Population size obviously isn't everything, or else China, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh etc would be powerhouses of football. What I think is a key point is to have a solid professional pathway for young players to develop through. The smaller your population, the harder that is to maintain. Having another sport dominate the local market also doesn't help. So I guess what I'm saying is that population is a factor but is more important in relation to how it affects the development of your players rather than as a stand alone factor.
Population size obviously isn't everything, or else China, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh etc would be powerhouses of football. What I think is a key point is have a solid professional pathway for young players to develop through. The smaller your population, the harder that is to maintain. Having another sport dominate the local market also doesn't help. So I guess what I'm saying is that population is a factor but is more important in relation to how it affects the development of your players rather than as a stand alone factor.