The news that the Argentine national team will face Australia in Beijing on June 15 immediately drew widespread attention. However, this news brings a hint of regret to Chinese fans - the Chinese team will be absent from the warm-up match they are looking forward to between Argentina and the Messi-led team. But from the perspective of preparing for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers and the 2023 Asian Cup, this may be more practical for the Chinese team.
It is worth mentioning that the visit of Argentina is not a coincidence. As early as a month ago, there was news that the Argentine championship team would set foot in our country. However, behind this international warm-up tournament is actually a business operation. Although the tournament is classified as Grade A, the organizers have to pay a huge appearance fee for inviting Messi and other stars to participate.
The Chinese Football Association (CFA) made its decision a long time ago, despite all the hype. The national football team will play Myanmar and Palestine in Dalian on June 16 and 20, and the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) even announced the China-Palestine warm-up matches a month in advance. The CFA had to sign an agreement with Dalian, so the two warm-up matches in June are already set.
For the national football team, the spectacle and attention of the warm-up match with Argentina naturally should not be underestimated, but for the national football team in urgent need of reorganization, the reality is not very meaningful. It is understood that the Chinese team chose to warm up with the weaker Myanmar and Palestine, aiming to quickly restore confidence to meet the new cycle of games in the best condition. Warming up with opponents like Argentina will only have a negative impact on the national soccer team's world ranking points.
The Chinese team's preparation plan revolves around the scheduled opponents, and on May 2, the Australian Football Association (AFA) confirmed that it would send a team to China to warm up with Argentina. Although the CFA has not responded publicly, it has made it clear internally that the June warm-up program has been finalized. Argentina to play in China may affect the attention of the national football team in the same period of warm-up matches, the attitude of the Association has been very clear.
It is worth noting that the 2023 Asian Cup group draw took place on May 11, and national football team head coach Jankovic made detailed plans for the Myanmar and China-Pakistan warm-ups. After returning to China from Qatar, he examined the candidates for the Chinese Super League tournament and the selection process was centered around these two warm-ups. In addition, the national soccer team also decided to hold two international A-level warm-up matches in Dalian in September, which are expected to play against stronger Asian teams. It can be seen that the national football team is steadily advancing in its preparations.
