i_am_lying_now]

​@@StarSprangledBannernope

[@MaKar372]

@@StarSprangledBanner Google show Pok and Akshai Chin has parts of Pak/China..but it does not show Arunachal Pradesh as grey

[@theassassinhit13]

Yeah reporting this video

[@KrishnaDas-il9vu]

If football has to grow in India then I'd say media will have a big role in this. Marketing will be the key factor. Clubs like Mohanbagan and East Bengal should advertise by their history and players like Chetri and Bhutia should advertise by their performance statistics. I League should become the 2nd division tournament with promotion and relegation system. ISL clubs should bring at least decent coaches from Europe. ISL Clubs should sign famous players who doesn't cost that much at twilight of their career to grab attention.

[@shantanuiyer3294]

It's a vicious cycle created by incentives. Here in India even a cricketer at the national level gets paid more than international (Indian) football players. It also helps cricket that the Indian Premier League generates so much income that even these national players get a million rupee payday once a year. Compared to that the contracts in football pay a pittance, which then encourages less people to pursue the sport, however talented they may be. This causes a potential top talent to pursue academics and get a stable job rather than become a pro footballer.

[@rutvikrs]

Misdiagnosis. What was cricket paying between 70-00's when BCCI nearly defaulted multiple times?

[@1.3billionpeopledreams18]

Football Federation of Ind I Mean AIFF President Hold 12 yrs in Position, what he has done? Government Allocate Only 5 Cr (Reduced from previous budget ) Why they did like that? By ur Logic European Cricketers Getting Same Vice versa? Right.

[@AmanKumar-de1kc]

If you are good and people want to see you, you'll get paid more. If you're mediocre and no one is interested in you, you don't get paid as much. Its simple economics

[@gabbar51ngh]

If things worked this way we won't be getting anyone pursuing wresting or badminton yet we produced many such athletes playing at Olympics. We're also getting good at squash. This is just excuse. Even if a small fraction of population want to play football in india, we could use that to build a decent team. Not everyone becomes a professional cricketer or gets the big bucks. It's highly competitive, especially with a large population like India.

[@dogeimations9255]

the biggest problem with indian football was that there was no national level league until the 2000s, and no proper league structure until literally 2 years ago. Even if our population is 1 billion, you can't just expect some random guy playing in some city level league to play in europe the next day without a proper structure and development path.

[@rutvikrs]

Then why did Suriname provide the world with a conveyer belt of talent without a league till recently?

[@mrashwinu]

20 years ago, these opportunities did not exist, even the infrastructure was the bare minimum. Due to widespread (and expanding) internet culture, the Indian youth is catching up. One pleasant change that I noticed was the conversation around football. In 2015 when I was eavesdropping on a conversation, a teen was quickly shut down when he was comparing cricket and football. But now, when I was sitting in a bar in Chennai, a group was talking about the Prem and using phrases like "the streets won't forget". It made me hopeful for what the country has in store for the next coming decades.

[@vishunt]

the cultural impact that cricket has in my country is huge, but I would be happy if football grows atleast to a rate which can be compared to cricket.

[@iameverywhere8551]

Yep cricket is literally played madly in hilly regions of northern India too dry regions of madurai Cricket is something special

[@Lapulga1017]

​@@iameverywhere8551football is way more special and superior 🔥

[@axel3689]

@@iameverywhere8551 If football grows, we could produce talent equal to brazil's(favela's, street footy

[@sdd9079]

As a Indian we want would like to do good in every sport but when it comes to comparing with cricket we don't want cricket is our first priority forever cricket is not just a sport it's emotion ❤❤❤

[@sdd9079]

@261i7 so what how many times india won fifa😭😭😭

[@sdd9079]

@261i7 cry more kid these days things are very simple when you can't qualify for fifa or other tournament just blame government cricket and cricket fans and for your kind information government help bcci only in stadium making and that too few percentage and instead the get lot of money in returns and other expenses of cricket is managed by bcci their self

[@sdd9079]

@261i7 this all comments shows your maturity level bro

[@Ayu____shhhhh]

​@261i7🤡 yeah bro we seen how we played against Afghanistan

[@Ayu____shhhhh]

​@261i7best🤡

[@starlord6073]

Football to grow in India and cricket to grow in rest of the world is my dream as a fan of both

[@Z71990]

Same bro

[@arindamrim]

During the 80s and 90s it was common for 120,000 people watching the derby between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal at Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata. Nowadays, with the bucket seats, the seating capacity has reduced considerably but the stadium remains full during the El Classico of Bengal.... that is how popular football is in Bengal, India.

[@reubenrodrigues7962]

We won 🏆 the Hero Inter Continental cup yesterday and India reached a final after such a long time Yet many peoplein my friends Group and office didn't even know about the match and most people don't even know who our players are. We are Proud of you our Brave Blue Tigers Thanks for winning 💙 although there is a few of us we will support in wins n losses from our hearts

[@Shivam0217]

The stadium was mostly packed dont spread misinformation

[@reubenrodrigues7962]

@@Shivam0217 really on TV more than whole side was empty. Again if I wasn't there in person.

