Why India is not in FIFA

India is not a member of FIFA, the international football federation.

India’s failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia means that India will not be a member of FIFA for at least four years. India is currently ranked 171st in the world by FIFA, and has never qualified for the World Cup. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has been attempting to get membership of FIFA since 1950, but has so far been unsuccessful.

What is FIFA?

FIFA stands for Federation Internationale de Football Association, and it’s an international governing body that governs football across the globe. It was founded in 1904 as a response to concerns about growing influence of professionalism within football.

Why isn’t India a member of FIFA?

The AIFF tried to get membership of FIFA since 1950, but were rejected every time. In 2013, they submitted their bid once again, this time with support from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his cabinet. They also had an agreement with IMG-Reliance worth $1 billion over 20 years if they were granted membership by 2015. Despite these efforts however, their bid was once again rejected in 2015 due to “non-compliance with technical and development criteria”.