Ahead of India’s matches in the Unity Cup in the United Kingdom, his addition offers an opportunity.
For India, the Unity Cup in the United Kingdom (UK) will be a potent window to track and invite such players of its origin, much like Bangladesh has done so far.
The UK, like Australia, is the joint-eighth-strongest passport, and Williams might just turn out to be India’s poster boy in this pursuit.
A leaf out of the 2023 playbookThe other facet of the Unity Cup is the obvious: the opponents.
Now that the dust has settled around Williams’ arrival, India can look to start another storm in and around the Unity Cup, for higher rankings and a better future of Indian football.
The hype around Ryan Williams, to say the least, was very real.
A foreign-born striker playing for India, scoring an early goal on debut, and India consequently rising in FIFA rankings – all effects pointed to the cause: Williams’ inclusion. And rightly so.
The one-touch finishes and the one-twos with Lallianzuala Chhangte and Manvir Singh in the final third were a stark opposite of the mediocre results Indian football fans were conditioned to watch over the years, like in the matches against Bangladesh and Singapore.
But the forward brings much more to the table than his on-field exploits. Ahead of India’s matches in the Unity Cup in the United Kingdom, his addition offers an opportunity.
Williams gave up his Australian passport — the eighth-strongest in the world — to play for India in what can become a trailblazing moment for the Indian diaspora around the world.
Importing players with foreign experience and South Asian lineage has seen Bangladesh bring in Hamza Choudhary in the midfield, who proved significant as it drew and beat top seed India over two matches. The induction of US-based teenagers, Ronan and Declan Sullivan, has also borne fruit as Bangladesh dethroned India at the SAFF U-20 Championship.
For India, the Unity Cup in the United Kingdom (UK) will be a potent window to track and invite such players of its origin, much like Bangladesh has done so far.
Chance to tap into Indian-origin players
The top three countries of birth outside the UK for England and Wales have remained unchanged as India, Poland and Pakistan since the last census 10 years ago, and the tournament might provide the perfect opportunity for India to tap into this diaspora.
The UK, like Australia, is the joint-eighth-strongest passport, and Williams might just turn out to be India’s poster boy in this pursuit.
Indian-origin (under 30 years of age) players based/playing in the UK: Goalkeeper: Rohan Luthra Defenders: Reiss Khela, Kam Kandola, Sai Sachdev, Simranjit Thandi, William Andiyapan, Aaron Drewe Midfielders: Brandon Khela, Han Willhoft-King, Zac Shuaib, Rio Shipston, Ronan Maher, Balraj Landa, Aaron Singh Chungh, Raj Palit, Arjan Raikhy Forwards: Yan Dhanda, Caylan Vickers, Anand Batra
The 32-year-old spent most of his formative years in the UK, growing up in Fulham, Portsmouth and Barnsley, and his inclusion in the national team could motivate players like Dylan Markanday, Yan Dhanda and Caylan Vickers to find a way into the Indian national set-up.
“I just don’t know how many people would be willing to give up their passports to come and play. If there were a dual (passports) thing or you could play with the OCI card, that would be cool,” Williams tells Sportstar.
“But maybe then, it floods too many (players) because the Indian diaspora around the world is crazy, especially in the U.K. The step could benefit us, but then, I don’t have a crystal ball to say how it looks 10 years down the line.”
At least 19 players of Indian descent play across multiple divisions of English football, including the Khela brothers, Bradon and Reiss, and former Derby County goalkeeper Rohan Luthra.
“Maybe for five years, it would be good because then, maybe, we reach these tournaments, and we as Indian players get better because there’s more competition in the camps,” Williams adds.
A leaf out of the 2023 playbook
The other facet of the Unity Cup is the obvious: the opponents.
The tournament features Nigeria, Jamaica and Zimbabwe — all higher-ranked sides alongside India, and a win against any one of them could go a long way for the Blue Tigers’ momentum.
Teams in the Unity Cup 2026:
India (Rank: 136)
Zimbabwe (Rank: 130)
Nigeria (Rank: 26)
Jamaica (Rank: 71)
Though the tournament falls outside the international window, FIFA has given the tournament a ‘Tier 1’ status, meaning it will bear ranking points at par with other official matches.
It is here that India can take a leaf out of the 2023 playbook to climb in the FIFA rankings. Three years ago, India played higher-ranked sides, Kyrgyzstan and then Lebanon, to lift two trophies at home, the Tri Nations Series and the Intercontinental Cup.
Also beating West Asian opponent Kuwait to clinch the SAFF Championship took India seven spots up in as many months. The team has not climbed by those many spots since.
Teams ranked way too high can sometimes be a step too far right away, like Iran was in the CAFA Nations Cup, but the team needs to be bold and also look more for comparably-higher teams, like Kyrgyzstan and Lebanon previously, to have a higher chance of winning and gaining points.
Now that the dust has settled around Williams’ arrival, India can look to start another storm in and around the Unity Cup, for higher rankings and a better future of Indian football.
Published on May 26, 2026
