After one of the most nerve-wracking and exciting World Cups in history in Qatar, FIFA is gearing up for the next tournament.
In 2026, 48 teams will gather in the United States, Mexico and Canada to co-host the event. With the Asian quota climbing again, the Chinese men's soccer team seems to see a rebirth opportunity for a breakthrough. However, if they are to stand out in next year's Asian qualifiers, their first task is to quickly lock down a coaching candidate.
32变48
The World Cup in Qatar will be the end of the 32-team era. Starting with the next edition, the field will be expanded to 48 teams, with a new top 16.
Looking back at the history of the World Cup, from the schedule to the rules, has been evolving. From 1954 to 1982, the top 16 teams competed, and in 1986, the World Cup was expanded for the first time to 24 teams. from 1998 to the current edition, the top 32 teams were maintained. The team division of the organizing place also from Europe and South America gradually expanded to the world.
The expansion of the World Cup has meant an increase in the size of the tournament. Originally, 16 groups (3 teams per group) were planned, with matches increasing from 64 to 80. But after the Qatar World Cup, FIFA president Gianni Infantino revealed that the group stage plan is being revisited, with a possible 12 groups (four teams per group), with the top two and eight third-placed teams from each group advancing to a total of 104 matches.
The expansion of the World Cup has brought about change. With the addition of the top 16, there will inevitably be weaker teams joining in, which may affect the spectacle of the group stage. In response to this, FIFA plans to introduce extra time and penalty kicks in the next World Cup group stage to enhance the interest of the tournament. However, this proposal is yet to be finalized by FIFA after the finalization of the tournament system.
4.5 to 8.5
The expansion of the World Cup is undoubtedly good news for Asian teams, meaning an increase in the number of places available for advancement.
Asian teams have been impressive at this World Cup. From the promotion results, compared with the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Asia only Japan advanced to the top 16, a total of three teams advanced. The Japanese team, under the perfect domestic soccer system, frequently exchanges with European and South American teams, and the Japanese Football Association has invested heavily in Germany to establish a national team training base, actively integrating into European soccer.
Fellow East Asian team South Korea also advanced to the top 16. They broke through in a tight group stage that saw Uruguay draw and Portugal lose, but ultimately advanced to second place in the group. Australia made it two wins in a row and gave Argentina a lot of trouble in the first round of the knockout stage. Although no team from West Asia advanced to the knockout stage, Saudi Arabia beat Argentina to get rid of the label of "brisket", while Iran won the world's respect with its tenacity and irony.
This surprising performance has led to high expectations for Asian teams in the next World Cup. The Asian qualifiers for the next World Cup will also see major changes under the current AFC rules. Firstly, the number of stages has increased from three to four. Secondly, the quota has been increased from 4.5 to 8.5.
Specifically, the first stage of the World Qualifying Tournament is for teams ranked 26-47 in Asia, with 11 selected to enter the second stage. In the second stage, the Asian ranking 1-25 teams and the 11 teams that broke through in the first stage are divided into nine groups of four teams each, with the top two teams advancing to the third stage. The third stage features 18 teams, divided into three groups of six, with the top two teams in each group advancing directly. The third and fourth place teams in each group qualify for the top six in Stage Four. In Stage 4, the six teams are divided into two groups, with the first place team in each group advancing. In the fourth stage, the second-placed team in each group will play a home-and-away elimination match, with the winner qualifying for the continental play-offs.
11 to ......
However, the increase in the Asian quota to 8.5 does not mean an increase in the national soccer team's hopes of reaching the World Cup, as they are currently ranked 11th in Asia.
At the end of the golden dollar soccer, Chinese soccer is in a period of turbulence and the situation is not optimistic. On the one hand, the level of the league has declined and the level of the national soccer team has suffered. On the other hand, Southeast Asian teams have risen rapidly in recent years. With Thailand and Vietnam shouting slogans for the 2026 World Cup, Chinese soccer teams have become increasingly less competitive in Asia.
How to revitalize the national soccer team, as soon as possible to narrow the gap with the strongest teams in Asia, has become the CFA's current top priority. Two weeks ago, during the Chinese Super League, the CFA held a national team working meeting in Haikou, with current head coach Li Xiaopeng in attendance. However, it is uncertain whether he will stay in his post, as Li's stay is only one of the three work plans of the CFA regarding the selection of national soccer coaches. The other two plans involve selecting a new coach and having Yankovic, the coach of the national Olympic team, work part-time.
Preparing for this is actually rather embarrassing. The national team's coach has not yet been chosen, and they have not trained systematically for nine months. In what shape will they enter the next World Cup finals?
Currently, the biggest problem facing the selection of national soccer coaches is trust. Li Xiaopeng replaced Li Tie in the second half of the 12-game season. In the past four matches, he drew 1 and lost 3, including a 1-3 loss to Vietnam, which hurt the fans. In this case, if Li Xiaopeng stays, the biggest problem he faces is how to make the players believe in him and how to withstand external pressure, which are quite difficult.
As for having Yankovic, who currently coaches the National Olympic Team, as the head coach of the National Soccer Team, the convenience is that both the National Soccer Team and the National Olympic Team have important assignments next year. With the general trend of rejuvenation, there will be a high degree of overlap between the two teams. But the problem is that in 2000 Horton and 2008 Doi, foreign coaches twice part-time "national football" and "national Olympic" results are "fiasco" end. It can be said that even if the personnel overlap again, "national football" and "national Olympic" is essentially still two different teams.
Of course, the selection of new coaches faces many problems. Although the national soccer team in the choice of foreign coaches have success stories, but the premise is to have a high salary support. As far as the current situation of Chinese soccer is concerned, I am afraid that it is difficult to blaze a trail with golden dollar soccer as it was a few years ago. Under this premise, choosing a coach will definitely be more difficult.
Whether it's a new manager, Li Xiaopeng staying on, or the CFA finally deciding that Jankovic will "work part-time", the question of determining a coach for the national soccer team looms large. If nothing else, this season's Chinese Super League will end at the end of December, and the FA Cup final will be held on January 15, 2023. This would put the buildup for the new national soccer team at the end of January after the Chinese New Year holiday. It can be said that the CFA and the Chinese men's soccer team have just over a month left.
