October 20, Beijing time zone, as the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers approach, the situation of the Chinese national team's preparation is not optimistic. Even in Song Kai's first match since taking over, the Jankovic-coached team was unable to hold off a comeback from Uzbekistan in a warm-up match, a result that has put pressure on the new Football Association leadership team and Song Kai himself. Uzbekistan is a second-rate team in Asia, but their performance was a far cry from that of China, a team ranked similarly in the world, which has been passive and focused mainly on defensive counterattacks. The difference in strength between the two teams was evident in the 3-2 shot comparison.
After the match, Uzbekistan's coach was outspoken, calling the Chinese team no threat and even comparing them to Vietnam.
It has been revealed that the State General Administration of Sports has given clear instructions to Song Kai to achieve the intended goals for Chinese men's and women's soccer: women need to play well in the Paris Olympic qualifiers, while men need to go all out in the World Qualifiers and try to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
The current Chinese team led by Jankovic has picked 44 international players, but the overall performance is still mediocre and can only be considered average.
For Yankovic's selection and tactical arrangements, the outside world is constantly questioned, and the South Korean media even regarded him as a third-rate coach. Against this background, South Korean coach Cui Kangxi is expected to become the new head coach of the Chinese men's soccer team.
The FA is optimistic about Choi Kang-hee. Choi Kang-hee, as a famous coach in the Chinese Super League, knows Asian soccer well and is optimistic about the prospect of working with the FA. However, as he currently serves as a club coach, the FA needs to seriously consider his offer. The State General Administration of Sports stipulates that coaches of the three major sports need to be committed full-time and not part-time.
Song Kai was quick to meet with Serbian Jankovic when he took over. Given that the World Qualifiers are about to kick off in November, the latest statement from the AFC also states that the Chinese men's soccer team will play an away match against Thailand on November 16th at 20:30hrs. Therefore, a coaching change does not seem to be a wise move. Jankovic still has a chance to lead the team against Thailand, and the result of the match will have a direct impact on whether he stays or goes.
In order to guarantee the performance of the national team, Song Kai has also assigned Gao Hongbo as the technical director, responsible for the training of national-level ladder teams and coach training. If the national team does not perform well in the first game of the World Qualifier, Jankovic may face the risk of dismissal. The FA has considered inviting Choi Kang-hee to take over, and if there is no suitable candidate, Gao Hongbo may once again be a candidate for national team manager.
Gao Hongbo has a deep understanding of Chinese soccer, two coaching the national team during the remarkable record, leading the team to achieve 23 wins, 11 draws and 4 losses, the national team ranking from 108 to 69. However, Gao was sacked under the "golden dollar soccer" policy promoted by Cai Zhenhua.
Former famous soccer player Fan Zhiyi expressed his regret over the sudden dismissal of Gao Hongbo and firmly believed in his ability to lead the team. Fan also mentioned that the FA has changed its leaders frequently in the past decades, but has few talents from the field of soccer. He believes that the gap between Chinese soccer and Japan and South Korea shows that the first thing to do is to really understand soccer, rather than frequent changes.
Japanese men's soccer coaches can even beat European powerhouses in warm-up matches, so Fan hopes that Song Kai will adjust his strategy in time to avoid being too extravagant with his coaching choices, and instead invite coaches who have a lot of experience and a true understanding of Asian soccer. In his opinion, this may be a feasible path.
