The Chinese national football team has once again concluded its journey with the coach.
On the 14th (Korean time), Chinese media outlet Sohu.com reported, "Coach Branko Ivanković has left China after terminating his contract with the Chinese Football Association," adding that "according to several local media sources, it seems that the Chinese Football Association unilaterally terminated the contract with Coach Ivanković under the terms of the contract."
Having resigned due to the responsibility for the failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup Asian qualifiers, Coach Ivanković ultimately packed his bags amid the familiar outcome of a leadership change in Chinese football. Under the leadership of Coach Branko Ivanković, China lost 1-0 to Indonesia on the 5th in the 9th match of Group C in the final Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup, held at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta.
In particular, the 20 goals conceded in 9 matches are the most in Group C and are among the highest figures in Asia overall. China, which desperately needed a victory to qualify for the World Cup, conceded the first goal from a penalty kick in the 45th minute of the first half and failed to equalize. Early in the second half, a decisive shot by Wang Yidong was also stopped by the goalkeeper, missing the opportunity. Although this was a must-win match for China, they only attempted 5 shots (1 on target), while Indonesia managed 13 shots (3 on target), completely outplaying them.
As a result, in this World Cup, where the Asian region's slots increased to 8.5, China again tasted the bitter fruit of early elimination. With an increase in the number of qualifying teams to 48, it is widely considered that qualifying for the World Cup has become easier than ever, with prevailing arguments suggesting this was a consideration by FIFA for China.
However, this time too, China failed to qualify for the World Cup, extending its record of six consecutive failures. China is now left to wait for the upcoming 2030 year. Just after the end of the match, Tencent Sports reported about this World Cup disappointment under the title, "A history of blood and tears! The Chinese national football team, six failures."
Tencent Sports wrote, "In the 2026 North and Central America World Cup, the allocation of Asian slots increased to 8.5, making it seen as a golden opportunity; however, they barely passed the second qualifying round. After Coach Ivanković took office, they suffered a 0-7 defeat to Japan and started with three consecutive losses, but revived hopes by defeating Indonesia and Bahrain, only to lose again in three consecutive matches, resulting in failure to qualify directly before the two final games. Ultimately, they completely failed to qualify for the finals after losing to Indonesia."
Voices of criticism are growing even within China. One fan exclaimed, "FIFA has blatantly increased the number of World Cup participants for China and distributed many tickets to Asia; yet, China has once again failed to qualify. What kind of special treatment does FIFA need to give for us to qualify?"
Although they won the final match against Bahrain, it was ultimately a meaningless victory for China. Coach Ivanković had clearly stated after the Bahrain match that, "I regret the World Cup failure. However, I do not intend to resign voluntarily," indicating he would still pursue the compensation for the remaining contract period (approximately 1.7 billion won).
However, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) argues that there is no reason to reduce the compensation because they are dismissing him. The Chinese Beijing Youth Daily reported that "the contract signed by both parties included clear goals regarding performance in the World Cup qualifiers. If they fail to pass the Asian qualifiers, they can terminate the contract with Coach Ivanković's team without compensation."
Ultimately, China placed the blame for their six consecutive World Cup qualification failures on the coach. However, Ivanković's home country Croatia's Osijek Today criticized, "While Chinese media has continuously raised questions about Coach Ivanković's dismissal, the Bahrain Football Association has publicly supported Coach Dragan Talajić, stating that the issues in Chinese football should not be blamed solely on the coach."
The media pointed out, "It has been 23 years since the Chinese national team last participated in a World Cup. Over the past 23 years, the Chinese national team has replaced dozens of coaches, but the performance has continued to deteriorate. Coach Marcelo Lippi was also unable to solve the problems of Chinese football. Should we only blame the coach?"
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