"China, World Cup frustration again" → "Worst win rate" Criticism Explodes...In the end, Ivankovic achieves the preconditions for staying in office NO
"China, World Cup frustration again" → "Worst win rate" Criticism Explodes...In the end, Ivankovic achieves the preconditions for staying in office NO
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Chinese soccer is frustrated again.
China's national soccer team, led by head coach Branko Ivankovic, lost 0-1 to Indonesia in the ninth away match of Group C of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup at Gelora Bungarno Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia on the 5th (Korea time). China only had two wins and seven losses (six points), including four consecutive World Cup qualifiers recently. The loss confirmed China's elimination from the World Cup finals regardless of the final match against Bahrain on the 10th.
China has failed to achieve ties with the World Cup since the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup. Only this time did China aim for the World Cup finals. There were positive developments. Starting with the North-China World Cup, the number of countries that advanced to the finals will increase from 32 to 48. Asia has also been allocated 8.5 tickets, up from 4.5 tickets each. In the third round of qualifying, 18 teams will be divided into three groups of six teams for home-and-away matches. A total of six teams that rank first and second in each group will qualify for the World Cup finals. The six teams that rank third and fourth in each group will be divided into two groups of three countries for the fourth round of qualifying, which is characterized by a consolation match. The two teams that rank first in each group will advance to the finals. Among the second-place teams, the winner will go through an intercontinental playoff. However, China failed to secure a ticket to the World Cup finals again this time.
Criticism has been mounting against him. His departure from Ivankovic also appears to be imminent. Chinese media Sohu said on Sunday that Chinese men's soccer team failed to advance to the World Cup finals for six consecutive years. Ivankovic's class is over. He is expected to terminate his contract in accordance with the terms of his contract with the Chinese Football Association. Ivankovic said that raising his team to the fourth qualifying round was a precondition for his remaining in office.
Ivankovic took the helm of China in February 2024. According to the Daily Mail, Ivankovic led the Chinese national team to three wins, two draws and eight losses in 13 matches. "Coach Ivankovic's winning rate is less than 25 percent. He has become one of the coaches with the lowest winning rate in the history of the Chinese national team. His tactics were criticized. In particular, problems were clearly revealed in matches with Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. He said that the coach is largely responsible for China's failure to advance to the World Cup." 메이저놀이터
In another article, the media reported, "Why did we appoint Ivankovic in the first place? The Chinese Football Association was initially expected to select a coach under the age of 70. However, why did he end up appointing a foreign coach who is over 70 years old? This is significant. Ivankovic fell short of expectations this time around. His tactics were too outdated. He was also inflexible. Everyone knew the problem, but he did not want to change the order. He was too slow to react when changing players during matches. Anyway, Ivankovic's resignation was confirmed after the World Cup qualifying round. We need to start process to appoint a new coach. Should we continue hiring foreign coaches?'