It is literally an Indian rain-making ceremony.

The China national football team announced the roster for the 7th and 8th matches of the third round of the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup Asia qualifiers on the 16th (Korean time). China will play an away game against Saudi Arabia on the 21st and then face Australia at home on the 25th.

China is in danger of being eliminated from the qualifiers. Currently, China is at the bottom of Group C with 6 points. While having the same points as 3rd place Indonesia, 4th place Saudi Arabia, and 5th place Bahrain, China lags behind Bahrain (-5) significantly in goal difference (-10). With four matches remaining, it is a difficult situation to turn around the goal difference.

The remaining schedule consists of matches against Saudi Arabia, Australia, Indonesia, and Bahrain. If China fails to qualify for the World Cup again, it will mark six consecutive failures to reach the finals. China has not participated in the finals since the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan. Therefore, Chinese football is placing great importance on the upcoming matches in March. Chinese media have commonly referred to this as "a fight for survival."

The Zero China national team has already flown to the Middle East long ago for group training. Coach Branković selected 27 players from 34 who trained together. Key players such as Brazilian naturalized midfielder Searginia (Serginho), Zhang Shenglong, Behram Abduwari, Lin Liangming, and Wei Shao are included. Several veteran players, including 1989-born defender Zhang Linpeng and injured Wu Lei, have been excluded.

Particularly, attention is drawn to the exclusion of He Youyong. He completed all training with the national team in the Middle East but did not make the final 27. It seemed that he would join the national team for the first time after naturalization in China, but that did not happen. He Youyong is China's first naturalized player. He, born to a Chinese father and a Norwegian mother, changed his nationality according to the Chinese government's extensive naturalization policy in 2019 and joined Beijing Guoan. However, he has never been called up to the Chinese national team since then.

Consequently, He Youyong returned to Norway's 2nd division club Lørenskog in 2022 and made a significant impact. He even took on an attacking role, scoring 19 goals as a midfielder, winning both the top scorer and Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards for the 2024 season. Watching this, Coach Ivanković recently summoned He Youyong to training.

However, Coach Ivanković's final choice was not He Youyong but Liu Chengyu. This means that Liu Chengyu, a promising player born in 2006, will join the national team alongside his peer Wang Yidong. Chinese media outlet "Sohu" expressed surprise by stating, "Who would have thought? He Youyong is off the list!"

There are also questions about whether Liu Chengyu is indeed a better player than He Youyong. Liu Chengyu is still an unproven talent on the professional stage, and last month, he faced disappointment in the U-20 Asian Cup held in China. He was blamed for China's elimination after missing a penalty kick against Saudi Arabia in the quarterfinals.

Nonetheless, when Coach Ivanković unexpectedly chose Liu Chengyu, doubts arose among Chinese fans. In addition to this roster controversy, there are widespread assessments that the team is not at 100% strength, especially after the failed naturalization of forward Oscar, which was initially in progress.

As a result, China is igniting a positive hope circuit based on various situations. Chinese media outlet "Zhibo.com" stated, "Saudi Arabia is in the midst of Ramadan, " noting that "the Ramadan period lasts from sunrise to sunset. The game will take place at 9:15 p.m. local time in Saudi Arabia."

Reports have also suggested that not eating during Ramadan could have a significant impact on the players. Zhibo.com noted, "The ban on eating during Ramadan lasts from sunrise to sunset. It is likely that Saudi players will be able to eat before the kickoff," adding, "Still, they may not perform at their best."

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