[@Lgx-ie4if]

It’s understandable that no one went though

[@surjayanroybarman6844]

​@@reubenrodrigues7962 it was a full house last night

[@reubenrodrigues7962]

@@surjayanroybarman6844 sorry my bad I'll eddit my response.

[@chelseaboy2396]

Tifo, first of all correct India's Map. You've shown Arunachal Pradesh (in Northeast) as a conflicted territory which is not the truth. Don't fall to Chinese propaganda! Btw thanks for putting spotlight on the Indian football ❤

[@ankitdixit2255]

Even Jammu and Kashmir is shaded and shown disputed ,they won't show Crimea as disputed territory but will show it as Ukraine territory.

[@rrakesh22221]

Good video. Rather than having a pan- India approach to Football, i think a mature approach is to spread and deeply entrench it in few places where the game is very popular already - North East of India, Kerala, West Bengal and Goa. Tap these places first through investment for couple of decades. I think this approach will have better return on taking football to next level in the country. Make these the bastions (which they already are) and drive footballing culture around it.

[@rutvikrs]

Who is going to make those investments?

[@sammyrocks3633]

Very bad idea. When you wrote about these states remember that there may be investments in those states compared to the other states. But what's the end result!?? They have been football fans for long but the national team hasn't improved yet. Why!?? Kerala fans saying hey we are football fans here it's all about football bla bla. How many of their players are playing for the national team??! Same with Bengal. There was a time when more Bengali players played for the national team. Don't take Goa seriously nothing will happen there. It's only northeast where good talent is coming. Remember it's the pan India approach that can improve our football. You never know when a good talent would come out from any corner of India. And when more teams and states will start playing then there will be huge competition and the best of the best can come out to play for the national team. It's not about cricket and football but we have to develop sports culture in the country first. Parents are skeptical of their kid's career in sports for which even a good player can't take it as a career. Slowly things are changing and it has to be a pan India approach not like what you said

[@AmanKumar-de1kc]

Nope. Football fans make the worst players

[@varunsharma7848]

Why many Indian football fan hates cricket...... Don't hate Cricket that we are good at ....let make India Superpower at both FOOTBALL and Cricket 🤞❤️

[@grvsha]

In 10 years from now I am sure with ISL growing and better footballing facilities we will see a player from India playing the premier league. India has immense talent not just in sports but other professional fields. all people need here is right environment that enables to them grow as a person. slowly and steadily India is putting things in order where it is due.

[@mallikarjunhiremath525]

ISL has 5th highest viewership in football league wirldwide

[@AmanKumar-de1kc]

Not really. India is perhaps the worst in the world in terms of sports generally considering our massive population and our incredibly low medal tally at the Olympics

[@mallikarjunhiremath525]

@@AmanKumar-de1kc by that logic ...every country should hve all the medals ...even country 10m population should produce Usain bolt ,kevin sanjaya....

[@AmanKumar-de1kc]

@@mallikarjunhiremath525 Jamaica's population (Usain Bolt's country) is less than 3 million. They vastly overperform considering their tiny population. There are many an African nation both poorer and less populous than us with more medals. South Asians (Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans, Nepalese, Bhutanese) are the worst performing people in international sport by a huge margin, and it's not even close.

[@Tommyshelby202]

For growing of ISL there must be downfall in IPL and this is not possible in near future

[@randommedia3441]

Football already have a dominance in some states of india like kerala, west bengal and whole northeast.....

[@AmanKumar-de1kc]

And yet they are horrible at playing it

[@anuronguha0898]

@@AmanKumar-de1kc they are better than rest of India

[@shashwatkumar5865]

Now india is doing good in football. Recently indian football team has started to beat respectively higher ranking teams . Even indian clubs are also doing well in afc champions league and afc cup. Even india's rank has improved.

[@rajgupta2643]

Would love to see more content on Indian Football.🇮🇳

[@user-tt8nb3yk8h]

Despite being a Indian pro utd & football fan i must admit cricket has got every right to get popular in India it all started from 83 world cup our first silverware they did it against all d odds( England the hosts in their home condition,West Indies Australia used to be contenders & teams like new Zealand & south Africa were better than us). world cup used to be a holiday trip for our cricketers as per different interviews by ex cricketers...Indian football team need to do something to grab the audience of 1.4B

[@KAN443]

Then What About Australia They Won World Cup in 1987 in India ( Different Conditions) And Went on to Win 5 World Cups Which is Greater Than India But Still Every Sports Including Cricket is Popular Lack of Sporting Culture is Main Reason Qualification for FIFA World Cup>>>>Winning ICC World Cup Cricket Didn't Have Global Appeal unlike Football

[@1.3billionpeopledreams18]

