On the evening of 5 June, China’s men’s football team lost to Indonesia in Jakarta 0-1. This dashed China’s hope to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted in the three North American countries, Canada, the United States and Mexico. This was also the first time China had lost to Indonesia in Men’s football in 68 years.
Chinese netizens, especially the avid football fans, expressed their frustration on social media, particularly on Weibo (China’s Twitter equivalent). From venting their anger towards the players and the manager, all the way to asking to abolish the Chinese Football Association.
- Ranking No. 1 on the Hot Search list with 400 million views on Weibo:
#国足vs印尼China vs Indonesia - Ranking No. 1 on the Hot Search list with 130 million views on Weibo:
#国足无缘2026世界杯 China fail to qualify for World Cup 2026
Meanwhile, Indonesian football fans celebrated their win on TikTok, causing it to go viral under the “China” related search. The win against China ensured that Indonesia progressed to round 4 in the Asian Zone. The World Cup finals next year will expand to 48 teams instead of 32, with Asia having 8.5 spots, up 4 from the 4.5 in 2022.