PANAJI: India has never been part of the FIFA World Cup but that hasn't stopped fans from making a once-in-four-years pilgrimage to sample the thrill that this football tournament provides.
At Russia in 2018, a total of 17,962 tickets were allocated to Indian fans, taking the country among the top-20 in terms of tickets bought and top-3 among countries that did not qualify for the World Cup. Only fans from United States and China - who didn't qualify -- were allocated more tickets.