With the 2026 World Qualifier Asian Zone third stage of the 18-team tournament approaching, the national football team's preparations have entered a full sprint stage. According to the latest news from reporter Ma Dexing, the new list of the national football team may be flooded with a lot of new faces, but the possibility of the inclusion of newly naturalized players is not great.
Reports indicate that the 18 teams participating in the tournament have been submitting their rosters since July 15, with the deadline for registration set for August 5 this year. According to the regulations, each team for the first time to submit the number of players at least 35, and there is no upper limit. This means that the national football team will have greater flexibility in submitting the list, can be dynamically adjusted according to the status and performance of the players.
Although there is no cap on the roster, once the tournament begins, teams can only make substitutions among the players on the roster and cannot bring in new players from outside the roster. Therefore, the national soccer team needs to consider carefully when submitting their roster to ensure that the players on the roster cover all positions and tactical needs.
In the process of drawing up the roster, the national football team's head coach, Ivankovic, and his coaching staff will play a key role. They not only need to select players based on their technical and tactical abilities and form, but also need to consider the team's overall tactical layout and long-term planning. Since Ivankovic only returned to China on July 13 and discussed with the Football Association on related matters, the national football team's list has not yet been officially submitted to the AFC.
From what we have seen so far, Ivankovic is likely to boldly use young players in the roster to inject fresh blood into the team. This means that many new faces and names that have never been selected for the national team in the past are expected to appear in the roster. At the same time, some of the veteran players will continue to be selected, and their rich experience and stable form will be a valuable asset to the team.
However, in terms of naturalized players, the national football team does not seem to have much action. Although the outside world has been on the naturalized players have high hopes, but from the current situation, in addition to the several non-blood naturalized and blood naturalized players who have already played on behalf of the Chinese team, the future of the 18 strong tournament in the emergence of new naturalized players is not very likely.
After submitting the roster, Ivankovic and the coaching staff will continue to watch the Chinese Super League to further understand the state of the international players. At the same time, they will also travel to Dalian to learn about the conditions of the playing field and training ground, so as to be fully prepared for the next training session.
In addition, in order to ensure the fairness and impartiality of the matches, the AFC has clearly stipulated that the home stadiums of all participating teams during the 18-team tournament must be equipped with VAR equipment. This initiative will effectively reduce the number of controversial penalties in the matches and improve the spectacle and credibility of the matches.
