At next year’s football World Cup, root for Indian-origin Sarpreet Singh | Football News
PANAJI: Given the state of football in the country, India may be still years away from making it to the World Cup but next year, when sport’s greatest spectacle kicks off in North America, we will have something to call our own and cheer for at home.
Despite rivalry in cricket, many Indians could actually be rooting for New Zealand at the 2026 tournament to be played across Mexico, Cananda and the US. The reason? Sarpreet Singh, the All Whites’ midfielder who has his roots in Punjab.
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Born in Auckland to Indian parents who migrated from Punjab, Sarpreet will become only the second Indian-origin player after France midfielder Vikash Dhorasoo (2006), to play at the marquee FIFA event in its nearly 100-year history.
“I grew up in a Punjabi household, an Indian background, and for me that’s a huge feeling of pride,” Sarpreet, a regular in NZ’s midfield, told TOI over telephone from Portugal, where he plays for Uniao de Leiria.
The first player of Indian descent to play in the German Bundesliga, when he was signed by six-time European champions Bayern Munich in 2019, today Sarpreet is aware of the hope he carries for the nation of his origin, who fervently desire to be counted among football’s elite.
“I will do my best because I know I represent a lot of people. I want to try and create a pathway for future Indian players; I hope it can lead for future players to go through and do their thing,” he said.
New Zealand qualified for the World Cup — for the first time since 2010 and for the only the third time in the event’s history — following a hard-fought 3-0 victory over New Caledonia in the Oceania qualifiers. They join Japan, Iran, Argentina and the three hosts to be among the first to make the 48-team global extravaganza next year.
“Sarpreet Singh at the World Cup isn’t just a personal triumph, it’s a historic statement for South Asians in football,” said UK-based Baljit Rihal, founder of the Asian Football Awards and an advocate for South Asians in football.
“Seeing ‘Singh’ on the back of a shirt on the world’s biggest stage will be a powerful symbol of what’s possible. This moment can inspire a generation challenge outdated perceptions once and for all.”
Having represented New Zealand in the under-17 and under-20 World Cups, the 26-year-old had his first taste of a global stage when he represented New Zealand at the Paris Olympics last year.
In 2019, Bayern with one of the finest scouting systems in world football, had signed him from Wellington Phoenix, a Kiwi club that plays in the Australian A-League.
Sarpreet started with the reserves, but impressed coach Hansi Flick — now at Barcelona — in training alongside the likes of Robert Lewandowski and Philippe Coutinho, to earn a first-team call-up. While it exposed him to the demands of top-flight professional football, turning out for Bayern when just 21, immediately put Sarpreet on a pedestal and he became an inspiration for young South Asian footballers.
“It was a big thing for me personally and also for both New Zealand and Indian people,” Sarpreet recalls.
A visitor to India in the past, Sarpreet has played competitively in the country of his parent’s birth. He was part of the New Zealand squad when they took part in the InterContinental Cup at Mumbai in 2019.
“To be a Singh and come back and play in India, against India, was really special,” he said. Visits to India, family or football, opened his eyes to a different world. “I’ve been with my family to the villages where my parents were brought up, where my mum was raised. I got to see how people live life in India. It was an eye opener,” he said.
Currently playing in Portugal, Sarpreet’s focus is on staying injury-free and playing enough competitive matches in Europe to help give him an edge at next year’s World Cup.
“Throughout my journey, I have had lot of difficult times, which is why I kind of find myself now regrouping and rebuilding. Every career has some downs. I faced many challenges, but I think hopefully I can show that it’s still possible to keep going, to keep pushing and reach higher levels,” he said.
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