China sacks coach Branko Ivankovic after World Cup flop

China’s football association on Friday said it has sacked national coach Branko Ivankovic after the country failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

The decision followed a series of setbacks in qualifying for China, who have only ever played once in a World Cup.

China lost 1-0 to Indonesia in early June, a result that effectively dashed the national team’s hopes of qualifying.

They ultimately finished second-to-last in their Asian group, with seven defeats in 10 matches. 

“As the Chinese men’s national team failed to qualify for the play-off stage, the contract of the coach and his staff has been automatically terminated, in accordance with the stipulated terms,” the Chinese Football Association said in a statement Friday.

“Branko Ivankovic will no longer lead the national team,” it said, thanking the Croatian, who has coached Dinamo Zagreb and Iran, for his “hard work”.

The Serbian coach of the Chinese U-19 men’s national team, Dejan Djurdjevic, has been appointed interim national coach, the CFA said.

The Chinese team are ranked 94th in the world by FIFA, continuing a downward slide that began several years ago.

The side have long been the target of ridicule by Chinese fans due to their poor results and the multiple corruption scandals plaguing the sport. 

President Xi Jinping has said he wanted China to win the World Cup one day, but the latest flop means they have only ever played there once, in 2002, when they failed to get a point or score a goal.