Hangzhou becomes sea of red as China fans brace for decisive World Cup qualifier
China must beat Australia on Tuesday to have any chance of securing automatic qualification to 2026 tournament
The Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre has become a “sea of red” in preparation for China’s crucial World Cup qualifying match against Australia on Tuesday.
More than 67,000 spectators are expected to pile into the stadium and seats in the home end have been adorned with red t-shirts printed with “Let’s go, China” as the country pulls out all the stops to give their side a fighting chance at making only their second appearance at football’s biggest tournament.
Before the game kicks off at 7pm, there will also be a drone show above the stadium.
China need to beat Australia, something they have not managed since a 4-3 away win in 2013, to stay within touching distance of the coveted second spot in Group C, which will guarantee automatic qualification to the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Japan have already secured one of those places and their superior goal difference means they will probably finish top. Australia are second on 10 points and need to win as all the teams below can still catch them.
Should China lose, they will have two games left to lift themselves off the bottom of the group and into third or fourth, which then would give them another chance to reach the World Cup via a play-off.