China coach sets target of three points against Thailand

Thailand China national team coach Aleksandar Jankovic announced that he will defeat Thailand in the opening match of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers - Asia region.

"We are ready," coach Jankovic said at a press conference on the afternoon of November 14 in Thailand. "We are very happy and excited to participate in the World Cup qualifiers. The whole team and I have been waiting for this day for a long time. We will do our best to win three points against Thailand."

On November 21, China will return home to face formidable opponents South Korea. However, Jankovic affirmed that he and his students are fully focused on the away match in Thailand on the evening of November 16. He sees this as the first step in the World Cup qualifiers and does not want to think too far ahead.

Coach Jankovic held a press conference after China beat Vietnam 2-0 on October 10, at Dalian Stadium.

Jankovic also said China's goal is to qualify. He hopes the players can represent the country strongly and complete the task. "The players have the motivation, determination and courage to serve the country," the 51-year-old Serbian coach added. "We want to start a new chapter with full strength to serve the goal of qualifying for the World Cup. We will do our best to achieve the goal."

Jankovic also said that the goal in each match is always three points. He and the players will not change this as well as their confidence, no matter who they face. However, depending on each match, he will adjust the specific coping method.

China, Thailand, South Korea and Singapore are in Group C of the second round of Asian qualifiers. The four teams will play a double round-robin. The top two teams in each group will advance to the third round and qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup.

Jankovic will take charge of China in 2022, after four years in charge of the U19, U20 and U23 teams. His record in 11 matches in charge of China is four wins, three draws and four losses. In 2023, Jankovic's team will play eight friendlies: a 0-0 draw and a 1-2 loss to New Zealand, a 4-0 win over Myanmar, a 2-0 win over Palestine, a 1-1 draw with Malaysia, a 0-1 loss to Syria, a 2-0 win over Vietnam and a 1-2 loss to Uzbekistan.

China have only qualified for the World Cup once, in 2002, where they were eliminated in the group stage. The 2026 World Cup will expand the number of participating teams from 32 to 48. Asia will have eight direct World Cup spots, along with one play-off spot with representatives from another continent.

Thanh Quy (according to Sanook )

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