​By Ur Logic Qualifying Fifa World Cup >> ICC WC right? Then Playing 3&1/2 Hrs In ICC Group Stage Is >>>> Win FIFA WC(90mins) 1983 No One Kown About Ind Cricket Team, They Had Fought Against Stronger Team, No Support From Peoples like Now they Have Winning In England is Impossible For them, still they Achieved it Again I Come To Ur 2 Logic Australia Wins and Went On to 5 WC Right 1958,62,70 Brazil Won WC Which Is Greater Than India (1950) Team (Don't Come With Ind Gives Important to Olympic than Fifa thats ur Mistake ) If We Feel Comparing Ind With Brazil, Brazil Stronger than England, What did England Done after 1966 Fifa WC? But Still Every Sports Including Cricket is Popular Do u have Answer? Lack of Sporting Culture is Main Reason Not Cricket For Every Time When Ur Federation Failed To Improve Infra, Invest, League Structure, Quality matches, Broadcast etc, Grow Up

[@KAN443]

@@1.3billionpeopledreams18 Don't Get Offended 🤣 What's India Have Won in International Level in Cricket After 2013 ???? That's Fact No one Cares About Cricket apart from Indian subcontinent Qualification for FIFA World Cup>>>>Winning ICC World Cup You Can't Chage The Fact Imagine Being a 1.4 Billion Country Struggling to Win a Single Gold Medal in Olympics Were Countries With Just 2.5 Crores Population Winning 50 Medals in Each and Every Olympics That's Pure Sporting Culture Unlike India

[@suvasishkajuri495]

​​@@KAN443cricket earns its place in India from 1920 to 1979 hockey was most popular nobody watch cricket it has low investment but cricket grows itself after winning 1983 world Cup it doesn't matter what whole World plays it matters what we like India is good in many sports popularly is different it depends on people and at last cricket don't beg people to come in stadium to watch their games 😂

[@KAN443]

@@suvasishkajuri495 No Wonder Why World is Laughing at India 🤣😂 Even Most Successful Hockey Team With 10 Gold Medals Can't able to Grab Large no of Audience There is a Huge Politics Behind Cricket's Popularity Your Comment is Huge insecure 🤣 This is Huge Shame For a Country Like India With 1.4 Billion People If You are Die Hard Indian You Should be Ashamed 🤧 There is Nothing to Be Proud of Accept The Fact

[@madmaxronnie]

Amazing video and covered all the bases and nuances of Indian video. Football is actually very popular in rural eastern India but poor scouting and lack of training facilities are holding these young players back.

[@armaan_7]

Respect to Tifo football for covering India.

[@skullzalliances]

informative video as always, the only correction I'd make is, Mumbai is definitely a football hotspot. We have turf grounds in almost every other suburb of the city now, I'd estimate 4 out of every 10 people you meet is a a fan of a PL or Spanish club. The only limit to the talent in this country is the upside commercially. Football as a career in India is not something parents want for their kids so it remains a hobby or mere passion for many.

[@SujoyChakravarthi93]

There are pockets of the country where football has traditionally been bigger than cricket and most likely always will be - the fact is the commercial stranglehold that cricket has, particularly in the established commercial and political hotspots i.e. the urban centres makes sure the influence of the bat speaks more than the (foot)ball, as it were. Of course this also reflects a lot of cultural hegemonic structures - for example why Cricket is particularly loved in the Northern/Central parts of the nation which often dictates every aspect of national policy - an imbalance that can and has manifested in many 'Self/Other' dichotomies. That said, the revenue aspect in football for the global game is thriving and will continue to do so, even if it can be at the detriment of the local game. I am not alone in the overwhelming majority of football fans for whom a club in Europe is a part of my daily routine but would probably struggle to name more than a dozen national team players. Cricket in India, you may rest assured - even if you are growing complacent and arrogant in your financial clout. But that's a discussion for another day

[@kazuma2060]

Comparing cricket and football with politics and north is the dumbest thing I've ever seen nobody care about cricket before 83 world cup. BCCI doesn't have money to sponsored cricket worldcup in India during 1900s but they overcome all of this hurdles and performed well in matches won trophies. Can't say the same about football first win any international trophy or qualify for fifa then talk.

[@alexandros27.]

did you just critique the federal structure of INDIA when the topic is about the growing popularity of football in india ? how does the federal structure come in to question when the indian cricket team is owned by the BCCI which is a private entity?

[@Ironbanner12]

Bengal and Kerala love football

[@nazalmoideen]

​@@kazuma2060I agree, and im from the south. People just wanna trash cricket any way they can. Don't really understand why people see this as a matter of football overtaking cricket, when no cricket fan is interested on cricket in england to overtake football (not like football's ever overtake cricket in india and vice versa in engalnd). Football can grow in this country even with cricket being the overwhelming primary sport

[@MaKar372]

RCB and CSK wouldnt be such big team if cricket was only based in "Central and North provinces"...Maharashtra,Gujarat are from the West and also have huge cricketing fanbase

[@unusedsub3003]

Speaking as an Englishman, I've never got cricket, it just seems painfully boring in comparison to football. I'd prefer it if we were more like Europe where basketball was the secondary sport.

