Team China steels itself for tough test

Squad faces Japan and Saudi in the coming week

Despite being outranked in almost every metric of the game by the Samurai Blue, Team China refuses to give up fighting, as it heads to Japan to kick off the third stage of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.

When the Chinese men's team lines up against the continental powerhouse at the Saitama Stadium 2002 on Thursday, it will be very much the underdog. Japan has 20 players on its roster currently plying their trade in elite European leagues, while China has none. The overall estimated market value of the Japanese roster has exceeded 276 million euros ($305 million), about 25 times that of Team China, according to German website transfermarkt.com.

Japan is currently ranked 18th, as Asia's top side, by FIFA, whereas China sits way back at No 87 in the world and 13th in Asia.