China failed to qualify for the expanded 48-team 2026 World Cup, highlighting the gap between the country’s huge potential football audience and its weak men’s national side. The article says FIFA is considering a 64-team tournament for 2030, partly because qualifying China could bring substantial commercial value and audience growth.

China has reached the men’s World Cup only once, in 2002, when it lost all three matches without scoring. Analysts cited in the article point to persistent problems including limited grassroots development, political interference and corruption; China’s poor results have also become a relatively safe subject for public criticism online.