At midnight on May 13 (Beijing time), the final round of group stage matches at the U17 Asian Cup will kick off, with China’s U17 national team taking on Qatar in Group B, while Japan faces Indonesia. Ahead of the crucial fixture, China’s pathway to qualification is clear: they must beat Qatar while hoping Japan does not ease up against Indonesia. The situation leaves little room for error and puts the team in a highly passive position.
In the recently concluded U17 Women’s Asian Cup, the Chinese women’s U17 team, led by Ma Xiaoxu, secured a 3-0 victory over India to reach the semifinals and book their spot at the U17 Women’s World Cup. This means all three Chinese women’s national teams—the senior side, U20, and U17—have qualified for their respective World Cups. In contrast, Chinese men’s national teams at all age levels have not reached a World Cup in 21 years, a record many describe as dire.
This U17 men’s squad, often dubbed the strongest in years due to impressive performances in qualifiers and friendlies, has sparked hope in both fans and Chinese FA head Song Kai that they could break the 21-year curse. But high expectations have quickly turned to disappointment, as the team once again faltered when it mattered most. In their opening match, head coach Fushimi rested four key players and lost 0-1 to Indonesia. In the second match against Japan, despite a goal from Zhao Songyuan, they fell 1-2. Coach Fushimi substituted Zhao, Xie Jin, and Wan Xiang—three of their main attacking threats—around the 60th minute. Now facing a must-win against Qatar, questions swirl about what tactical surprises Fushimi might spring.
According to journalist Ma Dexing, Fushimi focused heavily on set-piece drills in the team’s final training session, suggesting a return to China’s traditional aerial style. With zero points and a goal difference of -2, China must defeat Qatar, ideally by at least two goals. The other critical condition is that Japan must not allow Indonesia to earn any points, as even a draw for Indonesia would eliminate China regardless of their result against Qatar.
Since Qatar is the host of the U17 World Cup and has already qualified, a one-goal win for China would leave them outside the Asian Cup top eight but possibly still qualify for the World Cup as one of the best third-placed teams—though this would require results from other groups (such as South Korea and the UAE) to fall their way. A two-goal victory would secure both a quarterfinal spot and a World Cup berth. Whether China can pull off this miracle will be decided in this one match.
