Interview with Chinese soccer team's World Cup journey and captain Wu Lei
As the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico draws closer, the Chinese men's soccer team will embark on their 13th World Cup campaign. The World Cup has been enlarged to 48 teams, and the number of seats for Asia has increased from 5.5 to 8.5.
The national soccer team will begin its qualifying tour of Asia's top 36 on Nov. 16 with its first away game against Thailand. Immediately following that, on Nov. 21, they will have their first home game of the World Qualifier, against South Korea in Shenzhen.
The national soccer team is in the same group as South Korea, Thailand and Singapore, and will have to secure second place in the group in order to get out of the tournament.
On the occasion of the launch of the new World Cup cycle, Wu Lei, the striker of Shanghai Port and the current captain of the national football team, received an exclusive interview with CCTV Sports. He said that although the current strength of the national football team no longer occupies an advantage in Asia, the team will not give up because of this, and will still do their best.
The journey to captaining the national soccer team
Wu Lei said that this is his first time to be the captain of the national team and thanked his coach and teammates for their trust. He believes that as the captain, he has to take more responsibility, not only in the technical and tactical on the field, but also in the daily life to manage the team.
World Cup Dreams
Talking about the dream of the World Cup, Wu Lei said that despite the current decline in the strength of the national football team, they will not give up and will go all out against any opponent. This is not only about the team's dream, but also about the future of Chinese soccer.
Harbour's title win and Lennardo's Golden Boot race
Talking about his feelings of winning the Super League title on behalf of Harbour, Wu Lei said that the scene of celebrating with his teammates after winning the title was very exciting. He also recalled the battle for the Golden Boot with Lennardo and said he had no regrets despite coming up one goal short in the end.
Visiting teacher Xu Genbao after winning the championship
Wu Lei revealed that it was not an impromptu idea to visit his teacher Xu Genbao after winning the championship, but it was agreed upon before the championship. He thought it was very meaningful to win the championship with his teammates and share this joy with director Xu.
Birth of the third child
Regarding the birth of his third child this year, Wu Lei said that the birth of his sister brought him good luck. He thinks that this year's league championship may be related to this fate. In addition, he also hopes to cultivate his children's interest in soccer.
Focus on Spaniards
Talking about his old boss, Spaniard, Wu Lei said that he has been following this team. Although they are currently in the Spanish B League, he still follows their matches and rankings. He believes that the three years of experience in Spain is very valuable.
