Soccer News: October World Cup Qualifiers – Hoping the National Team Holds the Line and Maintains Hope, Vital for the Future of Chinese Football Industry

In October, the Chinese men’s national football team will embark on their World Cup qualifier journey, facing Australia away and Indonesia at home. The Soccer News has written an article expressing hope that the national team can hold the line and maintain hope in the October World Cup qualifiers.

The Soccer News writes: “The two matches against Australia and Indonesia in October are crucial for the national team to maintain a performance baseline, halt the decline in world rankings, and preserve future hopes. In reality, the national team needs to secure points to retain its position as the fifth-ranked team in the third round of qualification; looking ahead, the World Cup slot contention in Group C is likely to see Japan leading significantly while the remaining five teams are closely bunched, with every point from any match potentially altering the team’s fate. Therefore, the national team’s October campaign should demonstrate fighting spirit and determination amidst difficulties, particularly avoiding a collapse in the home game against Indonesia.”

In the first two rounds of matches, the national team lost both games, scoring one goal and conceding nine, placing last among the 18 participating teams with a poor performance. Looking at the current World Cup qualifiers, both Australia and Oman, who performed poorly in the previous two rounds, have changed coaches, while Indonesia, grouped with the Chinese men’s national team, has continuously naturalized players, showing a noticeable increase in strength. Conversely, the national team’s attack line has been overshadowed by the injuries to Wu Lei and Alan.

Moreover, the Soccer News stated that the 0-7 loss to Japan and the 1-2 defeat by Saudi Arabia do not justify the national team giving up, especially since the October match against Indonesia is a ‘bottom-line battle,’ where not losing is the ultimate bottom line. Should the national team lose at home to Indonesia, the severe blow would affect all levels, including the league and youth development. After all, the national team’s performance in the third round of qualification is not only about qualifying for the World Cup but also about the future of the Chinese football industry.

Finally, the Soccer News writes: “The mission is tough, but the national team has no choice but to shoulder the responsibility. The goal for the October campaign is to secure points, avoid losing at home to the sixth-ranked Indonesia, and keep pace with Bahrain and Indonesia, direct competitors for playoff spots, in terms of points – this is the most realistic target for the national team.”