[@poptraxx418]

It really interesting I am sure you don't understand the rules first that what some people will say football is boring because it's not as fast pace as basketball

[@nishantatalukdar4067]

Cricket is boring af Football is peak mind games + physicality

[@CCDif]

​​​​@@nishantatalukdar4067. Even Though I Love Football , I Can Confirm You Have Never Even Seen Even A Full Highlight Of A Cricket Match

[@AJ-nd4nk]

​@ncfclee It's the build up play which makes football exciting, and then the goals. It's like constant moving chess pieces.

[@lohithpaladugu6456]

​@@AJ-nd4nkEven I feel like football is so boring. In comparison, kabaddi seems to be much more fun with just 40 min gameplay and so much action.

[@jacket2383]

The answer is obviously yes. The day they become better at football, they will start supporting it more. India already has a huge amount of football supporters but still less than cricket supporters.

[@parshaddesai9607]

Tifo Viewers Let me tell you there is no dearth of passion for football in this country. The EPL Big 6 & Barca-Madrid are wildly popular & have legions of followers. I myself am a diehard gunner from 2014 & hope to be at the Emirates some day. Till then, I'll keep supporting my beloved Arsenal from afar, like millions in this majestic country of ours.

[@heerendradigarse5024]

gloryhunter

[@nishantatalukdar4067]

@@heerendradigarse5024 Arsenal haven't won anything major for so long How can he be ?

[@somnathbose7455]

Indians do provide a massive viewership base for european football.. but it needs investment from the popular big clubs and leagues to put in effort in this direction , to make indian fans more accessible to them...happy to see india related content in tifo football....on the side note... didn't know that even Arunachal Pradesh is considered as a disputed territory in international media... it shows india has a long way ahead to put forth its narrative ... forget discovering and reinventing its love for football and showing it to the world

[@poppyharlow4448]

If India do make it to the 2026 WC, and we see some Julian Alvarez-esque insane kid tearing it up, regardless of whether or not India does well, it might propel India into a sprinkle of European football, which would be quite interesting.

[@fishyfish6510]

Indian football isn't the country as a whole but rather a few regions. Kerala, Goa, West Bengal, 7/8 states in Northeast India are the only permanent football zones in India with a few other states like Odisha and Punjab being potential football zones.

[@swarupbanerjee147]

Punjab and Manipur is now the epicenter of Indian Football..... These two States have the highest representation in National squad

[@amitpatilamit]

I hope quality channels like Tifo does take it's chance at Indian football by creating regional content channels. Indian football is on a slow but upward trajectory, and I think it will be a big thing in the next 10 years. Hopefully as big as cricket.

[@TECHTROIFTWC]

Unleash the Lionhearted Spirit: Believe in Indian Football, Ascend to Greater Heights!

[@sameerkashyap1750]

Needs a lot of investment. Better pitches, training facilites, staff. And the National team needs that miraculous run for people to latch onto. Something they can take pride in. And of course the one superstar player, who can become the face of the sport. I don't see any of these things happening

[@abhishekdhayal3380]

Football never gonna Beat Cricket

[@abhishekdhayal3380]

@Senura-qn5fn in your dreams

[@abhishekdhayal3380]

@Senura-qn5fn nobody watch football even kabbadi beat football in viewership football League isl is in loss

[@abhishekdhayal3380]

@Senura-qn5fn google it you find out kabbadi is more popular than football kabbadi media rights beats isl media rigths. Chek isl stadium attendance it is on decline google it. Only fools like you live in dream world. Last year our district cricket tournament there was 2lac people come to watch

[@abhishekdhayal3380]

@Senura-qn5fn isl leauge in loss google it

[@abhishekdhayal3380]

@Senura-qn5fn do you know 2022 fifa world Cup final only 50 lac people in India watch at that time india vs Westindies cricket series ongoing 90℅ of india watch cricket it is not my data it is google data during that time. You go every villiage every city you watch people playing cricket. I never seen a single kid playing football in my life

[@faizanhafeez607]

Here in South Asia, there are certainly parts in every country crazy for football but tbh the subcontinent has a history with cricket, football won't be able to overtake that. It's like saying rugby becomes more popular then football in Brazil

[@dishumaan]

We also have a rich history with football, but sadly most people are not aware about this.

[@tommyandrewd]

With the exception of England. All test playing cricket nations have modest and a much less high profile football team. And only the Netherlands are a strong football country with a somewhat okay cricket team. It’s almost mutually exclusive to be good at both.

[@shaktisinghbais3576]

I don't know if Football will ever be bigger than cricket in India but this video coming out itself suggests that TIFO has a significant viewership from India .

[@shaqtaku]

Football unites the world so it's not hard to imagine it overtaking cricket someday

[@matkuggers]

I have been to India and Cricket is so so big there that it's not even comparable to any other country following any other sport. It's Brazil for Football but on Steroids. Cricket can never be replaced in India

[@AZ-yc9he]

never ever!!!! indian super league football final had 150k viwership in online IPL final had 40million online viewership not to forget that more then 50% football fans watch it online where as only 20-25% of cricket fans watch it online in tv viewership its even worse i too love football but this new age football fans hype it to much tbf moreover india never had hi tech cricket stadiums but by the end of 2026 were gonna have 3-4

[@adi224]

What 1983 cricket world cup was to the older generation, 2018 & 2022 Fifa World Cup was to ours. Many people are interested in football now. What helped is that timezones were near too.

