China’s Coach Ivankovic Accepts Responsibility Following World Cup Elimination

Branko Ivankovic, the head coach of the Chinese national team, has accepted full responsibility for his side’s exit from the World Cup qualifiers following a 1-0 loss to Indonesia in Jakarta on Thursday.

Despite having slim chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, China had already suffered three consecutive defeats against Japan, Saudi Arabia, and Australia, positioning them at the bottom of Asian qualifying Group C.

The World Cup’s expansion from 32 to 48 teams for the upcoming 2026 tournament had sparked renewed hope in China for a return to the finals, their first appearance since 2002.

“This team has been striving for this goal for over 20 years,” Ivankovic expressed to reporters.

“We believed that progressing from this challenging group would provide us with a strong opportunity to qualify. Unfortunately, we fell short, and as the head coach, I fully accept significant responsibility for that.”

The 71-year-old Croatian, who took over as head coach in February last year, replaced Aleksandar Jankovic, who failed to advance China beyond the group stage in the 2024 Asian Cup.

“We’ve introduced a younger generation of players who have brought fresh energy to the squad. Based on their recent performances, I am optimistic about this team’s future,” Ivankovic remarked.

“We were aware that this match would be difficult—not only because of the opposition but also the challenging weather conditions. I’d like to thank my players for their relentless effort right until the final whistle.”

China’s next match is against Bahrain, currently sitting fifth in Group C, as they prepare to host them for their last third-round qualifier on June 10.