Chinese media have harassed North Korea, while Japanese media have provoked China's tremendous reality.

Sohu.com reported on the 28th (Korean time) that "North Korea completely failed to qualify for the World Cup after conceding a goal in the second half of stoppage time," adding that "the situation is worse than that of the Chinese national football team."

North Korea lost 1-2 in the 8th match of Group A in the third round of the 2026 North and Central American World Cup qualifiers against the UAE held on the 26th at the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. After drawing 1-1, North Korea collapsed after conceding the decisive goal to Sultan Adil in the 8th minute of stoppage time.

As a result, North Korea remained at the bottom of Group A with 2 draws and 6 losses (2 points) and failed to qualify for the World Cup.

Sohu.com criticized that "North Korea had only recorded 2 draws and 5 losses in the first seven matches before facing the UAE. Theoretically, it could have finished in 4th place in the group, but everyone knew that North Korea had practically failed to qualify for the World Cup."

In the North and Central American World Cup, Asia has been allocated 8.5 spots. In the third round of Asian qualifiers, the top two teams from each of the three groups will qualify directly for the World Cup. The teams finishing 3rd and 4th in each group will be divided into two groups again and must go through a fourth qualifying round. Only the team that finishes first in the fourth qualifying round will receive a World Cup ticket. The two teams that finish in 2nd place in the fourth qualifying round will face each other, and the victorious team can enter the 'final hurdle' continental playoff.

North Korea has only 2 matches left. Even if North Korea wins against Kyrgyzstan and Iran in June, it cannot finish in 4th place.

The situation in China is not much different. Mathematically, it's possible.

Chinese NetEase reported on the 28th (Korean time) that "the international football federation (FIFA) ranking of the Chinese national team has hit its lowest point in 10 years! The FIFA ranking is important because it will also determine the seeding for the Asian Cup and World Cup qualifiers."

On the 25th, the Chinese national team suffered a 0-2 defeat to Australia in the 8th match of Group C in the third round of the 2026 FIFA North and Central American World Cup Asian qualifiers, held at the Hangzhou Sports Park Stadium in Hangzhou, China. Veteran goalkeeper Wang Dalei made a critical error by letting a rolling ball slip between his legs.

As a result, China has fallen into a three-match losing streak and has failed to escape from the bottom. With 2 wins and 6 losses, it has remained at 6 points. While it shares the same points as Bahrain in 5th place, it is significantly trailing in goal difference with -13 compared to Bahrain's -8.

As a result, China's chances of qualifying directly for the World Cup have completely disappeared. If qualification for the World Cup is frustrated this time, it will be a sixth consecutive failure. Since the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, China has not stepped onto the World Cup stage even once.

China ended its two-match series of A matches in March with losses. On the 21st, China also lost 0-1 in an away match against Saudi Arabia at King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh.

The red card received by Lin Liangming, a youth product of Real Madrid, was fatal. Despite being dragged around by Saudi Arabia, China maintained the score at 0 thanks to Wang Dalei's saves. Although Saudi Arabia struck the net, the goal was canceled due to a handball foul.

However, a major incident occurred in first half stoppage time. Lin Liangming was sent off for a dangerous tackle after raising his foot high. He delivered a 'kung fu kick' towards the head of Hassan Kadeshi, who was attempting a header, and the referee immediately showed a red card. Kadeshi, who was struck in the face and heavily impacted in the chest, was also carried off on a stretcher and substituted.

With only 10 players left, China could no longer hold out. Within 5 minutes into the second half, it allowed a right-foot shot in front of the goal by Salem Al Dossari and conceded a goal. In the 25th minute of the second half, it nearly conceded another goal, but it was canceled due to offside. Ultimately, China managed only 3 shots and 0 shots on target throughout the 90 minutes and bowed down.

Failing to break its losing streak, China has also dropped 4 places in the FIFA rankings. NetEase reported, citing journalist Han Bing, that "the Chinese national team has now fallen to 94th in the FIFA rankings. It allowed Syria to overtake it, dropping from 13th to 14th in Asia. This marks the worst ranking for the Chinese national team in the past decade."

Japan's The World quoted a foreign journalist residing in China, saying, "When the Communist Party sets its mind to something, there is nothing it cannot do," adding, "The Chinese government can do anything, from electric vehicles to hosting the Olympics. However, football is a different matter."

It went on to explain, "Football needs to develop from the grassroots, but it is managed by the Communist Party. Party officials should not be in control. It should be structured like a pyramid, but China is not like that."

Meanwhile, it emphasized that "although the World Cup roster has been expanded since 2026, it is still difficult for China. There has been no World Cup qualification since 2002."

[OSEN]