[@octawraith7539]

no one watch 2022 footbal wc only 89 millions viewers acroos country on jio before final its a laughable india vs pakistan single match in wc cross 600 million if we include piracy

[@Kyotony]

I think, it's rather the infrastructure than anything else. The rural-urban divide makes it almost impossible for a relatively poor individual to sustain in a city. Apart from that, the funds available to the football board are ridiculously low compared to cricket, even if we put the profit they gather into consideration. I think in about 15 years, we will see a great rise. India u16 recently defeated Real Madrid u16 so there's that.

[@muhammadmuaziqbal]

Recently read somdev devvarman(Indian tennis player) saying that he sees talent at u12 level in tennis but by the time they reach u14, they lack behind their foreign counterparts. Likewise, the Indian U17 team doing well vs Real Madrid and Atletico madrid U17 teams doesn't really matter if there's no further development.

[@Kyotony]

@@muhammadmuaziqbal Big corporates need to own clubs. Look at Mumbai indian (give it some liberty of definitions tho) they have created a system where they develop players while no other team seems to be doing that. Big financial support is needed. It wont even take 5 years to build a good league. Look at saudi.

[@footballwithsujal8384]

India is doing pretty well we are currently on a 6 match unbeaten run where we have defeated Kyrgyzstan and Lebanon which are higher ranked than us..🎉

[@rachitgames3723]

Hey i have to say please use the right india map arunachal pradesh has been and is a part of india same with ladakh and Kashmir

[@reubenrodrigues7962]

Another reason for people following a particular sport is because sports gives you dopamine whenever you support a winning team whenever the win you also get a sense of winning with them although it's not the case with football in India currently but I am sure in the future is going to be great. For me personally yesterday we won a huge tournament I support a club called Chelsea. And all we did this season is loose an escape relegation the blue tigers of India won this cup and I can say atleast one of my blue team won something this year😌💙

[@kth6736]

Now Chelsea is giving you plenty of dopamine hits by crushing liverpool in transfer market. 😂😂

[@anonymousgulte]

Great video Tifo but just to point out that Arunachal pradesh(state with lines on eastern side of the map) border is in dispute with china as Britishers drew lines with ball pen on a small scale map that actually covers over 300kms in reality and no dispute over where it belongs to or where the citizens want to be part of. You could have just marked the boarder in dotted lines. Dont want the world to think we are having more issues that we already do.

[@zicomitchell]

My dad who is from India and lived there during the 60s-70s said that football was much more popular than cricket within the lower to working class demographic whereas cricket was more popular for more affluent peoples. He says he saw a dramatic upturn in popularity within poorer communities after India won the 1983 Cricket World Cup, which he reckons is probably the most significant sporting accomplishment in Indian history.

[@stackhat8624]

Field hockey was the most popular sport in India until the 1980s

[@subhajitchatterjee473]

I am Indian, it's good to hear such india oriented informative video

[@aashray536]

We have a lot of young talent that are physically gifted. Just need the structure and support systems to nurture them and help them grow. Football has been consistently growing in popularity.

[@shushant8042]

There is definitely big gap in skill at grass-root levels, so it will take some time for us to do something at the international level. Looking forward to a decent display at Asian Cup though.

[@tytheeblaiseR]

Unlike the US in India it isn't a mentality thing, people don't see it as girl's or weak Sport it all depends on how Indian National team does.. just qualifying for the World Cup would be Massive but that's a big ask.

[@0darumair0]

Wait what US say about football, that it is a weak sport, u gotta be kidding me.

[@user-bs5qr5ie4s]

How's footballl a weak sport Crazy thinking they have in usa

[@nishantatalukdar4067]

US clowns are insane

[@AJ-nd4nk]

Football is the most physically demanding sport. The Americans are weirdos.

[@dinosutra]

Places like Bengal in India has 150-200 years of rich footballing history... Mohunbagan is the National Club of India and also the oldest football club in Asia... The shift towards cricket mainly started after 1983 world cup but now things are changing...

[@NickyG_vz]

I went to school with a couple of guys from Kyrgyzstan and they were football obsessed. One of them was really really good.

[@sharonfx7994]

*As A Indian Who Watches Football .I Can Surely Say Indian Football Can Become Bigger But Indian Politics Gonna Destroy Indian Football Rising* Yesterday We Just Won Intercontinental Cup Against 2nd Tier Asian Team Lebanon💗 Love From India,Kerala❤🎉

[@rockymaniaster]

Indian politics has nothing to do with it. It’s people who need to start supporting 🤦🏻‍♂️ not everything has to do with politics

[@rockymaniaster]

@@TWOMUFC how did politics destroy it? I mean in what way? When people start watching a sport, sponsors will immediately start funding the sports. No one invests without expecting revenue. So more support and watch that much better for sports. It’s simple.

