China's Men's Football Team Fails to Qualify for World Cup for 6th Time; French Media Blames Corruption and System

As the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off, China—home to an estimated 200 million football fans—has once again failed to qualify, marking the sixth time its men's team has missed the tournament. France Inter, citing French media analysis, argues that China's repeated failure to reach the World Cup, despite Olympic success, stems not only from corruption but also from systemic issues within the country's sports governance.

The 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, is the first to expand to 48 teams. China's men's team finished the Asian third-round qualifiers (18-team group stage) with just two wins, one draw, and seven losses, placing fifth in their group and failing to advance. This marks the sixth consecutive World Cup finals absence since their sole appearance at the 2002 Korea-Japan tournament, where they were eliminated in the group stage.

France Inter cited analysis from France's La Croix newspaper, noting that despite investing billions of yuan and President Xi Jinping's ambitious goal to turn China into a 'football superpower' by 2050, the national team has again failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. The analysis states that Chinese football is paying the price for corruption, which has not only eroded the sport but also severely damaged its public image.

China's elimination was confirmed in June 2025 after a loss to Indonesia. While disappointing, the outcome was not surprising to Chinese fans. The national team has only qualified once in history (2002), and even then, exited in the group stage.

Xi Jinping, an amateur football enthusiast, has invested heavily in the sport. In 2015, Beijing launched the 'General Plan for Reform and Development of Chinese Football,' aiming to 'elevate Chinese football to the world's peak.' The plan's goals include becoming a global football power and winning the World Cup by 2050.

To achieve this vision, the Chinese government has poured enormous resources into football. The sport became mandatory in schools, with plans to increase the number of schools with football fields from 5,000 to 70,000 by 2020, and to train thousands of coaches.

However, the analysis argues that these massive expenditures have not led to qualitative improvement. Instead, the 'real money' intended to cultivate a 'beautiful football' culture has fueled an explosion of corruption, undermining Chinese football for a full decade.

Former national team head coach Li Tie was sentenced to 20 years in prison in December 2024 for corruption. Some observers described the move as a political purge. Chen Xuyuan, who served as head of the Chinese Football Association from 2019 to 2023, was sentenced to life imprisonment the same year for bribery. In early 2026, 73 high-ranking officials were banned for life from football-related activities, and 13 domestic clubs were sanctioned.

In September 2024, expert Ian Williams wrote in The Spectator that China's football struggles are partly due to its 'dense and disciplined bureaucratic system.' He argued that cultivating athletes through rigid, routine-based methods may work in individual sports but fails in team sports.

Meanwhile, Chinese media attribute the team's failure primarily to inferior competitive strength compared to Asian rivals, with deeper issues including youth development gaps, league mismanagement, and a lack of football culture.