Newly appointed China men's national football team head coach Shao Jiayi is making no secret of his World Cup ambition, as he leads his first training camp with the team in Zhaoqing City, south China's Guangdong Province.
The 45-year-old, who took over the national team in November 2025 after coaching Qingdao West Coast, said he favored a mix of youth and experience going forward.
"Currently, many young players are demonstrating great potential, but that doesn't mean I will necessarily eliminate the older players. It's not like that. They need to 'speak with their feet'; they need to tell me with their performance that they are ready and capable of representing the Chinese national team," he said.
Shao said both he and the team should be prepared to approach the goal of qualifying for the 2030 World Cup with patience.
"This is everyone's dream, and it is also everyone's goal. However, how we achieve it is very important. We must work humbly and diligently. We must take one step at a time, steadily solidifying our foundation, solidifying the foundation of the national team. Let us move from this first step to the second step, and then progress step by step. As a coach, I certainly have this patience. I hope to see this in the near future," he said.
Born in 1980, Shao represented China at the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan and played for several seasons in the German Bundesliga. After retiring, he served as an assistant coach of the national team and worked with various Chinese national youth teams as team leader and assistant coach.
Shao took charge of Chinese Super League (CSL) side Qingdao West Coast in July 2024.The team currently sits ninth in this season's CSL with nine wins, ten draws and ten losses.
Head coach says he has patience to lead Chinese team toward World Cup