[@hydromic2518]

​@@rockymaniasteras someone from South Africa I have seen what politics can do to sports so I can definitely see it play a factor in this case

[@kazuma2060]

​@@rockymaniaster don't blame them they are just bunch of idiots who always think that every is because of politics. Before 83 wc football was much in limelight than cricket but football failed to maintain its golden period on the other hand cricket despite of ignorance from public and govt go ahead and won the wc and that's what marked the new era. So stop blaming everything on politics to hide your incompetency

[@harishnetam502]

@@rockymaniaster mate a politician almost made fifa ban India and you're saying politics has nothing to do with football, many politician were and some still seating in state board lvl use money for their own benefit which are supposed to be used in the development of Indian football. There are many articles, videos on KZbin you can search about the corruption in Indian football. Football is 2nd most popular sport in India it's supported enough by fans more than hockey in which we are good.

[@MrAnonymous3333]

Football is a growing sport & the Indian men's team is doing well But I'm more worried about the corruption in the system. They only care about filling their pockets instead of building infrastructure, Coaching, Talent encouragement. FIFA recently banned India due to breach of laws.

[@ItsJesssee]

I do feel it’s never going to be because of the promotion that goes on in both sports in India

[@aloysiosanto8347]

In some areas of india is football is miles ahed o cricket... Like Bengal, kerala, goa.. northeast area have provided good players to the country. We are going up so fast.. We won the intercontinental cup just yesterday.

[@Tomwithnonumbers]

I loved watching Yan Dhanda play for Swansea. Its a shame he can't play for India

[@rutvikrs]

Why is it a shame? We can't afford to have a disastrous dual citizenship policy

[@shashankjayaram]

@@rutvikrs why not? every other country has it

[@rutvikrs]

@@shashankjayaram because it invariably turns into a resource drain on the country of origin.

[@zenastronomy]

the heat is a problem in india. cricket is more suited to indias heat as less running. football is intense running and often in warm countries its played in the evening in the dark to avoid heatstroke. india doesn't have the lighting, pitches to play in the dark or daytime as a result. so it has an entry barrier that will probably mean cricket always stays bigger until it develops into a first world economy.

[@fomoviews2642]

You couldn't be more wrong my guy....India is a huge country and there are large areas where the temperature never goes above 30 degrees like in North East and even parts of West Bengal where football is hugely popular. Also, heat doesn't stop African countries from playing football and nurturing talent with an infrastructure which is somewhat similar to India. The only reason is India lacks a footballing culture like other countries. Yes there are people who are crazy about the sport and people will make it seem like football has a huge fan following but trust me when I say this, they are a huge minority not even 5% of the population coupled with politics and poor infrastructure, all are major reasons why India is far behind other countries.

[@zenastronomy]

@@fomoviews2642 Africa doesn't have a culture of a different sport cricket already entrenched being played in it. So it didn't need to change the culture. Also Africa actually has very different climates depending on country. And the more successful ones usually are the cooler ones. And like you said, not everywhere in India is hot. but overall it is. So it will be difficult to get the country to switch to football. their is an entrenched effect playing here, where everyone plays the sport everyone else plays and follows.

[@kiritbesalel8102]

At 5.:36 you really said that India unexpectedly won the world cup. it wasn't unexpected like fouling the ball in the box. It was Hardwork .we know how much it meant for us to this day and that's what what we live for.

[@Ironbanner12]

In states like Bengal and Kerala football is *really* popular

[@indianhindustani5505]

As a Indian I love football. 🇮🇳

[@kozhikkaalan]

It'll take a superstar rising out of India to make football popular here. Somebody that the country can be proud of and is playing in one of the biggest clubs as one of the best players. If not an Indian, at least a player of Indian origin settled in Europe. It won't have the same effect but it'll be something.

[@billmartin4093]

Indian laws don't allow such a thing to occur.

[@whitesaladchips]

@@billmartin4093 not really its fifa/premier league laws that do not allow players representing low-ranked countries to play in the league.

[@iblaze1085]

With Indian cricket having a icc trophy drought..its time to switch over to Football who are gradually doing the right thing

[@chaos9351]

I would love to see india in a competitive sport like football.. Imagine being the best in your continent and then challenging the rest of the world. Its better to play a football world Cup that consist 48 nations then a 10 country world Cup. Hope they conquer Asia first just like Japan and South Korea

[@akbeastvijayfan]

One reason why I feel Football would overtake cricket in India is that the BCCI plays too many Cricket matches with no story-line / rivalry which would inevitably lead to the decline in viewership and people moving to watch other sports. A decade / two ago, almost every cricket series had a bit of rivalry to it, coupled with World Class players on both sides, which made every match an interesting prospect to watch. These days the Indian Team plays tours featuring 3 ODIs, 5 T20s, 3 Tests with little almost every few months, which kills the buzz the games used to bring. Of late, only 3 nations (India, England, Australia; Maybe include New Zealand) can boast of of having world class players, but there's only so much matches that these nations can play amongst themselves and keep the audience interested / entertained. Remaining nations aren't even competitive enough on the national stage.

