On June 27, 2024, the draw ceremony for the round of 18 of the Asian zone of the World Cup Qualifiers was held at the headquarters of the Asian Football Confederation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Chinese national team was placed in Group C as a bracket five, alongside Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Indonesia. The result of this draw, which fans called the "Group of Death", made the road to the 2026 World Cup extremely difficult for the Chinese team.
The round of 18 was grouped with a new draw rule without any evasion principle, which also led to the situation where multiple strong teams were placed in the same group. As the 13th ranked team in Asia, the Chinese team was placed in the fifth gear before the draw, the same as Palestine and Kyrgyzstan, which are of equal strength. The draw starts with the teams in Pot 6 and ends with the seeded teams. The Chinese team was drawn in Pot 5 in 3rd place and entered Group C.
In contrast, the overall strength of Groups A and B is relatively weak. Group A consists of Iran, Qatar, Uzbekistan, the United Arab Emirates, Kyrgyzstan and North Korea. Group B includes the Republic of Korea, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Palestine and Kuwait. The qualification situation of these two groups is relatively clearer.
The round of 18 will start in September 2024 and run until June 2025, with a total of 10 rounds. The Chinese team will play at home in rounds 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10, and the rest of the rounds will be played away. According to the format, the top two teams in each group will directly qualify for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, with the 3rd-4th place group finishing in the next stage of competition, while the bottom two teams in the group will be eliminated directly.
This grouping result undoubtedly brought a huge challenge to the Chinese team. The last time the Chinese team participated in the World Cup was back in 2002, and since then it has passed by the World Cup many times. The results of this group were regarded by many fans and experts as "signing", believing that the Chinese team had little hope of qualifying. There is also a view that being in the same group with a strong team may stimulate the fighting spirit of the players and be conducive to the long-term development of Chinese football.
It is worth mentioning that after the results of the round of 18 group draw were announced, the Chinese Football Association did not officially make any comments. This low-key attitude may reflect the Football Association's cautious attitude towards the outcome of this difficult draw. At the same time, there was a lively discussion among Chinese fans on social media, with some expressing disappointment and others calling for more support and patience for the national team.
In the face of such a difficult task in the group stage, the Chinese team needs to strengthen its preparation and improve its strength in the next year or so. At the same time, it is also necessary to formulate targeted tactical strategies, give full play to the home advantage, and strive to create miracles when surrounded by strong enemies. Regardless of the outcome, the round of 18 will be an important test on the road to the development of Chinese football.