China suffered a 7-0 defeat to Japan in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers, significantly damaging their chances of progressing from their group.

TOKYO, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- China's national team suffered a crushing 7-0 defeat to Japan on Thursday in their 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers third round opener.

Midfielder Wataru Endo opened the scoring with a header, and Kaoru Mitoma doubled the lead just before halftime.

China struggled to find a solution in the second half, but two consecutive goals from Takumi Minamino shattered their hopes. Junya Ito, Daizen Maeda and Takefusa Kubo also added to the scoreline.

距离夏窗关闭只剩最后5天时间，泰山队此前已经将宋龙、吉翔和韩镕泽3名球员租借到其他球队，史松宸被撤销报名驰援B队，不过迟迟没有“进人”，管理系统开发价格卡约和何小珂仍在试训阶段，泽卡将于本月20日归队，不过目前还没有报名，泰山队仍是只出不进状态。

The third round of the Asian qualifiers features 18 teams divided into three groups, with the top two teams from each group directly qualifying for the World Cup. The third- and fourth-placed teams will enter the playoffs.

China are placed in Group C alongside Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Indonesia.

This heavy defeat in the opening match casts a shadow over China's World Cup campaign.

Also on Thursday, Bahrain stunned Australia 1-0.

China will next face Saudi Arabia on September 10.  ■管理系统开发公司