China lose 3-1 to Japan in 2026 World Cup AFC qualifier

China lost 3-1 to Japan in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualifying tournament game in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province, on Tuesday, dropping to the bottom of Group C.

It was the second match between the two teams at this stage of the tournament. Japan beat China 7-0 in their first meeting, which set a three-game losing streak in motion for China before they managed to secure two straight wins over Indonesia and Bahrain respectively.

Neither side created good opportunities to score in the first 30 minutes. Japan netted first in the 39th when Koki Ogawa headed a corner kick from the left into China's goal for his side to lead 1-0.

The home team's goal was broken again by a corner kick before the end of the first half. Koki Machida's header pass found Ko Itakura who extended it to 2-0 for the visitors.

China scored early in the 48th minute to stay in the game. Wei Shihao's through pass in transition found Lin Liangming who blew the ball into the left corner of Japan's goal.

Six minutes later, Junya Ito launched an attack from the right wing with a cross that was converted by Ogawa for his second and Japan's third goal of the game with a header.

Trailing 3-1 at home, China tried to come back with more forces on the offensive end, but only Wei threatened the opponent's goal with a shot on the edge of the box after dodging defenders in the 70th minute.

"I feel happy about my players. Against a strong Japanese team, they all fought hard on the pitch and were brave to press high in the front," China's coach Branko Ivankovic said after the loss. "We did some set piece defending practices before. One second of distraction changed the result. We will improve our set piece defense in the future and help our players to be more focused on the pitch."

Japan continue to lead the group with 16 points. In the other Group C games, Indonesia upset Saudi Arabia 2-0 at home and Bahrain held Australia to 2-2. The Socceroos sit second place with seven points, followed by four teams, all with six points. China are behind Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain due to goal difference.