For the first time in the history of the FIFA-e Nations Cup, India will participate in the competition. For the unversed, FIFA-e Nations Cup is an online simulation of the ongoing tournament in the real world. The online version of the tournament will be held in Copenhagen, Denmark, from July 27 to July 30, 2022 this year. India beat Korea Republic and Malaysia in the playoffs of the tournament.
The journey of the online India team started when the All India Football Federation (AIFF) signed an agreement for the team’s participation. The agreement was signed with FIFA for FIFA-e Nations Series 2021. A total of 60 countries participated in the event with India slotted in the Middle East and Africa Zone. The team didn’t have the start they would have wanted while finishing third in the zone.
This is why they missed out on the playoff spot in the 2021 FIFA-e Nations Series. However, despite this, their World Ranking was 22 at the end of the season, which was above the likes of Italy, Argentina, and Spain. The performance of the Indian team improved this year. Notably, they were slotted in the Asia/Oceania region and were awarded a place in the Play-Ins, which provided a direct qualification for the playoffs.
During the Play-Ins, the team played 32 games, won 12, lost 11, and drew nine in the four-week phase. This performance also led them to retain their place in Division 1. Not just this but India also finished second in the consistency points chart which eventually helped them move closer to the FIFA-e Nations Cup. Also, their global ranking improved from 22 to 19 in this period.
Ahead of the playoffs, India’s goal was to win two games to qualify for the showpiece event which they did. Thus, Charanjot Singh, Siddh Chandarana, and Saransh Jain created history for the team. Hence, it will be exciting to watch the Indian team participate in this mega event.
