China defeats Maldives 3-0 in World Cup qualifying cycle friendly

China secured a 3-0 victory over the Maldives on September 24, 2026, at the Longxing Football Stadium in Chongqing in an international friendly match. Wang Ziming scored all three goals for the hosts, with assists from Wang Shangyuan, Chen Pu, and Wang Gengrui. The match saw China dominate possession and create numerous scoring opportunities, while the Maldivian goalkeeper Hussain Shareef made several crucial saves to prevent a larger margin of defeat. Maldives made multiple substitutions throughout the second half due to injuries, including Hassan Eenaaz and Ibrahim Nasir being replaced. The victory came as China entered a new international cycle following their failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, having finished fifth in the third qualifying round with nine points from ten matches. The Maldives, ranked among the weakest teams in international football, also failed to advance from World Cup qualifying and had performed poorly in recent friendlies, losing to Pakistan 0-3 and Afghanistan 0-1 before this match.