They do, although the team is terrible. Earlier this year, they qualified for the Asian Cup for the first time in 24 years, but lost all three group games, scoring three goals and giving up 13. A large problem is that football is a distant third in popularity in the country. Cricket is, by far, the most popular sport in India. Field hockey is second - it is actually the official national sport, and India has won eight Olympic gold medals. However, the team was much better in the past. They qualified for the 1950 World Cup, but were not allowed to play in bare feet. They won the 1951 Asian Games and played in the 1952 Olympics - the last tournament they were allowed to go without boots. In 1956, they finished fourth in the Olympics, missing out on a medal after a 4-1 loss to Yugoslavia and a 3-0 loss to Bulgaria in the third-place match. They won the 1962 Asian Games, which ended the golden age of Indian football. In the last 50 years, neglect of the national program and the huge amounts of money poured into cricket have dropped India from one of the top football nations in Asia to a near non- entity. India ranked 145th in the latest FIFA rankings, between Singapore and Hong Kong
http://www.quora.com/Why-doesnt-India-have-a-football-World-Cup-team

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