2026 World Cup Asian Qualifiers: Chinese National Team Draws Group C with Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Indonesia.

On June 27th, the draw for the group stage of the Asian Zone 18-team qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup was held. As a fifth-seed team, the Chinese national team was drawn into Group C along with Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Indonesia.

The 18 teams will be divided into three groups (A, B, and C) for the group stage. Each group will consist of six teams, and the matches will be played on a home-and-away basis from September 2024 to June 2025.

The top two teams from each group will directly qualify for the World Cup, while the third and fourth-placed teams will proceed to the fourth stage. In the fourth stage, these six teams will be divided into two groups of three teams each. The group winners will advance to the World Cup, and the second-placed teams will enter the fifth stage.

In the fifth stage, the second-placed teams from the fourth stage will compete in a playoff in November 2025 to determine the intercontinental playoff spot.

The Chinese national team's schedule for the qualifiers is as follows:

Matchday 1: September 5, 2024 - Japan vs China

Matchday 2: September 10, 2024 - China vs Saudi Arabia

Matchday 3: October 10, 2024 - Australia vs China

Matchday 4: October 15, 2024 - China vs Indonesia

Matchday 5: November 14, 2024 - Bahrain vs China

Matchday 6: November 19, 2024 - China vs Japan

Matchday 7: March 20, 2025 - Saudi Arabia vs China

Matchday 8: March 25, 2025 - China vs Australia

Matchday 9: June 5, 2025 - Indonesia vs China

Matchday 10: June 10, 2025 - China vs Bahrain