China arrive in Manama to face Bahrain in AFC World Cup qualifier

The Chinese men's national football team arrived in Manama, Bahrain, on Tuesday, for their upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualifier game that will begin on Thursday.

The team went through five days of training and practice in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, before going to Bahrain. Wu Lei parted ways with his teammates after suffering an injury.

"Player injuries are unavoidable," goalkeeper Wang Dalei told reporters. "The coach has got his own plans and preparations for that. We just focus on doing our best and play every game like it's the last."

In their past four tournament matches, China have lost to Japan, Saudi Arabia and Australia, but defeated Indonesia. They are currently sitting at the bottom of Group C with three points, two behind the top-two automatic qualification spots for the World Cup.

"I want nothing more than to play for the national team," Wei Shihao said. "I cherish every game more than anything after I was recruited. I hope that we can get points against Bahrain both on the road and at home, because that's how we can stay hopeful for the World Cup."