China fires coach Ivankovic after missing 2026 World Cup qualification

Post by : Jyoti Gupta

Photo:Reuters

China’s football team has a new coach after their recent coach, Branko Ivankovic, was let go. The Chinese Football Association said thanks to Ivankovic for all his hard work. Ivankovic became the coach in February 2024 and helped the team reach the third stage of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.

Though China started badly, including a heavy 7-0 loss to Japan, they won some important games against Indonesia and Bahrain. This gave fans hope they might make it to the World Cup for the first time since 2002. But after losing to Japan, Saudi Arabia, Australia, and then Indonesia in June, their chances ended.

Now, Dejan Djurdjevic, who coached China’s under-20 team in a recent tournament, will be the temporary coach. He will lead the team in the upcoming East Asian Championship, where they will play against teams like Japan and Hong Kong.

The football association wished Ivankovic good luck for his future and thanked him for his time with the team.

June 28, 2025 12:30 p.m. 1448

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