As the dust settles on the group draw for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, China's preparations for the tournament have officially taken pride of place on the Football Association's calendar.
Unfortunately, the grouping situation for the qualifiers was not ideal for the national soccer team. South Korea, a longtime rival, always seems to be an insurmountable obstacle for the national soccer team. And the rapid development of Thai soccer, also let the national football team can no longer take this former Southeast Asia "brisket" lightly.
To get out of the qualifying group stage, China will have to put heavy pressure on South Korea, while aiming for a one-two punch against Thailand, with a win at home a must, and at least no loss on the road. Only then can the national soccer team hope to advance to the second group.
With the qualifiers approaching in November, the preparation time for the national football team is becoming more and more urgent. For this reason, the Football Association decisively decided to arrange three warm-up matches for the national football team on international match days in September and October. This time, the Association's action quickly and efficiently, three warm-up matches against Syria, Uzbekistan and Malaysia, all Asian teams.
The national football team chose a warm-up match opponent with a targeted approach. Malaysia's strength is relatively weak, Uzbekistan's players are physically strong, fierce confrontation, quite like the South Korean team. And the Syrian team players individual technology and teamwork are very good, can be used as a Thai team's counter-teaching materials.
In order to better prepare for the World Qualifiers, the national soccer team will undoubtedly regard these three warm-up opponents as important rivals. I'm sure head coach Jankovic will field his strongest lineup. Considering the age of many of last year's national team starters, as well as Zhang Yuning's serious injury, Wei Shihao's punishment by the FA for inappropriate comments, Wu Xinghan's six-month absence due to the "junior incident", and Jin Jingdao's arrest for gambling, all of these players will be absent from this year's tournament.
As a result, the national team's lineup will see major changes. On the basis of maintaining the main framework, Jankovic will vigorously use newcomers, and players who have recently performed well in the Chinese Super League are expected to be called up, such as Jiang Shenglong and Ma Zhen of Shenhua, Xie Weijun of Tianjin Jinmen Tigers, and Li Yuanyi of Shandong Taishan.
In addition, in order to improve the team's fighting strength, Jankovic plans to reintroduce naturalized players. Ackerson and Jiang Guangtai have performed well for Chengdu Rongcheng and Shanghai Port this season, while Fernando is in hot form for Taishan, having already scored in his substitute appearances. Similarly, Guoan's naturalized player Li Ke has been reintroduced under new coach Luis Suarez.
The four naturalized players mentioned above have been performing well this season, and Jankovic is expected to examine their form in the warm-up matches to decide whether to bring them into the qualifiers. As for Luo Guofu and Alan, Jankovic may not risk using them as they have not participated in the Chinese Super League for a long time in Brazil.
In November, the national soccer team will have two crucial world qualifying matches, away to Thailand and five days later at home against South Korea. These two matches are crucial to the national soccer team's success in advancing to the tournament, and the consequences of a loss are unimaginable...