[@kingplatform2255]

Cricket World Cup must expand from 10 team to at least 25 - 30 team tournament for global views

[@vedhanthrathod6576]

@@kingplatform2255still it would be boring

[@Anonymous-kd2yy]

​@@vedhanthrathod6576an average football match is way more boring than any average cricket match .Every game is not city vs madrid.

[@kingplatform2255]

@@Anonymous-kd2yy u mean UCL finals are boring

[@Anonymous-kd2yy]

@@kingplatform2255 just google the meaning of average if you don't know

[@imviiku]

Football can be as Popular in India as Cricket is in England but there's no way Football can break Cricket's hegemony in India especially after the IPL. If IPL wasn't there it might have already surpassed it but with IPL coming in 2008 , Cricket has only grown in Popularity

[@dancingcar8974]

IPL had really damaged both cricket and football culture...😢

[@my_father_sorry_i_am_lying_now]

​@@dancingcar8974Nope. Football 2 goals two hours cricket 300 runs no comparison also it's only famous in two european nation and two south american nation that's it. None watches it china usa india japan indonesia russia korea thailand canada none watches it come out of your delusion ask any european friend their fav sport they don't like football because their team is not good at any sport they'll say ice hockey volleyball basketball car and horse racing rarely someone would say football

[@dancingcar8974]

@@my_father_sorry_i_am_lying_now ur crying cause its truth

[@my_father_sorry_i_am_lying_now]

@@dancingcar8974 i am not crying. Don't cry my son

[@my_father_sorry_i_am_lying_now]

@@dancingcar8974 gooball famous in four nation that's it nor europe cares about it nor south america 😂 forget about rest of the world only two nation of europe and two nation of south america that's it

[@saheelwagh7438]

EDIT : Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part on India! . Report this video for greying it out. I come from Goa. Which for a ling time formed the backbone of Indian football along with Bengal (Kolkata ), Kerala, the North Eastern states and to some extent Punjuab. All the regions named still supply about 90% of players. Outside of these it was all cricket. Football will die out in these regions eventually as well, due to the following main reasons: 1. ISL was forced on us in 2014. While it had its benefits such as improved tv coverage, marquee signings etc, it aimed to forcibly spread football outside of the aforementioned regions and into the (potentially lucrative) metro cities that had no cultural heritage or history of football. The forced new trend did not last long, Stadiums ran empty in all cities except for Kochi (of Kerala) and Kolkata, while the legacy clubs from traditional regions were left to die out slowly, tjhoose still exisitng now only play in state leagues and act as feeder clubs for isl teams which bar fc goa have done zero work in grooming local talent. 2. AGE FRAUDS. India's youth leagues and u17,u19 teams are plagues with 23-24 year olds who forge their birth certificates in absence of standardised birth registration process in India. Jharkhand (look up Gaurav Mukhi), Bihar, Rajasthan and some north east states are the big culprits here but none bigger than AIFF that takes zero steps preventive steps and in fact this practice is widely encouraged by coaches right from national to grassrooots level.This has double harm of blocking out deserving young players in teenage and wasting money on overage frauds who then go on to fail at senior level. 3. Steady inroads by bcci and cricket, The inception of IPL in 2009 created a big pull for every youngster and his parents that one day he will gorw up to be a pro cricketer, and more importantly for Indian households, earn well. And this reflects on the local level as well. Cricket clubs here in Goa already pay better than football clubs. The number of footballers here still exceeds cricketers by a mile but those who make it in cricket earn better than their footballer peers and also have a higher ceiling to aim at in the form of IPL which is now consistently producing rags to riches stories. There are other aspects such as pathetic coaching setups, deficient nutrition, non existent scouting in multiple regions and even more corruption in AIFF and FSDL which someone inside the setup would be better aware of.

[@joaofigueiras1106]

Honestly, coming from Portugal I kinda hate how football is spreading thoughout the planet. I just think that countries like different sports and that's beautiful. I love the fact that Canada loves Hockey, americans like american football, australians with aussie rules, in new zeland it's rugby, Japan baseball and so on... There is no need for these countries to have football, there is no need to invest in them and expand to new markets. Football is already the biggest sport BY FAR. Let other countries love their own sports.

[@AZ-yc9he]

great take

[@adee6467]

The Messi and Ronaldo era attracted many football fans, many started with curiosity to see them. With both of the superstars now virtually retired, I don't know if there would be any footballing superstar in near future to generate such popularity

[@erenjaegar7]

Hey thanks Tifo for making vedio on Indian football..

[@mainhugopal]

We want to grow in sports at the end of the day everyone will represent our country India ❤️🇮🇳

[@saigovind3006]

Yes football will be more popular than cricket in India. I can already see signs. But that doesn't mean crickets value will diminish. It will be like Australia and England were cricket, desite footballs popularity manages to pull full stadium crowds and viewership.

[@suvasishkajuri495]

Not in India I see football will be 2 best sports but cannot overtake cricket . cricket is something Deep rooted in Indian

[@iameverywhere8551]

Cricket is deep rooted in India No sport can overcome it

[@dd-uf9nw]

1:43 why tf Arunachal Pradesh is shown disputed.

