Despite boasting billions of people and millions of passionate football supporters, many of the world’s most populous countries continue to struggle to qualify for the **FIFA World Cup>, highlighting that population alone is no guarantee of football success.
Scenes of jubilant fans celebrating **Lionel Messi>’s first goal of the 2026 World Cup in the streets of Dhaka illustrated the deep love for football in countries like Bangladesh, even though their national teams have never reached the tournament.
Similar celebrations have taken place across India and Indonesia, where supporters have adopted Argentina and other football giants because their own countries remain absent from the world’s biggest football competition.
According to sports economist **Stefan Szymanski**, football success depends on far more than population size. He argues that wealth, investment in infrastructure and decades of footballing experience are the key ingredients behind sustained international success.
While countries such as **Brazil>, **Argentina>, **Germany> and **France> have consistently excelled because of their strong football cultures and long histories in the sport, nations where organised football developed later continue to face an uphill battle.
The report notes that countries including **India>, **Bangladesh>, **Pakistan> and **Ethiopia> remain without a World Cup appearance despite their huge populations.
Experts attribute the gap to inadequate investment in youth development, limited football infrastructure, weak domestic leagues and governance challenges.
In Ethiopia, for example, a shortage of approved stadiums has forced league matches to be played at only a handful of venues, while the national team has had to host international fixtures outside the country.
In South Asia, some observers have blamed the overwhelming popularity of cricket for football’s slow development. However, others reject that explanation, pointing to countries such as Australia and New Zealand, which continue to compete in both sports at high levels.
China, despite enormous financial investment in football over the past decade, has also struggled to translate spending into success. Analysts argue that excessive political influence and weaknesses in grassroots player development have prevented the country from establishing itself as a football powerhouse.
Indonesia has shown signs of progress after reaching the final round of qualification for the 2026 World Cup, although much of that success has been linked to recruiting players of Indonesian heritage born in Europe.
For millions of supporters across Asia and Africa, however, the dream of watching their own countries compete on football’s biggest stage remains distant. Until then, many continue to celebrate the tournament by passionately supporting adopted teams such as Argentina, Brazil and other traditional football powers.
