Eight of the 10 most populous countries are not in the World Cup

According to BBC News, eight of the world's ten most populous countries will miss this year's World Cup. That includes India, China, Indonesia, and Pakistan—home to roughly four billion people combined. Despite these massive populations, these nations face persistent gaps in football infrastructure, talent development pipelines, and competing sporting priorities. The disparity reveals how population size alone doesn't guarantee sporting success, and raises questions about what grassroots investment could shift the balance for these emerging markets.

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