Two incredible survival stories from Kerala football in FIFA World Cup year

Kerala’s football fervour that often rises to a crescendo every four years with a FIFA World Cup in sight was in danger of hitting a sour note because of the plight of its two popular clubs. For most of the domestic season, both Kerala Blasters and Gokulam Kerala were in danger of relegation and possibly going out of business.

But thanks to two incredible turnarounds, one virtually in the last minute of the season, football fans in Kerala can take a deep breath and dive into the festivities of the World Cup.

Kerala Blasters, the state’s only representative in the top-flight of men’s football, the Indian Super League (ISL), flirted with relegation for half of the season after managing just a point from six rounds. Their fortunes changed with a managerial change as Ashley Westwood arrived as an interim head coach, replacing David Catala. The Englishman has won four and drawn once in the last six rounds, lifting the Blasters out of 13th place (14-team table) to the eighth position.

By comparison, Gokulam had a better start to their campaign in the second division, the Indian Football League (IFL). They had a pair of draws, a win and a loss from the first four rounds before things got worse. A pair of coaching changes did not ring any drastic changes in their on-field results.

By the start of April, as the Blasters began to witness a positive change, Gokulam's graph began to dip. Across April, Gokulam lost four in a row, conceding 18 goals and scoring just four.

It left them in a four-way relegation battle, pushed into the final day, with a must-win scenario against Namdhari at the Deccan Arena in Hyderabad on May 12. Namdhari needed a draw to survive, but Gokulam had to win at all costs.

After waves of attacks that resulted in 70% possession, 17 shots, 11 fouls and four yellow cards, Trijoy Savio Dias tucked in a loose ball inside the box in the 98th minute to give a 1-0 win for Gokulam, helping them avoid relegation. Gokulam won two I-League titles before the All India Football Federation introduced promotion to the ISL.

Ahead of the season, Kerala Blasters’ CEO Abhik Chatterjee said the management had considered shutting down the club due to the ISL's delayed start, which had affected the club's finances. It would have been a shame had Gokulam slipped into the inglorious third tier after investing heavily in the second division for nearly a decade.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 is set to begin on June 11. The United States, Mexico and Canada are hosting the expanded 48-team event that will run till July 19.