AFC Asian Qualifiers
Eighteen teams will be bidding to advance to the FIFA World Cup Finals 2026, which will be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.
As anticipation builds for the draw, the-AFC.com continues our series on the teams hoping to book one of the eight spots to the Finals, with China PR the focus of our attention.
Factfile
How they got there: Round 2 Group C runners-up
2022 AFC Asian Qualifiers Record: Eliminated in Third round
Previous FIFA World Cup appearances: 1
Head Coach: Branko Ivankovic (CRO)
Fun Fact: China PR’s only FIFA World Cup Finals appearance was in 2002 with their campaign ending with three defeats
Having steered China PR to the third round of the AFC Asian Qualifiers by the narrowest of margins, Branko Ivankovic's next task is to make sure his players are ready for what will definitely be a massive challenge.
China PR's only appearance at the FIFA World Cup Finals was in the 2002 edition, with the East Asian side having not come close to qualifying in subsequent editions.
The veteran Ivankovic, however, is determined to correct that although the Croatian has admitted that China PR have to improve if they are to secure one of the eight automatic spots to the 2026 Finals.
Having taken charge in January, Ivankovic's tenure as head coach kicked off with a 2-2 draw against Singapore in their Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ Group C tie in March.
That was followed by a more impressive 4-1 win in the reverse fixture against the Southeast Asian side, leaving China PR well placed heading into the final two matchdays.
A 1-1 stalemate at home with Thailand, however, threw a spanner in the works and China PR's 1-0 defeat to Korea Republic meant the Southeast Asian side would advance with a victory by three clear goals against Singapore.
Thailand, however, came up just short with China PR advancing on the head-to-head ratio after the teams finished level on points and goal difference.
With tougher opponents to come in the third round, Ivankovic acknowledged that improvement is desperately needed.
“China’s recent performances have not been good, but what is clear is that they have talented players who possess good teamwork,” said Ivankovic after progress had been sealed.
“If we set clear goals for the future and back that up with the right training, I’m sure we will be able to achieve good results.”
