Fans, your long-cherished World Cup Asian qualifiers could be a big move! According to the famous Ma Dexing, the AFC is preparing a major expansion of the round of 12, which may increase from 12 teams to 18 teams.
This move is undoubtedly a big positive for the national football team, when our chances of qualifying in the top 40 will be greatly improved, from the current 30% to 45%. Is the national football team stable?
It is reported that as the number of qualifying places in the Asian region has changed from 4.5 to 8.5, experts in the AFC competition have proposed to turn the "Round of 12" into the "Round of 18" in order to increase the attention and participation of Asian countries in the World Preliminary Tournament.
Although this idea is only in the gestation stage at present, the possibility of eventually passing is very high. However, from the perspective of historical laws, with the expansion of the World Cup, every increase in the number of places in the Asian region has been accompanied by an expansion of troops - from the early six-round competition, to the top ten, and finally to the current top twelve.
Since the national football team did not qualify for the 2022 Qatar World Cup, fans began to pin their hopes on the 2026 World Cup, 8.5 qualifying places emitted a seductive fragrance, and whether the national football team can get a piece of the pie is a key point of great concern to everyone.
Heaven forbid! Once the expansion from the round of 12 to the round of 18, the national football team does not have to falter in the top 40 every time, because the probability of promotion is as high as 45%, close to 50%, which means that almost half of the teams in the top 40 will advance to the round of 18.
With such a high chance of promotion, the national football team is simply not too relaxed. If you don't do it yourself, you can't live, and basically advance to worry-free!
Judging from the performance of this year's top 12 competition, the normal strength of the national football team is about the tenth place in Asia, and it is difficult to compete for 8.5 places, but it is still very certain to advance from the top 40.
The AFC has a total of 47 members, and we assume that by then the 2026 World Preliminary Tournament In Asia will not play the Round of 40, but the Round of 47. After the increase in the total number of teams, the chances of national football team promotion have dropped to 38%, but it is still higher than the current 30%.
What's more, these teams that can't even play in the top 40 are the briskets in the belly. Don't worry!
What Chinese football needs to do now is to do a good job in the league in a down-to-earth manner and greatly improve the competitive level of players. On this basis, find a suitable coach to lead the team for a longer time, with a mature lineup and tacit understanding of the way of playing, only in this way is it possible to impact the World Cup.
The expansion of the next World Cup is an opportunity for the national football team, but the opportunity is prepared for those who are prepared. We should not be arrogant and thin, let alone think very highly of ourselves, only know ourselves and know each other, correctly evaluate ourselves and treat competitors, not without a chance to enter the World Cup.