China's next head coach of the Chinese national soccer team will be registered soon to fall to the top 100 in FIFA rankings...Seven to eight people, including Cannabaro and Kapaje, are expected to be supported

Sep 20, 2025

From left, Fabio Cannavaro, former coach of the Chinese national team, Temur Kapaje, former coach of the Uzbekistan national team, and Hordi former coach of Zhejiang.

The final registration for the next coach of the Chinese national soccer team has closed today (20th).

On the 20th, the Chinese portal 'Sina.COM' posted at least two announcements of candidates for the current coach of the national team. According to the CFA, the final registration deadline is September 20. Under normal circumstances, one of the directors who has already registered will be selected as the final candidate,' the report said.

The Chinese national team has been eliminated from the World Cup qualifiers for the sixth consecutive time. The FIFA ranking continued to decline, and it was on the verge of entering the top 100. The national team coach's salary has also decreased significantly. ' However, it is still a high-profile job. A director who represents a country of 1.4 billion people can become a celebrity overnight'

China, which failed to advance to the 2026 World Cup finals in North Korea and the U.S., maintained its 94th position in the September FIFA rankings announced on the 18th. In December 2023, it fell 15 spots in a year and 10 months from 79th place in the ranking. It is having its worst period in nine years since 2016, when it plunged to 96th place.

The second qualifying match between South Korea and China in the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup held at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 11th. Hwang Hee-chan is trying to break through. Sangam = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2024.06.11/

After the World Cup qualifying round, China replaced coach Branko Ivankovic and found a new coach. With the goal of enhancing international competitiveness and advancing to the 2030 World Cup finals, the CFA has set up requirements for supporting those who have coached FIFA and continental federations or have coached in the top leagues in Europe and Asia, those who are under the age of 60 and can implement an active tactical style, and those who have no legal problems.

Paulo Bento, the former coach of the South Korean national soccer team, was once mentioned as a candidate by local media, but Bento's name was omitted in the report on the day of 'SinaCom'. 'Sina.Com' said that while the CFA has not officially announced the number of candidates, it is estimated that at least seven to eight credible candidates have applied through media reports and interviews.

"Sina.Com." mentioned Fabio Cannavaro as the first candidate to lead the Chinese national team in the past." 'The strengths and weaknesses of Cannavarro are very clear. "I have experience coaching the Chinese national team and the Chinese Super League and have a good relationship with each other. Manager Cannavaro, on the other hand, lacks performance as a leader. Therefore, it is unlikely that Cannavaro, who was a Ballon d'Or winner, will be appointed.

Application form for the next coach of the Chinese national team.

Spanish coach Javier Pereira, who led Shanghai Haigang to the Chinese Super League championship, introduced the fact that he submitted his application in an interview, and former Zhejiang FC coach Jordi expressed interest in the Chinese national team's coach position.

The leading candidate is Temur Kafadze, who led Uzbekistan to the World Cup finals. He reached his prime at a relatively young age of 44. Kapaje's profile was reportedly sent to the CFA via email. Kapaje has the potential to be a dark horse. Uzbekistan's first ever advance to the World Cup is in line with China's ultimate goal, he said.

Kapaje played for Incheon United in the K-League for one year in 2011. Having played 119 A matches for Uzbekistan, he was appointed as the official head coach of the adult national team in January after playing for Uzbekistan's U-23 national team. However, Uzbekistan's media reports that the Uzbekistan Football Association hopes to replace Kapaje as the head coach with experience in the World Cup finals. This is also the reason why Bento, who led South Korea to the round of 16 at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, negotiated with Uzbekistan.

'Sina Dotcom' believes that domestic coaches such as Zheng Zhi, Xie Hui, Xiao Ji-I and Gao Hong-bo also applied for the position of national team coach. Coach Kapaje was expected to be the first priority, former Chinese national team coach Gao Hong-bo and the current technical director of the Chinese national team were expected to be the second.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.