Expelled From Qualification, China Coach Supports Indonesia To Advance To The World Cup

China's national team coach, Branko Ivankovic (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - China's national team coach Branko Ivankovic hopes for the best for the journey of the Indonesian national team in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in the Asian zone.

China lost 0-1 to Indonesia in the 2026 World Cup qualifying match for the Asia Group C zone, which took place on Thursday night, at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium, Jakarta.

"We already know that Indonesia is strong, their situation is very good, hopefully they will get the results they hope for. I also know that this will be difficult, especially taking into account the climate, but the players have tried their best until the last minute," Ivankovic was quoted as saying by ANTARA, Friday 6 June.

"In the end, we know that this is a difficult match, especially when we appear with young players. So for the current players, especially the young players who appear, hopefully they can be the future for China," he continued.

The 0-1 defeat to Indonesia ensured that China failed to advance to the fourth round of the Asian zone 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

China currently occupies the sixth or final position in Group C with zero points.

China started this third round with a landslide loss of 0-7 to Japan in September 2024, before losing 0-1 to Saudi Arabia in the same month.

In October 2024, China was hit 1-3 by Australia. But in October they also won their first win in a 2-1 win from Indonesia.

China kemudian meraih kemenangan kedua dengan mengalahkan Bahrain 1-0. Tapi masih pada bulan yang sama, China gagal melanjutkan tren kemenangan akibat kekalahan 1-3 dari tamunya, Jepang.

After that the defeat after defeat hit China. They lost 0-1 to Saudi Arabia, lost 0-2 to Australia, and most recently lost 0-1 to the host, Indonesia.

Some consider Ivankovic's position to be on the brink of his failure to pass China to the 2026 World Cup.