It is getting weaker than here. This is the future of the Chinese national football team.
China NetEase reported on the 28th (Korean time), "The FIFA ranking of the Chinese national team recorded its lowest point in 10 years! The FIFA ranking is important as it will determine the drawing ranking for the upcoming Asian Cup and World Cup qualifiers."
On the 25th, the Chinese national team was defeated 0-2 by Australia in the 8th match of Group C of the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup Asian qualifiers held at the Hangzhou Sports Park Stadium in Hangzhou, China. Veteran goalkeeper Wang Dalei made a critical mistake by allowing a rolling ball to slip through his legs.
As a result, China fell into a three-game losing streak and failed to escape from the last place. They remained at 6 points with 2 wins and 6 losses. They are tied on points with Bahrain in 5th place but are significantly behind in goal difference, with -13 compared to Bahrain's -8.
Ultimately, China's chances of directly entering the World Cup have completely disappeared. If World Cup qualification fails under these circumstances, it will be their sixth consecutive failure to qualify. China has not participated in the World Cup since the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup.
China has finished both March A matches with defeats. On the 21st, they also lost 0-1 to Saudi Arabia in a away match at King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The ejection of Lin Liangming, a product of Real Madrid's youth academy, was critical. China struggled against Saudi Arabia but managed to maintain a stalemate thanks to a spectacular save by Wang Dalei. Though Saudi Arabia found the net, the goal was canceled due to a handball foul.
However, a major incident occurred in stoppage time of the first half. Lin Liangming was sent off with a direct red card for a dangerous tackle with his foot raised high. He executed a 'kung fu kick' aimed at the head of Hassan Kadeshi, who was attempting a header, and the referee immediately showed the red card. Kadeshi, who was hit in the face and heavily impacted in the chest, was also taken off on a stretcher.
With only 10 players, China could no longer hold on. Just 5 minutes into the second half, they conceded a goal to Salem Al-Dawsari after allowing a right-footed shot in front of the goal. There was an additional near miss in the 70th minute, but it was canceled due to offside. Ultimately, China finished with only 3 shots and 0 shots on target throughout the 90 minutes.
China, unable to break the losing streak, also saw its FIFA ranking drop by four spots. NetEase reported, citing journalist Han Bing, "The Chinese national team now remains at 94th in the FIFA rankings. After conceding a reversal to Syria, they have fallen from 13th to 14th in Asia. This is the worst ranking for the Chinese national team in the past 10 years."
The decline of the Chinese national football team is likely to continue. Zhibo.com explained, "The biggest problem is that the Chinese squad itself is weak. Even with the rebuilding under head coach Ivan Brocovich, the worst player roster in history has been formed."
In fact, most Chinese players are not even starters in their domestic league. Zhibo.com pointed out, "Among the players who started against Australia, only 3 (Wang Dalei, Zhang Chenglong, Li Lei) have been used as starters in their league. The rest were all on the bench and didn’t come on as substitutes."
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