- 2 days ago
Speaking to India Today's Harshit Ahuja, former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia picked his favourites for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while stressing that choosing a single frontrunner is far from straightforward. The football legend said as many as seven or eight teams are genuine contenders and capable of lifting the sport's most prestigious trophy.
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00:00we're all looking at the start of the fifa world cup and i'm delighted to be joined by
00:05none other than bhai chung bootia as we all look forward to the 2026 edition of the tournament
00:11that we all love watching bhai chung bootia thank you so much for making time for us here on sports
00:17today my first question to you we all are put in this situation right now that all of us end
00:23up
00:23having some sort of player allegiance and picking one team which is that one team bhai chung that
00:28you're going to be supporting in this edition of the world cup uh i think uh it's very very difficult
00:35to really pick uh one team that can win the world cup because if you look at this world cup
00:40i think
00:40it's it's been one of the most open world cup if you can name at least seven eight teams that
00:45can
00:45actually go on to win it but if you want uh if if i have to support any team uh
00:51coming from asia i would
00:52want to see japan doing well they're a great team dark horses in this tournament uh i would definitely
00:57want to see england they've always gone so close the kind of pressure the english players go through
01:03because expectations are always high uh i would want england to win the world cup once after uh 66
01:09and then you've got ronaldo who's not won the world cup messi's done it and why can't ronaldo so
01:14i don't mind even portugal actually ronaldo winning it and retiring retiring so yeah but in terms of
01:21favorites i think spain is there france is is is as good as uh as any any other team and
01:28then you've
01:29got argentina you've got i still think even belgium as well and belgium and brazil for me this time
01:36are dark horses because when you say world cup you always appreciate brazil to win it and are the
01:41favorites but this world cup name six seven teams brazil would not feature in that top eight teams to
01:47win the world cup but for me they're the dark horses they can actually win it of course there's
01:52going to be a galaxy of stars uh bai chung uh when we look at this edition of the world
01:57cup i can name
01:58so many of those right now but in your view tell us about the five players that really stand out
02:04for
02:04you in this edition of the world cup i'm gonna give you mix of both experience and the young players
02:10i think in young players we're all aware lamina mal is is playing his first world cup he's already won
02:15european cup with spain i think he's supposed to be the big next big thing in world football
02:20i think for him you would want to prove that you know he's he's there in the world stays
02:25because obviously messi and ronaldo might be the last world cup so
02:29and he's got a great squad with spanish team and they are the one of the favorites to win it
02:33then you've got haaland who's had a great uh you know with with with with the club yeah so he's
02:41playing for the first time world cup and i'm sure for him you know he's been one of the best
02:46strikers
02:47in the world today but he has to prove it that in in the biggest stage of world football which
02:52is
02:52the world cup and that's where i think uh you know the big uh uh for him to really prove
02:58it is is going
02:58to be a great excitement norway again is rated as one of the dark horses uh another young player who
03:05can really make a big difference is julian alvarez from argentina uh i think with messi just playing
03:11behind him he's this year he's had a great run with atletico madrid so he's going to be a big
03:16factor uh for me i think one of the best players i've ever seen as a striker and for me
03:22i rate him
03:22as top all-time five six ten strikers in the world is harry kane i think this year as well
03:28uh england
03:29has got a great team with new coach he's going to be a major factor for uh england side because
03:35he's
03:35had a great great tournament great league with bayern munich so he's got a factor to really take
03:41england to really win this world cup they've gone quite close but harry kane with that experience and
03:46with that leadership i think this year with the team they have and the new coach and the new style
03:51they might actually win it and then obviously cristiano ronaldo because he's not won it because
03:58all greatest footballer we've grown up watching uh and we've seen him play and we want at least the
04:05one of the biggest footballers contribute so much to football go out on a high end at least let him
04:11win messi has done that last world cup so i think it's chance for ronaldo opportunity for ronaldo they
04:16have a great team in portugal so every football fan they whether whether they like ronaldo or they
04:22don't support portugal would be happy at least he wins the world cup in detail so i think i don't
