Later this year, the drums will be beating for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. As the World Cup map expands, Asia's quota will also double to 8.5 seats. However, even so, Chinese soccer's journey back to the World Cup is still thorny, because the AFC's map is also expanding, we not only have to face the emerging forces, there is a difficult opponent lurking in the shadows!
Recently, the president of the Russian Football Federation (RFF), Mr. Zhukov, personally led a delegation to the AFC General Assembly, and their only goal of the trip was to "get out of Europe and into Asia" - to get out of the European family of soccer and join the Asian family of soccer, and to play in the World Cup as an Asian team. qualifiers and other international tournaments.
As we all know, Russia is facing a double ban from UEFA and FIFA. This prompted Russia to intervene early in the Qatar World Cup qualifiers. However, their dreams were dashed after three consecutive World Cup appearances. More than a year after the ban, the situation of the Russian Football Federation has not yet turned around. In order to reintegrate into the world of soccer, the RFA has begun to look for alternatives, and one of their new strategies is to "leave Europe and enter Asia"!
Famous domestic sports reporter Ma Dexing disclosed that in the AFC General Assembly, the Russian Football Association under the leadership of Zhukov and AFC President Salman had an in-depth exchange. Russia's "out of Europe into Asia" is no longer a distant fantasy, but a practicable road. If the AFC accepts Russia, Russian companies are expected to become the gold sponsors of the AFC, bringing lucrative profits to the AFC. Faced with such attractive financial benefits, AFC may find it hard to resist. If UEFA does not relax its ban on Russia in a short period of time, Russia's wish to join AFC may come true, and the world's soccer landscape will be in flux again!
The addition of Russia may be good news for Asian soccer. After all, Russian soccer is strong, and the 2018 World Cup stunned the world with the top eight, the best record in history. If Russian teams join Asian soccer, it will undoubtedly improve the overall level of the Asian tournament. Coupled with the addition of Russian clubs, the gold content of the Asian Champions League will also rise!
However, for Chinese soccer, this is not the situation we were expecting. If the Russian team joins the AFC, they will undoubtedly become a strong contender for World Cup tickets, and the pressure of competition will be even greater for the Chinese national soccer team. To return to the World Cup, Chinese soccer may have to hope for a miracle!
