The upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifying tournament kicks off with 36 teams ready to go. Our soccer team will have two tough matches against Thailand and South Korea in November. Looking back at the national team's recent performance, it is extremely difficult to get just a draw in these two matches. Once these two battles lost, I am afraid that even the ticket to the 18-team tournament will be difficult to touch. It is worth mentioning that the World Cup Asian zone has been expanded to 8.5 places. If the national football team is not even among the top eight in the Asian region, this not only means that the World Cup promotion road is difficult, but also in the case of talent shortage, the future development of soccer will face a lot of difficulties.
The only way to easily break into the World Cup final round is to bid for the World Cup. However, the 2026 and 2030 World Cup venues have already been decided, and Asia has no chance to host the event. 2030 World Cup venue has been decided, FIFA quickly started the bidding process for the 2034 World Cup, giving countries a one-month deadline to apply. Now that the applications are closed, only the Saudi Arabian Football Association (SFA) stands out, and its bid has been strongly supported by most national football associations.
Among the member associations of the AFC, except for the Chinese Football Association (CFA), which has remained silent, others such as the Australian Football Association (AFA) have made their stance clear. The Australian Football Association even announced that it was giving up its commitment to bid for the 2034 World Cup in favor of Saudi Arabia. Australia was originally expected to be the representative of Oceania to compete with Saudi Arabia, but eventually chose to give up. The Chinese Football Association (CFA) has not spoken out so far, neither stating its support nor announcing its withdrawal. FIFA and the AFC seem oblivious to this.
While other Asian member associations have expressed their positions, our soccer association has remained silent. Is it generous support for Saudi Arabia or is it better to try to bid for the World Cup and challenge Saudi Arabia, even if the chances of winning are slim, at least it is not in vain. However, the current inaction is difficult for fans to understand. Is it sluggishness, weakness, or disdain and anger at the bid?
After Saudi Arabia's official bid to host the 2034 World Cup, Japan announced that it would support Saudi Arabia while applying for the 2050 World Cup. According to the principle of mobility, if the 2050 bid fails, we will have to wait until 2062. I believe the enthusiasm of most fans will have long faded by then. Of course, if we do not bid to host the World Cup, I am afraid that the scene of the national team breaking into the World Cup by virtue of its strength will also be difficult to reproduce.
