Soccer-Lack of young talent hampering China's World Cup pursuit, says former skipper

"If they are not among the top four in Asia, you cannot expect good performances from them." The 2026 World Cup will be jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.

China did not qualify for the World Cup in Qatar later this year and they will not find it any easier to reach the next soccer showpiece in four years' time due to their failure to develop quality young players, said former captain Feng Xiaoting. China, who finished second from the bottom of their group in the final round of Asian qualifying, winning one of 10 games, have played at the World Cup just once when they were knocked out in the group stage in 2002.

"For sure, our next campaign will be more difficult, because our youth are not good enough," Feng said. "If they are not among the top four in Asia, you cannot expect good performances from them."

The 2026 World Cup will be jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States. It will be the first edition to include 48 teams, expanded from 32.