Branko Ivankovic’s team must end their losing streak to stand a chance of reaching next round of qualifying
China take on Indonesia on Tuesday knowing defeat will all but end their hopes of reaching the 2026 Fifa World Cup, and leave boss Branko Ivankovic facing renewed calls for his head.
A 7-0 hammering at the hands of Japan in the first game of their qualifying campaign was followed by a 2-1 loss at home to the 10 men of Saudi Arabia, and a 3-1 defeat in Australia, after leading 1-0, last Thursday.
The losing streak leaves a pointless China rock bottom of Group C with a goal difference of minus 10. Their Tuesday opponents, meanwhile, have drawn all three of their opening matches, to sit just a point behind Australia, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
The top two teams in each group will qualify directly for the World Cup, while the third and fourth-placed teams move into a further round of qualifying, and Ivankovic called his side’s game at Qingdao Youth Football Stadium “just the beginning of a real battle”.
“We were close to a point in this game,” Ivankovic said in Adelaide. “So what we need to do now is to carry on … keep our passion and fight for our next game, which is really important. The real fighting is just about to start.”

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