04:28mind
04:28ronaldo in portugal winning it as well we're talking about the world cup how is it that we don't talk
04:34about cristiano rondo leo messi messi had his due last year do you think this year cristiano ronaldo
04:40also gets his due so that's what i feel i think ronaldo is very lucky to have one of the
04:47best
04:47midfielders in the world today playing for portugal and this team is going to create chance and ronaldo
04:52is a proven goal scorer he might not be as quick as what he was five years ten years ago
04:57he might not be as fast his reflexes might have slowed down but that this midfield can create
05:02opportunities for him and he's proven that he can score goals given the chance so i think this
05:06world cup for him it's tough obviously with the age is not on his side but they will create chance
05:12with that kind of midfield they have they're going to create chance they don't have second
05:16ronaldo who's got that kind of goal scoring power they have ramos there but if you look at it is
05:22is far
05:22away far away from what ronaldo has achieved so i think ronaldo could contribute and he might get
05:27few important goals because the team is going to create so yeah i think and the kind of team they
05:32have they have they can go all the way to win it as well uh so yes i think ronaldo
05:38this year
05:38uh can make or give few surprises with with some good goals and also might just win it
05:48another name that's doing the rounds in this edition uh bai chung is the name of lamin yamal
05:54everyone wanted argentina versus spain to happen earlier this year that could not happen however
05:59we've got a chance for that to happen now perhaps and if that happens or even if it doesn't doesn't
06:05matter really but the fact that the two of them will be playing together on such a grand stage
06:10do you look at it as a passing of the beaten moment it could be i think uh it's just
06:18that uh lamin yamal
06:19would need the right kind of guidance because uh with this club history with with the very short
06:26term kind of success he's had with this spanish team in barcelona i think we are also seeing a lot
06:32of a lot of a bit bit of bad sight of of his lifestyle outside and that i think he'll
06:39have to
06:39change because he's just a young 19 year old boy and he's got a long career and we've seen a
06:44lot of
06:44great footballers around the world had a great few first three four years great future ahead but
06:52really not been able to keep that in the head and gone towards the wrong direction totally i think
06:58lamin yamal is uh has got all the qualities to be next messy but i only feel that off the
07:04ground
07:04activities which he's he's he's had some bad publicity if he can control that and completely focus
07:11uh you know then i think he's got a great future because he's just 19 if he was 25 26
07:1828 as well
07:19you know that's still okay but at a 19 when you have a lot of bad press off the pitch
07:26kind of stories
07:27that are coming out uh and uh that i think he'll have to control so he'll have a he'll need
07:32a right
07:32people around him to manage his lifestyle that's very very important
07:38there's one thing uh you know that we can't all ignore the fact that some asian teams have gone ahead
07:44and made it a habit of playing in the world cup now there's teams like japan and south korea japan
07:50in fact have beaten a germany in the previous edition as we've seen and now you're also seeing
07:55some african nations also making it a habit but india is not part of this conversation what according
08:01to you is it that the others have done right as asian counterparts but india unfortunately year after
08:08year have failed at doing i think one of the biggest problem is we need to have a sincere long
08:16term youth development program there are youth development happening but there are a lot of
08:19things that are happening just for the sake of happening it so you need to have an honest long
08:24term youth development program where the kids are playing 360 uh days a year uh there's a culture
08:31environment being created to train and then to compete as well every weekend i think that is very
08:37very important at the same time uh i think we need to have a great structure and the system in
08:42place which we don't have still we don't know if our uh next highest leak is going to happen
08:48this year or not or next year or not we still don't know so i think the system and structure
08:54still is missing big way in india at the moment um there and the most important thing is we need
09:01to
09:01have a right committed people in in district to state to the federation work passionate about the
09:09sport and take the game forward and until unless you don't get those honest passionate people to
09:14really promote and take the game forward then you're just sitting in the chair and being there
09:19for last 20 30 years and has no contribution zero contribution but still holding to that position and
09:25not letting other people to do it i think that's one of the biggest factor the people are wanting to
09:30do it
09:30has the idea would never get that opportunity to do it that's been a major factor in in which is
