Despite FIFA's interest in the Chinese market, the men's national soccer team continues to face qualification challenges and systemic development hurdles.
Key facts
- •The Chinese men's national team has qualified for the World Cup only once, in 2002, where they lost all three games without scoring.
- •FIFA is considering expanding the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams, a move viewed as a potential effort to include the Chinese market.
- •Registered youth soccer participation in China remains low compared to countries with smaller populations, such as England.
- •Experts cite corruption and a top-down approach to athletics as significant barriers to the team's success.
- •The 'Eileen Gu model' of recruiting talent from abroad is being discussed as a potential strategy for future athletic development.
FIFA is looking toward future tournament expansions to potentially include China's men's national team, which failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. The team has only reached the tournament once in its history, during the 2002 competition. Experts point to a range of issues, including corruption, a lack of grassroots participation, and a cultural emphasis on academic achievement over sports.
By the numbers
Performance and Development Challenges
In the 2026 Asian qualifying tournament, the Chinese team suffered a 7-0 loss to Japan and failed to secure wins against Indonesia and Singapore. Observers note that there are currently no Chinese men playing in the top tiers of European professional leagues. Rowan Simons, founder of ClubFootball Beijing, attributes these struggles to a lack of a deep-rooted football culture and low rates of youth participation compared to other nations.
Political and Future Aspirations
President Xi Jinping has previously stated a goal for the men's team to be on a path to winning the World Cup by 2050, aligning with broader national modernization goals. Professor Xu Gouqi suggests that China might adopt a strategy similar to that used for Olympic success, such as recruiting top talent from abroad, exemplified by freestyle skier Eileen Gu. Such a move, Xu argues, could signal a significant shift in China's approach to international sports.
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This article was independently rewritten by ManyPress editorial AI from reporting originally published by Politico.
