New Delhi: Has the least populous member of FIFA challenged the most populous one to a friendly football match?
It all started with a post on X by a social media user named The Sweeper. “There are 211 member countries in FIFA. Most populous member: India with a population of 1.4639 billion. Least populous member: Montserrat with a population of 4,353. Petition to make the ultimate big vs small international friendly happen!”, the user posted.
A user going by the name of Harriet Cross @harryvx responded soon enough, with: “Let’s do this! India vs Montserrat. Are you brave enough India?!”
Harriet Cross is the governor of Montserrat, but it could not be confirmed whether the handle from which the post was made is hers.
However, such a tie would be nothing short of fascinating, as those following the thread have pointed out. While there has been no official response from India, fans wasted no time rallying behind the idea, flooding the thread with calls for what could be the most unusual and entertaining international friendly football has ever seen.
Montserrat is currently ranked 180th in the FIFA standings, while India is in 134th position.
Montserrat, about 13,998 km from India, is also called “The Emerald Isle of the Caribbean” for its resemblance to Ireland and its strong Irish heritage. The island is just 16 km long and 11 km wide, with around 40 km of coastline.
In comparison, India is 3,214 km in length and 2,933 km wide, with a coastline of more than 7,516 km.
Montserrat was once home to the Georgian-era capital Plymouth. The island was devastated by the eruption of the Soufrière Hills volcano in 1995, forcing two-thirds of its residents to relocate, many to the United Kingdom. Today, parts of Montserrat remain in an exclusion zone due to volcanic risks, though its population has since rebounded to nearly 5,000.
Plymouth, located on Montserrat’s southwestern coast, served as the island’s capital and sole port of entry until 1997, when volcanic eruptions devastated much of the town. Following the disaster, government offices and activities were moved to Brades Estate, commonly referred to as Brades, and the surrounding areas in the island’s northwest. As a result, Brades and its vicinity now function as the island’s de facto capital.
