Majority of Top Ten Most Populous Nations Missing from World Cup.

China’s absence from the World Cup stands out as particularly puzzling. While the nation has achieved remarkable success in Olympic history over recent decades, its men’s football team has failed to replicate similar accomplishments on the global stage.

“There’s no inherent reason why China can’t produce world-class footballers,” asserts Mark Dreyer, a Beijing-based Chinese football expert. He attributes the challenge to the country’s centralized governance model, where political oversight often overshadows footballing expertise.

Dreyer emphasizes that effective football development requires decision-making driven by football professionals rather than top-down political directives.

Despite significant investment in the sport since the 2010s—including recruiting high-profile South American and European players to elevate the domestic league—China has not qualified for the World Cup since 2002.

Indonesia, another Southeast Asian nation, also missed the 2026 World Cup after reaching the final Asian qualifier round. Its campaign notably relied on recruiting European-born players of Indonesian heritage, with up to nine such players starting matches, according to BBC Indonesian service News Editor Jerome Wirawan.

In contrast, Pakistan and Bangladesh failed to advance beyond the group stage in the Asian qualifiers, securing no wins in their six matches. Pakistan’s football federation has also faced multiple FIFA bans for political disputes between 2017 and 2025.

Source link