India, get a foot into FIFA World Cup?

Iran is likely - and understandably - going to boycott the 2026 Fifa World Cup being hosted in Mexico, Canada and - drumroll, please! - the United States of Trumpland. Other countries may well follow Iran. But hang on, strategically autonomous India. Could India go to where it has never been before by dint of other Asian countries not playing: the World Cup? In 1950, India technically qualified for the World Cup in Brazil because all other Asian teams withdrew. India, too, ultimately withdrew, as AIFF didn't have the funds to send its team across the world. So, yes, that remains a 'What if?' Slow forward to 2026. India got knocked out in the second qualification round, doing what it has been doing all these years: becoming cricket champions, instead. But wait. If Iran boycotts, and Qatar and Kuwait decide to join, with perhaps a few other Asian countries staying away, could we...?

Sure, this isn't the most dignified way to qualify. Not through goals, but through boycotts and missing opponents. But, listen, sport is war by other means, and that means having a 'whatever it takes' attitude. If survival means hoping that half of Asia stays home, then India should - nay, must - practise its strategic autonomy down the flanks. In any case, if India does willy-nilly qualify, the spin on the ball can always ensure that 'Mera Bharat' is mahan in football, too.