09:37very very unfortunate since we are on that subject bai chung i want to understand from you
09:43if there's a 14 or a 15 year old boy or girl who was to watch this tournament and at
09:48some point ask
09:49her parent or gajan that why isn't india playing in this edition if you were that gajan
09:54what would you be telling that 14 or 15 year old very difficult but as i said you know we
10:01need to
10:02create that environment first of all if you can create that culture and environment for any kids
10:07to go and play uh that is very very important and for that again you need you need you know
10:12you need
10:12the right kind of people to be there in those positions to create that kind of culture and
10:17culture and the environment so in as i said grassroot long-term development is very very
10:23we've got 2047 vision india uh 2047 in football but that is just being kept inside the cupboard and
10:30implementation on the ground is i think almost zero so we need to have the right structure and system
10:37in place with a sincere uh long-term grassroot football development where we can produce players
10:44we can first i think our duty is to bring in as many kids to come and play the play
10:48the game
10:49and from that spot the right talent and give nurture it and create that environment to compete and train
10:55uh and make make those kids into our you know next big stars in indian football i think that
11:00structure and system is still missing uh and our long-term planning is still not honestly sincerely
11:07being done there's so many things uh you know that that come to my mind in terms of things going
11:13wrong but you have been a part of this system tell us that one thing you would want to desperately
11:20fix so that indian football can also hope and can be on its feet at the moment it's on its
11:26knees
11:27what is it that one thing you would like to fix i think i would rather make a great team
11:34in every
11:34state and the federation who are really passionate because first thing is it has to come
11:40out of passion and love and create that create a team that can really go on and contribute to the
11:47sport yes there are challenges you need grounds infrastructure you need uh you know the state
11:52would require budget money to bring in to do those leaks but if you're not passionate enough you're not
11:59first of all go you're not going to go and reach out to the government or to the corporates to
12:04come and
12:04start doing some kind of grassroot or a leak in your own area so you need to at least have
12:10people
12:10who are committed and who are passionately in in taking the sport forward if you have that
12:16then you can start approaching and you know having a plans to start implementing and trying to get
12:23support system from the government and the corporates but if you have people already in that position
12:27who are not at all interested despite no matter how much talented players it's not that india does not
12:33have talent it has got huge talent but we've not been able to nurture create give them that opportunity
12:38platform uh and bring them and and develop them into a great quality players i think that is where we
12:45are lacking of course how can i let you go without taking your predictions uh the tournament is set to
12:52get underway tell us your predictions for the semi-finalists and then the two teams you would like to see
12:59play
12:59in the final four as i said i have eight teams but let me try and name you four spain
13:07definitely yes
13:09on paper i think france is very very strong but again the teams but argentina definitely yes
13:15argentina spain i would actually see portugal as well going up to semi-finals this time
13:21but again portugal and argentina might clash in in the quarterfinals there
13:26so yeah and then you've got england this time i would see them progressing quite far off then you
13:33have uh likes of uh dark horses was i usually brazil is known to be favorites but this time i'm
13:41keeping
13:41brazil as one of the dark horses to do well they have got a great manager and a coach in
13:47them even
13:48belgium i think that the generation is their golden generation is still there with kevin de bruna and
13:54lokaku and now they've got more experience uh the expectation and the pressure is much less so yeah
14:01spain portugal england uh argentina uh these are these are these are four teams uh which i feel in brazil
14:10uh japan i would see spain and maybe argentina there two finalists argentina and spain in the final
14:22okay let's see if that happens by chung bootia thank you so much for giving us your time here on
14:27sports
14:27today lovely speaking with you and for all of you who are watching this one right now don't forget
14:32fifa world cup starting tonight 12 31st match you can watch that uh match and of course the rest of
14:39the
14:39tournament on the z platform uh z5 or as far as the app is concerned and the unite 8 channel
14:46as far as enjoying it on the bigger screen is concerned thank you so much for all of you for
14:52watching this interview the action never stops and neither do we this is where sports comes alive
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