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BEIJING | Xinhua | China head coach Branko Ivankovic conceded on Thursday that his side has been drawn into the toughest group in the third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian Zone qualifying tournament.
The 18 remaining Asian teams were divided into three groups at Thursday’s drawing ceremony in Kuala Lumpur to vie for 8.5 berths for the World Cup finals.
China will battle it out with Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Indonesia in Group C — indisputably a group of death.
“Yes it’s a tough draw for us, it’s the toughest group compared to the A and B groups but this is something we expected because we were in the fifth pot and we know that we cannot find a weak team,” the Croatian told the AFC website.
“In these 18 teams, there is no weak team,” he added.
After the home-and-away round robin, the top two finishers from the three groups will confirm their places in the 2026 World Cup.
The third and fourth-placed teams from each group – six in total – will progress to the AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to 2026 Playoff, to be contested in two groups of three teams in a single round-robin format, with both group winners gaining a berth to the World Cup finals.
The two second-placed finishers will face off in a home-and-away tie to earn the right to reach the Intercontinental Playoff and play for the final available ticket. ■
