China face a struggle to qualify for the 2026 World Cup as they followed their 7-0 drubbing in Japan last week with a 2-1 defeat against 10-man Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.&nbsp;

China went ahead in the 14th minute in Dalian through an Ali Lajami own goal but failed to take advantage of Saudi midfielder Mohamed Kanno being red-carded a few minutes later.&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/formula-1/news-formula-one-design-guru-adrian-newey-joins-aston-martin-to-commence-in-march-2025-757508">Formula One design guru Adrian Newey joins Aston Martin, to commence in March 2025</a>

Hassan Kadish equalised with a header from a corner before half-time and repeated the feat in the last minute of the 90 to spark wild celebrations from the visitors.

China, who had registered just one shot in their match with Japan, struggled to carve out chances despite their numerical advantage.

They paid the price when the Saudis, managed by former Manchester City and Italy coach Roberto Mancini, equalised through Kadish before half-time.

As the rain poured down after the break, China began to exert pressure on a tiring Saudi defence.

Wang Shangyuan thought he had put China back ahead after bundling the ball home from a corner, only for the goal to be disallowed for offside.

At the other end, winger Salem Al-Dawsari went through on goal but his shot cannoned off the crossbar.&nbsp;

Both sides went in search of a winner, but it was Kadish who popped up unmarked again from a corner to power a header past China's goalkeeper Wang Dalei.

Boos rang around the stadium at the final whistle, with Croatian manager Branko Ivankovic the target of many fans' anger.

"There are three very strong teams in our group, Japan, Australia, and Saudi Arabia," said Ivankovic.

"There are still eight games left. This game was a little better than the previous one. We still have hope in the upcoming matches."

Hashtags "Chinese football. No hope" and "Ivankovic step down" began trending on social media platform Weibo minutes after the final whistle. &nbsp;

China's President Xi Jinping once said he wanted his country to host and even win the World Cup one day, but corruption and poor on-field results have made that a distant dream.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Chinese Football Association slapped lifetime bans on 43 people over alleged gambling and match-fixing, including former China internationals and South Korean player Son Jun-ho.

China's football governing body has itself been under scrutiny -- about 10 high-ranking CFA officials have so far been brought down in corruption probes.

China have reached the World Cup only once before, in 2002, and are bottom of the six-team Group C after two defeats, with only the top two guaranteed a place at the 2026 World Cup in the US, Canada, and Mexico.

Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION&nbsp;audience.

China face a struggle to qualify for the 2026 World Cup as they followed their 7-0 drubbing in Japan last week with a 2-1 defeat against 10-man Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

China face a struggle to qualify for the 2026 World Cup as they followed their 7-0 drubbing in Japan last week with a 2-1 defeat against 10-man Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. China went ahead in the 14th minute in Dalian through an Ali Lajami own goal but failed to take advantage of Saudi midfielder Mohamed Kanno being red-carded a few minutes later. Also Read: Formula One design guru Adrian Newey joins Aston Martin, to commence in March 2025 Hassan Kadish equalised with a header from a corner before half-time and repeated the feat in the last minute of the 90 to spark wild celebrations from the visitors. China, who had registered just one shot in their match with Japan, struggled to carve out chances despite their numerical advantage. They paid the price when the Saudis, managed by former Manchester City and Italy coach Roberto Mancini, equalised through Kadish before half-time. As the rain poured down after the break, China began to exert pressure on a tiring Saudi defence. Wang Shangyuan thought he had put China back ahead after bundling the ball home from a corner, only for the goal to be disallowed for offside. At the other end, winger Salem Al-Dawsari went through on goal but his shot cannoned off the crossbar. Both sides went in search of a winner, but it was Kadish who popped up unmarked again from a corner to power a header past China's goalkeeper Wang Dalei. Boos rang around the stadium at the final whistle, with Croatian manager Branko Ivankovic the target of many fans' anger. "There are three very strong teams in our group, Japan, Australia, and Saudi Arabia," said Ivankovic. "There are still eight games left. This game was a little better than the previous one. We still have hope in the upcoming matches." Hashtags "Chinese football. No hope" and "Ivankovic step down" began trending on social media platform Weibo minutes after the final whistle. China's President Xi Jinping once said he wanted his country to host and even win the World Cup one day, but corruption and poor on-field results have made that a distant dream. Earlier on Tuesday, the Chinese Football Association slapped lifetime bans on 43 people over alleged gambling and match-fixing, including former China internationals and South Korean player Son Jun-ho. China's football governing body has itself been under scrutiny -- about 10 high-ranking CFA officials have so far been brought down in corruption probes. China have reached the World Cup only once before, in 2002, and are bottom of the six-team Group C after two defeats, with only the top two guaranteed a place at the 2026 World Cup in the US, Canada, and Mexico. Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers: China's hopes take a dent after loss vs Saudi Arabia

FIFA 2026 Qualifier, IND vs AFG Live Streaming: The Indian football team will clash with Afghanistan in the third group stage match of the second round in the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 Preliminary Joint Qualification on Thursday (Mar 21) in Abha, Saudi Arabia.

FIFA 2026 Qualifier, IND vs AFG Live Streaming: The Indian football team will clash with Afghanistan in the third group stage match of the second round in the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 Preliminary Joint Qualification on Thursday (Mar 21) in Abha, Saudi Arabia. (Friday (Mar 22), 12:30 pm IST in India). India is in the group with Qatar with six points, followed by Kuwait, which is tried for second with three points and Afghanistan in fourth with zero wins in two games. The Blue Tigers will be missing Sahal Abdul Samad due to a hamstring injury he suffered in training. Centrre-back Sandesh Jinghan will also not play due to an injury. Jeakson Singh and Anwar have replaced them and will likely be a part of the lineup. Meanwhile, most of the first-team players are out of the squad for Afghanistan. They're protesting against the Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF), accusing the sports body of corruption, including match-fixing. For the qualifiers against Kuwait and Qatar, 18 players boycotted the game. Only eight players are available for the selection from the Afghanistan squad that played against Mongolia in the first qualifier. India vs Afghanistan FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier Live Streaming Here's everything you need to know about the India vs Afghanistan FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier Live Streaming: When is the India vs Afghanistan FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier? The India vs Afghanistan FIFA World Cup Qualifier 2026 is on Thursday (Mar 21). What time will the India vs Afghanistan FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier? The India vs Afghanistan FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier will commence at 12:30 am IST on Friday (Mar 22). Where is the India vs Afghanistan FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier being played? Damac Stadium in Abha, Saudi Arabia, will host the India vs Afghanistan FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier. Which TV channel will host the India vs Afghanistan FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier? DD Sports will telecast the India vs Afghanistan FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier live in India. How can I watch the India vs Afghanistan FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier live streaming in India? FanCode app and website will broadcast the India vs Afghanistan FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier live in India. What are the predicted lineups for India vs Afghanistan FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier? India: Sandhu; Bheke, Poojary, Anwar, Mishra; Apuia, Jaekson; Chhangte, Chhetri, Mahesh; Mehtab Afghanistan: Azizi; Nzary, Hanifi, Amiri, Askar; Asekzai, Skandari, Popalzay, Azadzoy; Sharifi, Arezou (With inputs from agencies)

IND vs AFG FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier Live Streaming: How to watch India vs Afghanistan

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FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers: China's hopes take a dent after loss vs Saudi Arabia

IND vs AFG FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier Live Streaming: How to watch India vs Afghanistan