With the departure of coach Branko Ivanković, the person filling that void is coach Dejan Ćurjević.
The Chinese Football Association (CFA) officially announced on the 27th through its official channel, "We have terminated Coach Ivanković's contract and appointed Coach Ćurjević as the interim coach of the men's national team."
On the 14th, the CFA dismissed coach Branko Ivanković after China failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North and Central America. Subsequently, Ćurjević, who was reportedly designated for the coaching position, will take over as interim coach, leading the Chinese national team during the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship.
The EAFF E-1 Championship will take place from July 7 to 16 in three cities in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea (Yongin, Suwon, Hwaseong). Men's matches will be held at Yongin Mir Stadium, while women's matches will take place at Suwon World Cup Stadium and Hwaseong Comprehensive Sports Town. The South Korean men's national team will begin with the opening match against China on the 7th, followed by matches against Hong Kong on the 11th and Japan on the 15th.
This decision is a direct result of failing in the World Cup qualifiers. China recorded 3 wins and 7 losses in the 2026 North and Central America World Cup Asian qualifiers, finishing 5th in the group. Coach Ivanković, who took office in February 2024, has now stepped down. According to his contract, the coaching staff's contracts are automatically terminated in case of failure to qualify for the World Cup, and the CFA has formalized the dismissal accordingly.
The CFA added, "We deeply appreciate the dedication of Coach Ivanković and the coaching staff and wish them success in their future endeavors."
Taking the interim coaching position, Ćurjević is originally from Serbia and had previously played for teams such as OFK Beograd and AIK Solna. He has also led various teams, including the Serbia U-17 national team and Pakhtakor Tashkent in Uzbekistan. Since March 2023, he has been in charge of the Chinese Asian Games team, achieving the milestone of reaching the quarterfinals for the first time in 17 years, and in January 2024, he led the Chinese U-19 national team to qualify for the 2025 U-20 Asian Cup and reach the quarterfinals.
As interim coach, Ćurjević will gain experience leading the A national team during the East Asian Cup. The CFA plans to initiate the formal appointment process for a head coach following the tournament. The CFA stated, "We will concurrently push forward with the new coach appointment process for the reorganization of the national team."
China will face South Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong in this East Asian Cup. Amid the transitional period heading into a new coaching regime, it remains to be seen what impact Coach Ćurjević will make.
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