[@Lgx-ie4if]

Hmm maybe it’s because china has claimed the entire region as being south tibet 🤔

[@sayakchakraborty3534]

As an Indian from Kolkata,i can tell that Football is a huge sport over here, yes Delhi Mumbai i can agree it's not right up there but the southern parts of the country like Kerala, Bengaluru,here in the east coast,North East,it's a huge huge sport... especially the premier league...you can easily find thousands of guys wearing kits on the road....so it's not about that,the infrastructure needs to improve and we need a lot of players playing in top top leagues....I've said to many of my friends that i dream i can see someone from India playing in the PL...Sunil Chhetri came very close but unfortunately didn't happen. But i hope it'd be soon and then we can grow in the international scene.

[@SayakC98]

IT WILL BE BUT OUR STANDARDS NEEDS TO BE WORLD CLASS AND START QUALIFYING AND PLAY FOR WORLD CUPS... REMEMBER INDIAN CRICKETS BREAKTHROUGH WAS AFTER WINNING 1983 WORLD CUP, WE ALSO NEED SOMETHING LIKE THAT IN OTHER SPORTS TO BE THAT POPULAR.

[@coachhbosoccer]

India probably will succeed in growing the sport long term by proper grassroots Coaching and more local playing facilities. If you grow up playing and watching, the culture changes.

[@Ironbanner12]

By 2030, my prediction is that India would qualify

[@harry0025]

thank you Tifo football for covering India... states like Kerala , Goa and then north east parts have a huge fan following for football

[@prasunmitra7970]

In Kolkata, Kerala, Goa and North East it is already been number 1 sport

[@PRI10M]

Thanks to the Tifo football for making this video. Love from INDIA

[@SKRlNIA]

I'm Indian and I hope Football will surpass Cricket popularity here because no one else in the world care about this game except us and Pakistan 😂

[@sheosagarpandey6650]

Shush, that isn't true

[@masonj910]

​@@sheosagarpandey6650 it is lol

[@vishva5038]

As an Indian football is bigger than cricket , We love both the sports but football has just grown in popularity and tbh it is the best sport you can play

[@kozhikkaalan]

Bro which India are you living in? I like football way more than cricket but football is not even close to being as big as cricket in India

[@monsieur1936]

Squash is the biggest sport in Argentina and Brazil, it's the best sport in the world

[@mindescape2413]

India's affinity in football increasing day by day.. and when it is uploaded in Tifo , you have to know it is something really extraordinary is going to happen.

[@yasht7387]

It’s the past 5 generations that are encouraging football to its peak, it will change soon hopefully. There is huge football culture here…

[@davidbowie5023]

It will, but this is a very long and even painful progress. Football only gains momentum since 2014 when the Super League was formed. But even then, besting the likes of Uzbekistan, UAE, Oman and China are needed to be done.

[@unnikrishnansivaprasad3614]

I care more about football than cricket eventhough I am an Indian.

[@theindianwall29]

JUST WON INTERCONTINENTAL CUP YESTERDAY NOW INDIAS RANK IS 98

[@AkashChauhan-fl5ou]

I liked how you guys change the Indian map in comparison to yours earlier video As those area are part of conflict but it's still better than fully removing nations part.

[@ashleyburns6752]

It is a cultural thing I guess, I went to a school (UK) that was probably 40% white, 40% South Asian, 10% other. Although plenty of South Asians watched a bit of football, Cricket was by far more popular and when it came to playing sports it was all about hockey and cricket. You see that reflected in the lack of non white/black English football players (black people way over represented numbers wise). All my friends were Indian and they would talk about cricket, the IPL launched at the time and they got me into it a little (I chose Rajastan Royals), but it never excited me the way football does. As a white working class boy, cricket seemed middle class and boring to me and just wasnt part of my culture.

[@shreyanghosh758]

I understand i am from that part of india where football is more popular than cricket or atleast equally popular as cricket although crcicket excites me but doesnt have the passion as football...we generally support 2 teams in football 1 team which plays in indian league and another big european team...Indian clubs although we are die hard fan but it doesnt play level of football compared to europe so everyone watches a european team as per their fav moslty Barcelona ManUnited RealMAdrid LIverpool Chelsea have biggest fanbase in India....same during world cup everyone picks a team Argentina Brazil very few picks England due to colonial hangover mostly Argentina Brazil is preffered here...although we dream to see India in world cup and every Indian supporting

[@ashleyburns6752]

@@shreyanghosh758 Brazil and Argentina are big brands worldwide because of Pele, Maradona, R9, Messi etc. Here in China a few days ago Argentina played Australia in a friendly and the stadium was full of Chinese in Argentina shirts. Maybe it is because of India being British in the past like you say, but I think they are just big brands.

[@Hellfire8899]

Football scene is huge in India. Even if it may seem small in comparison to cricket in %. But then again, they're world champions in cricket. It's hard to move away from something they do best to compete in a crowded sport. Football will still be popular, but never overtaking cricket.

[@stackhat8624]

India is not world champions in any form of cricket. England are ODI and T20 world champions and Australia are test champions.