China, a "1.5 billionth power," is on the verge of lifting the white flag in just two games.
China lost in both the first and second preliminary matches of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup against Japan and Saudi Arabia. They are in last place in Group C, the "group of death," which has been mired in two consecutive losses.
China suffered a crushing defeat of 0-7 in an away match against Japan. China has made a dark history by posting the most lost points, the most lost points in a single World Cup qualifying match, and the most lost points in a single match.
At the match against Saudi Arabia held at home, the team suffered a come-from-behind loss of 1-2 despite its first goal and numerical advantage due to its exit. It is a two-game losing streak that China cannot accept.
Currently, China's hopes for the North-China-U.S. World Cup are gradually disappearing. It is the North-China-U.S. World Cup, where 48 countries from 32 countries and as many as 16 countries can participate, but China is widely expected to be difficult to receive an invitation.
A data blogger in China also announced the final ranking probability that China will win the third qualifying round. According to the blogger, China has a 0 percent chance of ranking first in Group C and the second place is 0.3 percent, meaning that there is little possibility that China will play in the North-China World Cup immediately.
The probability of advancing to the fourth preliminary round, which is given to the third and fourth-ranked teams in their respective groups as the last chance, was 7.9 percent. The probability of being eliminated is 91.8 percent, and that of being the last one is 68.7 percent.
"Did our World Cup dream fall apart? China has a 0.3 percent chance of advancing to the World Cup in North Korea, China and the U.S., but a whopping 91.8 percent chance of being eliminated," Sohu said.
Meanwhile, China has been rumored to replace Coach Branko Ivankovic due to its last two consecutive losses. The fact that the Chinese Football Association has lost trust in coach Ivankovic and strong criticism are supporting this.
However, the replacement of Ivankovic requires several preparations. The most important thing is whether the new coach can properly lead the third and fourth rounds of the third qualifying round, which are less than a month away. And there are many homework to be solved, such as whether there is a leader who can surely rebound China and the penalty of 1.6 billion won that occurs when Ivankovic is replaced.
China is dreaming of advancing to the World Cup for the first time in 24 years since the 2002 World Cup Korea-Japan. Even the North-China World Cup, which can accommodate as many as 48 countries, seems to be something else for them.
