China's soccer team is now facing a red light to advance to the World Cup finals for the first time in 24 years. It is looking to advance to the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals in North and Central America, but the outlook is not very bright. There are also many skeptical reactions in China. This is because the result of the draw for the third round of Asian qualifiers was not very good.

China was in Group C in the third round of Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-Central America World Cup, which took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Thursday (Korea time). China was included in the five-pot list among the countries that advanced to the third round of qualifying round, and was paired with Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Indonesia. As it was the bottom five of the six ports, China was doomed to meet with a strong team in the first place. However, meeting strong enough opponents to be considered as the "Group of Death" made China even more burdensome.

◆ 2026 North and Central America World Cup Group of 3rd Asian Qualifiers
* Group A - Iran, Qatar, Uzbekistan, UAE, Kyrgyzstan, North Korea
* Group B - South Korea, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Palestine, Kuwait
* Group C - Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, China, Indonesia

Japan, Australia, and Saudi Arabia are among the strongest teams in Asia. Bahrain is called the "Middle East's ambush," and Indonesia is showing an acute crisis after coach Shin Tae-yong took the helm. There is no team that China will be considered a pushover. From a cool-headed point of view, it seems very difficult to rank first or second with a direct ticket to the finals, and it seems difficult to reach the fourth place, the Maginot Line heading into the fourth qualifying round.

Four years ago, China ranked in Group B at the final qualifying round for the 2022 Qatar World Cup. At that time, 12 countries advanced to the final qualifying round for the 2022 Qatar World Cup. The teams were divided into two groups of six countries. The first and second-ranked teams in each group advanced to the finals. The third-ranked team had a playoff, which determined the final third-ranked team in Asia. Iran and South Korea won direct tickets to the finals, while Saudi Arabia and Japan advanced to the finals in Group B.

China ranked fifth in Group B with only one win, three draws and six losses. The team revealed its limit by allowing nine points and 19 lost points, securing a berth to the finals. It was also lagging far behind Australia, which ranks third in Group B, with 15 points. Australia, ranking third in Group B, had a playoff against the United Arab Emirates, which ranks third in Group A, and secured a 2-1 win, heading for an intercontinental playoff. After a 0-0 draw with Peru, Australia successfully qualified for the 2022 Qatar World Cup, leading 5-4 in penalty shootouts.

48 countries will play in the 2026 North-Central America World Cup. The Asian continent has 8.33 tickets to the finals. Chinese fans are anticipating that China will also have a chance as the number of teams that will make it to the finals has increased significantly. However, they are sighing as they join the "Group C of Death" in the third Asian qualifying round. Some raised their heads that they are aiming for the fourth place in the group in a cool-headed manner.

China will start its third qualifying round with the first leg of an away match against Japan on September 5. It will have its second home match against Saudi Arabia on October 9 and the third away match against Australia on October 10. The team will face off against the strongest teams in Group C from the start. If they show promise in the first three games, they can at least expect to advance to the fourth qualifying round. If they fail to make it in the first three games, their dream of qualifying for the World Cup finals will inevitably distance themselves. 먹튀검증

He has played in the World Cup finals only once so far. He represented Korea at the 2002 World Cup Korea-Japan. He felt the high wall of the world in the World Cup finals. He lost all three of his matches in Group C. He lost to Costa Rica 0-2, Brazil 0-4 and Turkiye 0-3 in the group. He remained at the bottom of the group due to nine scoreless goals. He was ranked 31st among the 32 finalists. He aims at the 2026 World Cup in North and Central America, and is heading to the finals for the first time in 24 years, but he feels he has a high chance to overcome.