China vs Australia, 2026 World Cup Qualifying - AFC, Third Round

· FIFA World Cup Qualifying - AFC

China

FT
0 - 2

Australia

16': Jackson Irvine
29': Nishan Velupillay

Irvine leads Socceroos to qualifying win over China

Australia's quest to secure automatic World Cup qualification is set to go down to the wire, despite the Socceroos earning a 2-0 away win over China.

Match Timeline

13': Xie Wenneng (China) Yellow Card at 13'
16': Jackson Irvine (Australia) Goal at 16'
29': Nishan Velupillay (Australia) Goal at 29'
34': Behram Abduweli (China) Substitution at 34'
45': Serginho (China) Substitution at 45'
66': Wang Yudong (China) Substitution at 66'
67': Wang Haijian (China) Substitution at 67'
77': Fran Karacic (Australia) Substitution at 77'
77': Aiden O'Neill (Australia) Substitution at 77'
82': Mitchell Duke (Australia) Substitution at 82'
82': Anthony Cáceres (Australia) Substitution at 82'
87': Wang Ziming (China) Substitution at 87'
90'+2': Daniel Arzani (Australia) Substitution at 92'

Statistics

AUS		CHN
3	Fouls	10
0	Yellow Cards	1
0	Red Cards	0
0	Offsides	0
6	Corner Kicks	6
1	Saves	0
51	Possession	49
8	SHOTS	12
3	ON GOAL	1
0.4	On Target %	0.1
0	Penalty Goals	0
0	Penalty Kicks Taken	0
0	Accurate Passes	0
0	Passes	0
0.0	Pass Completion %	0.0
0	Accurate Crosses	0
0	Crosses	0
0.0	Cross %	0.0
0	Long Balls	0
0	Accurate Long Balls	0
0.0	Long Balls %	0.0
1	Blocked Shots	4
0	Effective Tackles	0
0	Tackles	0
0.0	Tackle %	0.0
0	Interceptions	0
0	Effective Clearances	0
0	Clearances	0

Game Information

Competition: FIFA World Cup Qualifying - AFC

Venue: Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium
Location: Hangzhou, China PR
Attendance: 70,588

WCQ - AFC Table

#	TEAM	GP	GD	PTS
1	Japan	10	+27	23
2	Australia	10	+9	19
3	Saudi Arabia	10	-1	13
4	Indonesia	10	-11	12

Full Table

Line-Ups

China (4-1-2-1-2)

No.	Name
14	Wang Dalei (GK)
16	Jiang Shenglong
2	Han Pengfei
18	Huang Zhengyu
4	Li Lei
8	Yang Zexiang
19	Cao Yongjing
20	Xie Wenneng
7	Xu Haoyang
10	Wei Shihao
9	Zhang Yuning

China Substitutes:

Yan Junling, Behram Abduweli, Wei Zhen, Hu Hetao, Wang Haijian, Liu Dianzuo, Jin Cheng, Wu Shaocong, Zhen'ao Wang, Serginho , Wang Yudong, Wang Ziming.

Australia (3-4-2-1)

No.	Name
1	Mathew Ryan (GK)
2	Milos Degenek
21	Cameron Burgess
8	Jason Geria
17	Ryan Teague
22	Jackson Irvine
16	Aziz Behich
3	Lewis Miller
11	Brandon Borrello
7	Nishan Velupillay
6	Martin Boyle

Australia Substitutes:

Alex Grant, Jason Davidson, Craig Goodwin, Anthony Cáceres, Kai Trewin, Aiden O'Neill, Fran Karacic, Paul Izzo, Kye Rowles, Mitchell Duke, Daniel Arzani, Thomas Glover.

WCQ - AFC News

World Cup qualifying: Is this Asia's strongest contingent ever?

Are Ayase Ueda and Japan are poised to take the 2026 World Cup by storm? ESPN tackles that, and Asia's other big talking points from the latest round of qualifiers.

2026 World Cup: Who has qualified, and how the rest can make it

The race for the 2026 World Cup has begun in earnest. Here's how it's looking around the globe.

Socceroos qualify for 2026 FIFA World Cup with little angst

For only the second time in history, the Socceroos have made the World Cup without the need for a playoff. It mightn't have been pretty, but Tony Popovic and Co. deserve tremendous credit.

Oman keep World Cup hopes alive with late penalty to draw 1-1 with stunned Palestine

VIDEO SHOWS: HIGHLIGHTS FROM PALESTINE V OMAN DRAW IN WORLD CUP QUALIFYING MATCH

Socceroos seal World Cup berth with victory over Saudi Arabia

Connor Metcalfe and Mitch Duke net for Australia as the Socceroos advance to their sixth consecutive World Cup after defeating Saudi Arabia 2-1.