“Worst in 10 Years”: China’s Shocking FIFA Ranking Drop to 96th; The Real Crisis Is Just Beginning… Failure in November Could Derail Even World Cup Qualifiers

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

The decline of Chinese football continues without end. Its ranking in the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has fallen to 96th, its lowest position in approximately 10 years. However, there is a separate, even greater problem.

On the 8th (Korean time), FIFA announced the new men’s football world rankings. While South Korea maintained its 32nd place, just as it did in July, China plummeted five spots from its previous 91st to 96th.

Among member nations of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), this corresponds to 15th place. Japan held onto first place in Asia with a world ranking of 17th, followed by Iran (23rd) and Australia (26th). South Korea ranked 32nd in the world, placing fourth in Asia.

China’s 96th-place world ranking is its lowest since March 2016, roughly 10 years ago. It has even been overtaken by Palestine (92nd) and Thailand (93rd).

Recent international match results were directly reflected in the ranking. In its recent international schedule held at home in Chongqing, China recorded one win and three losses. After defeating “weak” Maldives 3-0, it subsequently suffered consecutive defeats to New Zealand 0-3, Palestine 0-5, and Tajikistan 0-1.

In its last three matches, China failed to score a single goal while conceding a staggering nine. The losses to Palestine and Tajikistan were both firsts in the history of the Chinese national team. Ultimately, this shocking three-game losing streak led to the drop in FIFA ranking.

Concern and criticism have poured out within China as well. According to Sina.com, local renowned football specialist Ma Dexing warned that “the price and tuition for the three-game losing streak are too high” and that “the aftershocks on the Chinese national team and Chinese football could be quite severe.”

Particular attention is being paid to the 2030 World Cup Asian qualifiers. The AFC is scheduled to hold the draw for the first and second stages of the 2030 World Cup Asian regional qualifiers in December.

If China fails to secure a victory in its upcoming November international matches, it risks being overtaken by Bahrain, Vietnam, Tajikistan, and others who are closely trailing behind.

Currently, China is ranked 15th in Asia. However, depending on the results of the November international matches, there is also a possibility that it could fall outside the top 18 in Asia.

In such a case, its start in World Cup qualification could be derailed. Ma Dexing expressed concern, stating, “For this reason, China is in a very dangerous situation,” and adding, “If China falls outside the top 18 in Asia, there is a possibility it will drop to Pot 3 in the draw for the Round of 36 in the second stage of the next World Cup Asian qualifiers.”

He emphasized, “The phrase ‘the aftershocks are enormous’ is not an exaggeration or an attempt to stoke a sense of crisis. It has the potential to become reality.”

Even the nightmare from approximately 13 years ago was recalled. China’s previous three-game losing streak in friendly matches occurred in June 2013 under manager Jose Antonio Camacho. At that time, after losing to Uzbekistan 1-2 and the Netherlands 0-2, China suffered a heavy 1-5 defeat to Thailand. Following this, Manager Camacho stepped down from his position.

However, this time the three-game losing streak came against even weaker opponents. The shock was all the greater as it included historic first-time defeats to Palestine and Tajikistan.

Criticism has also been directed at Xiao Zai, manager of the Chinese national team. Ma Dexing pointed out that China changed seven starters compared to the previous match in the game against New Zealand, and also implemented a large-scale rotation for the match against Palestine. In the match against Tajikistan, it again replaced five starters and even deployed a 5-4-1 formation.

He analyzed, “During the international break, the Gil Eot-ji-man (CEO) team continued to test players,” adding, “While there were many matches, there were not enough games utilized to build a squad of main or near-main starters.”

He further added, “Could the entire squad have properly mastered new tactics with only two or three training sessions between matches?” and stated, “This is truly an issue that needs to be questioned.”

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original