Tonight, China's national soccer team will face South Korea on the road in the final round of the Asian Round of 36 for the 2026 U.S.-Canada-Mexico World Cup qualifiers. For

national soccer team

It is a fateful match for the team, who must ensure they do not lose in order to qualify for the 18-team tournament, or else they will have to compete for a place in the 2027 Asian Cup through a play-off.

Under the AFC arrangement.

World Qualifying Round (WQR)

The 18 teams that advance from the 36-team tournament will directly qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia. The eliminated 18 teams will have to compete for Asian Cup qualification through a play-off.

Sri Lanka played Cambodia, Timor-Leste played Mongolia and Brunei played Macau, China in the Asian Cup Play-Off Qualifying Draw that took place recently. After two rounds of matches in September, the winners of these three duels will play the Asian Cup play-offs against Bhutan, Maldives, Laos and the 18 teams that did not qualify for the 18-team tournament.

The play-offs will be divided into six groups of four teams each, with the top team from each group qualifying for the 2027 Asian Cup. The play-offs will consist of six rounds, with matches starting on March 25, 2025 and ending on March 31, 2026.

China can avoid the complicated schedule of the play-offs and directly qualify for the Asian Cup if they can hold on to a draw in tonight's match. Fans are looking forward to this and hope that the national soccer team can play well on the road and advance to the Round of 18.

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