The national football team’s 26-man squad for the World Cup preliminaries has been confirmed
Xinhua News Agency, Shenzhen, March 17 (Reporters Xiao Shiyao, Wang Haoming, Zhao Ziyu) On the 17th, the Chinese men’s football team confirmed the 26-man roster for Singapore to participate in the top 36 of the 2026 World Cup qualifying round. Five players including Li Ke and Li Ang were not selected.
On the 18th, the Chinese team will fly from Shenzhen to Singapore to prepare for the round of 36 away game against the Singaporean team on the 21st. This is the first game coached by the new national football coach Ivankovic. During the week-long training camp in Shenzhen, Ivankovic recruited a total of 31 players into the team. In the end, five people, Li Ke, Li Ang, Zhao Bo, Li Shuai, and Xie Wenneng, failed to make the roster.
“The choice of 31 people to participate in the training camp is also to see the performance of more players. Li Shuai and Li Ang are both injured. Xie Wenneng’s situation is quite special. He performed very well, but there are more players in his position in the national team, so we Let him go to the Olympic team first to better prepare for the U23 Asian Cup in April. Zhao Bo’s performance is also very good, but the number of players is limited. I believe he will come again in the training camp in June,” Ivankovic explained.
Regarding the loss of naturalized player Li Ke, Ivankovic said: “Li Ke has just recovered from his injury and his condition is not at his best yet. We also have other options in the midfielder position, so we made a choice.”
On the evening of the 17th, the Chinese team conducted its last training before heading to Singapore. Exxon, who had been injured before, participated in training for the first time. Ivankovic said: “Exon has basically recovered. He may not be able to play 90 minutes yet, but we believe that as long as he plays 5 or 10 minutes, he can have a positive effect on the team. We are at the forward position There are not many options, and his arrival means a lot to us.”
Exxon said: “I have been recovering as planned these days, and I feel much better now. My condition and everyone’s condition are getting better day by day. It is an honor to represent the national team, even if I am only allowed to play 5 games. Every minute, I will try my best to show the best Exxon and help the team win.”
The following is the list of 26 people:
Shanghai Harbor Football Club: Wu Lei, Zhang Linpeng, Yan Junling, Jiang Guangtai, Wang Zhenao;
Shandong Taishan Football Club: Wang Dalei, Liu Yang, Gao Zhunyi, Chen Pu, Li Yuanyi, Fernando;
Zhejiang Professional Football Club: Cheng Jin;
Chengdu Chengdu Football Club: Wei Shihao, Exon;
Shanghai Shenhua Football Club: Dai Weijun, Zhu Chenjie, Jiang Shenglong, Gao Tianyi, Xie Pengfei;
Beijing Guoan Football Club: Li Lei, Lin Liangming, Zhang Yuning;
Wuhan Three Towns Football Club: Liu Dianzuo, Deng Hanwen;
Tianjin Jinmen Tigers Football Club: Barton;
Henan Football Club: Wang Shangyuan.