Ecuador's FIFA Win Sparks Debate Over India's Absence from World Cup

As billions watched Ecuador shock Germany at the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Thursday, a Maharashtra politician posed an uncomfortable question to India’s 1.4 billion football fans: don’t wonder why India isn’t there — look at what is happening to the grounds where Indian football is supposed to be grown. In a post on X, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray alleged that the Neville D’Souza football ground in Bandra West — one of Mumbai’s most active grassroots football venues — has been converted into a convention centre reservation by the BJP-led BMC, backed by orders from the BJP state government. “The BJP regime in the BMC, backed by orders from the BJP state government, has just converted the Neville D’Souza football ground in Bandra West into a convention centre reservation,” Thackeray, 36, wrote “A contractor will get his money, a builder will get location benefits and the convention centre will get a BJP leader’s name.” If you are wondering about why India isn’t playing the @FIFAWorldCup , despite the population crossing 1.4 billion people, and why countries with much smaller populations than our smallest cities are playing, stop wondering: 🚨 The bjp regime in the @mybmc , backed by orders… The ground is named after Neville D’Souza, India’s most celebrated football hero. The venue has hosted thousands of players and multiple tournaments each season for the past nine years, from grassroots leagues to elite divisions, under the administration of the Mumbai Football Association. Thackeray, who previously served as MDFA chairman, said the MFA has been barred from using its own venue and will now be forced to pay to use other grounds. “The core issue is, taking away playgrounds from the youth, taking away grounds from associations and then debating over the future of the game is pointless,” he wrote. The allegation lands at a moment when India’s footballing absence from the global stage is at its most visible. India is ranked 138th in the world as of the June 2026 FIFA rankings and failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup after finishing third in their AFC second round group, recording just one win — against Kuwait — and suffering a shock 1-2 defeat to Afghanistan. India has never qualified for a FIFA World Cup through the regular qualification process, having withdrawn from the only edition — 1950 — they were ever invited to. Thackeray connected the local and the global directly. “If you are wondering about why India isn’t playing the FIFA World Cup, despite the population crossing 1.4 billion people, and why countries with much smaller populations than our smallest cities are playing, stop wondering,” he wrote. The venue sits in Bandra Reclamation, a high-traffic-density area opposite a hospital. Thackeray warned the convention centre construction would add to the area’s already severe congestion. He also claimed his earlier interventions had saved two other recreation grounds in Mumbai from similar fates, but said this ground remained a BJP target to be named after one of the party’s leaders.