Even after sending an unprecedented delegation, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) failed to get the expected election results at the AFC Congress. Du Zhaocai, who was recommended by the CFA, finally got only 18 votes, ranking at the bottom of the list of all candidates, and regretfully failed. Du Zhaocai's failure had a great impact on Chinese soccer and even triggered a butterfly effect.
First of all, many fans will naturally think that in the AFC, the national football team is now facing no one. Originally, the voice was not high, and now no one will speak for the national football team. In addition to the fact that there is no one in the dynasty, it is impossible for Chinese soccer to bid for the World Cup.
Qatar just hosted the World Cup, and according to the rules, it can't return to Asia until after at least three sessions. If Chinese soccer wants to host the World Cup, it should at least have the support of the AFC. Now, AFC has no CFA officials, and naturally no one will support us in the World Cup, which is heartbreaking to think about.
In addition, North Korea will naturally be looked down upon, and even among the just-elected FIFA directors, officials from Southeast Asian associations occupy two seats. It can be imagined that in the 2026 World Cup qualifying matches, the biggest rivals of the national football team are not Japan and South Korea, but the teams from Southeast Asia. This time, what Fan Zhiyi once said may be realized again.
A big reason we were able to break into the top ten at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan was that we managed to avoid Iran and Saudi Arabia in the draw. As a result, the national soccer team will be counted out in the draw groups for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
In the Qatar World Cup 40, we got the last signing and had a hard time advancing to the top 12. This time, if we don't get the last signing, it will be hard to get in even for the last 36 games. Therefore, Du Zhaocai's loss was not asked by anyone in AFC North Korea, nor by Chinese soccer. Of course, this is not the time to focus on AFC, we should put down the burden, develop internal skills and improve our strength is the first priority.
