China unveils 32-man roster for World Cup qualifiers

China revealed a 32-player roster on Friday for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers against Saudi Arabia and Australia, with five youngsters listed for the first time.

The five newcomers includes three U23 defenders Liu Haofan, Wang Shiqin and Xu Bin as well as two young forwards Wang Yudong and Liu Chengyu who are born in 2006.

Wu Lei, the 2024 Chinese Men's Footballer of the Year, and starting center-back Zhu Chenjie have not been included due to injuries, while naturalized forward Hou Yongyong from Yunnan Yukun is expected to make his international debut.

China is set to play against Saudi Arabia away on March 20, and then meet with Australia on March 25 at home in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province.

With four rounds remaining, the Chinese team now has six points, alongside Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and Bahrain, only one point behind second-placed Australia. Japan leads the group with 16 points.

The 32-man roster is as follows:

Goalkeepers: Yan Junling, Liu Dianzuo, Han Jiaqi, Wang Dalei;

Defenders: Jiang Guangtai, Wei Zhen, Wang Zhenao, Yang Zexiang, Jiang Shenglong, Han Pengfei, Hu Hetao, Li Lei, Wu Shaocong, Gao Zhunyi, Wang Shiqin, Liu Haofan;

Midfielders: Xu Haoyang, Wang Haijian, Cao Yongjing, Huang Zhengyu, Xie Wenneng, Cheng Jin, Wang Shangyuan, Xu Bin;

Forwards: Liu Chengyu, Wei Shihao, Wang Ziming, Zhang Yuning, Lin Liangming, Wang Yudong, Behram Abduweli, Hou Yongyong.