I'll do everything possible to take India to World Cup: Igor Stimac

Igor Stimac believes India could have won a medal in Asian Games if they had a full strength squad.

All India Football Federation (AIFF) Secretary General, Shaji Prabhakaran announced Igor Stimac's extension as the head coach of the Indian National Football Team for the next two years until 2026. He also added that the contract will be extended by a further two years if India advance to the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Stimac, who has been in charge of the Indian Football Team since May 2019, will now stay in that position until June 2026, demonstrating his dedication to fostering the expansion and advancement of football in India. This declaration is a resounding affirmation of the progress the national team has made under Stimac's leadership and the confidence his plans possess for the development of Indian football.

Igor Stimac speaks after his new extension

Igor Stimac has brought a new dimension of playing style in India. Under his leadership, the national team has done pretty well. So, today when AIFF annouced Stimac's new contract until June 2026, Stimac spoke about his new responsibilties that lie ahead.

He said, "I had a lengthy discussion with the officials of the federation for the last few days. I had certain demands. AIFF has promised me that those demands will be taken care of. I also wanted long-term contracts for my coaching staff to show my appreciation towards them. The AIFF shared my enthusiasm and gave us what we wanted. I’ve extended my contract at the same salary I receive now.”

"In these days in modern football, spending four and a half years at one place is quite a lot of time. And that shows that the things we did were recognized and people believed in us. I'm happy for the fans, their messages of support and kind words of appreciation which they sent me and to my staff. This work has changed the opinion about football in India and we are just the happiest people in the world because of that reason. They are the main reason why we are still here and deciding to go further on. We'll try to make them even happier in the future," Stimac added.

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India's prospects of making to the 2026 World Cup

The head coach also spoke about how he will be trying to bring newer changes and prepare the side for the upcoming World Cup Qualfiers in Novemeber. Igor Stimac opined, “Our recent outings against the strong teams prove we have improved in every aspect of the field. I’m a positive person so I’ll say we are very hopeful about qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. We have been drawn into a strong group. But I believe it is possible for India to qualify to the third round from this group.”

The India boss added, "It is my dream is to make India play in the FIFA World Cup, something that has never been achieved before. I have certain plans regarding the World Cup qualifiers. If I can execute those plans accordingly, I think we’ll be fine. I will do everything possible in my power and ability and with all honesty and everything I have inside me, to do the best to take us there, together with my staff. And I see a clear chance now. I'm again realistic because we proved that we can play against stronger sides."

Stimac's thoughts on the recently played Asian Games

Igor Stimac shared about his thoughts on his team's perfromance at the Asian Games, where the Blue Tigers went down against Saudia Arabia in the Round of 16. He said, "It was a difficult week or two to be honest and I adore these boys who were there. They were never supposed to be there to be honest, but at the end they were the ones representing country and they did it with great honor and with pride and they did their best at that moment. As a coach, I had to be there with them. If we went to the Asian Games with our full strength, we could have brought home a medal.

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"I'm quite sure with whatever I know about football, with watching all these teams there and watching their games, their level of quality, we missed a good chance of getting a medal there if we were there with the full strength squad. So one chance gone, let's make sure in the future we don't miss such chances because when we spend four and a half years developing one good talented squad which has been in the process for over eight or nine years now since 2015, then it's really sad if we don't allow them to compete in their full strength at the highest and best tournaments which are surrounding us," Stimac concluded.