Society
China's top football body turns to esports after World Cup fiasco
Following its failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, the country is now launching a national esports football team. Will digital glory make up for real-world defeat?
By AFP |
China's top football body announced on July 22 that it plans to form a national esports team, a surprise foray into virtual gaming following a dismal performance that saw the country fail to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The new national esports football team will compete in "events organized by FIFA, the Asian Football Confederation and other organizations," the Chinese Football Association (CFA) said.
The CFA last month sacked national coach Branko Ivankovic after a 1-0 defeat to Indonesia, a result that effectively dashed China's hopes of qualifying for the World Cup.
But while China languishes at 94th in FIFA's world rankings, two places below tiny Luxembourg, to the dismay of its vast fan base, the country's esports sector is booming.
In 2024, the industry boasted approximately 490 million users, generated $38.5 billion in annual revenue and hosted 124 esports competitions.
The CFA's foray into esports sparked mixed reactions among Chinese football fans.
"I think this might work," one Weibo user said.
"We have quite a considerable esports player base in our country, and the talent selection is relatively fair," he said.
Others were less optimistic.
"They have messed up football in real life, and now they want to mess up football in esports," wrote another.