Has China ever qualified for a FIFA World Cup?

China qualified for 2002 FIFA World Cup after a corrupted manipulation of FIFA and AFC. The qualification rule was top teams in each of two 5-team groups advanced to FIFA World Cup. The two best teams in Asia competed in final preliminary round were Saudi Arabia and Iran, so these two nations were supposed to be POT 1 and play in different groups. read more

China first entered World Cup qualification in 1957 in an attempt to qualify for the 1958 FIFA World Cup. China failed to score a goal in their maiden World Cup appearance in 2002. However, qualifying for the tournament has been considered the greatest accomplishment in China's football history. read more

Despite boasting the world’s largest population and excelling at many sports, particularly athletics, China woefully underperforms at soccer and has only ever qualified for one World Cup. A statement published Monday also outlines plans to have at least 20,000 soccer training centers and 70,000 pitches in place by 2020. read more