Jankovic coached the Chinese national football team in preparation for the November World Cup qualifiers, with warm-up matches against Malaysia, Syria, and the Chinese men's football team | National Football Team | Malaysia
The 24th round of the Chinese Super League has ended, ushering in the international competition day cycle of FIFA, with a league break of nearly 20 days. It is reported that the Chinese men's football team coached by Yankovic will conduct training in Chengdu. In the international A-level warm-up matches on September 9th and 12th, the Chinese football team will face Malaysia and Syria respectively; The Chinese men's football Asian Games team will gather on September 2nd to prepare for the Hangzhou Asian Games football tournament, which will open on September 23rd.
On June 20th, Chinese team player Wu Lei controlled the ball during the game. On that day, in the China International Football Invitational held in Dalian, Liaoning, the Chinese team defeated the Palestinian team 2-0.
Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Pan Yulong
Entering September, the three Chinese men's football teams each welcomed major matches. The Chinese national football team coached by Jankovic will prepare for the Asian region of the 2026 US Canada Mexico World Cup qualifiers in November, accumulating practical experience; The Chinese Olympic team, coached by Cheng Yaodong, will participate in the first stage of the 6th U23 Asian Cup qualifiers and the Paris Olympics men's football qualifiers in the Asian region from September 6th to 12th in Dalian. The Chinese men's football Asian Games team, led by Dejan Jurjevic, is preparing to prepare for the football tournament to be held at their doorstep in late September.
Among the three nationally renowned male football teams, the Chinese national football team clearly received the highest level of attention. Previously, due to objective factors, the selection of training and warm-up areas for the Chinese national football team in September encountered a small episode. The preferred venue for hosting the matches may have been Chengdu, but after active communication among all parties, the training and competition venue for the Chinese national football team will still be arranged in Chengdu according to the original plan, with the main venue being the professional stadium of Fenghuangshan Sports Park.
On March 26th, the head coach of the Chinese team, Yankovic, commanded from the sidelines. On the same day, in the second friendly match between the Chinese national men's football team and the New Zealand national men's football team held in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, the Chinese team lost 1-2 to the New Zealand team.
Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Guo Lei
Before the round of 36, the Chinese Football Association had only two international match days, September and October, during which they carefully selected warm-up opponents. According to the draw results for the round of 36 matches on July 27th, the Chinese team will be grouped with the South Korean and Thai teams. Therefore, in the selection of opponents for the September and October warm-up matches, it is necessary to choose some teams that meet the preparation needs of the Chinese football team.
The opponents for the two warm-up matches in September have been confirmed as Malaysia and Syria respectively. These two teams, one from Southeast Asia, are relatively focused on controlling the ball with their feet, while the other emphasizes physical confrontation and strength and speed, with similar playing characteristics to the Thai and Korean teams.
As for the warm-up match in October, the Chinese national football team has already confirmed one opponent, Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan is one of the top two Asian teams in terms of strength, which can further allow the Chinese national football team to experience the rhythm and intensity of the round of 36 matches, and better prepare for matches against South Korea and Thailand. As for another warm-up opponent, the Chinese Football Association is currently in contact.
On June 16th, Chinese team player Wu Lei celebrated after scoring a goal.
On that day, in the China Team Dalian International Football Invitational held in Dalian, Liaoning, the Chinese team defeated the Myanmar team 4-0.
Xinhua News Agency
Previously, the head coach of the Chinese national football team, Yangkovic, witnessed Shanghai Haigang team losing 2-3 to Baton United at home at SAIC Pudong Football Stadium, marking the first time in history that they missed the group stage of the AFC Champions League at home. The failure of Shanghai Haigang team in the AFC Champions League playoffs also sounded an alarm for Yankovic, because the Chinese Super League is more focused on confrontation, and the technical and tactical play is relatively monotonous. As a result, the Haigang defense is clearly not adapted to the small range cooperation, fast interspersed running, and quick response characteristics of Southeast Asian teams, and the multiple players in the Haigang defense are precisely the main players in the national football defense. Yankovic may need to make up for it at the tactical level, and whether the specific training roster will be adjusted depends on the evaluation of the coaching staff.
When it comes to the confirmed opponents and schedule for the round of 36, Chinese football coach Jankovic said that the team is fully prepared to fight: "I know we are about to face many challenges, and the start of the first game is particularly crucial. We must take every step to go further. The South Korean team is the seed team of this group, which means we will have a big exam in November. I believe we can be fully prepared then."
