This is the 11th time that Macau, China has participated in the World Cup qualifiers. I haven't made it to the World Cup finals in the past 10 times. Meanwhile, in recent years, they have encountered difficulties in the first round of the qualifiers.

In the previous World Cup qualifier, Macau, China defeated Sri Lanka 1-0 at home. This was the team's first victory in the World Cup qualifiers since their return in 1999, but due to abandoning away matches in the second round, they were ultimately ruled 0-3 and eliminated by Sri Lanka with a total score of 1-3. They missed the semi-finals and became the first team to withdraw from the 2022 World Cup.

Now making another appearance in the World Cup qualifiers, Macau aims to advance to the round of 36 and needs to eliminate Southeast Asian team Myanmar. In the latest world rankings, Macau, China ranks 185th and Myanmar ranks 161st.

In the first half of the game, the Myanmar team dominated with a possession rate of over 60%. Macau, China, has repeatedly made mistakes in passing and receiving the ball. In the 39th minute, Lemoan seized the opportunity to score and helped Myanmar lead 1-0.

Returning to the field in the second half, China and Macau strengthened their attack. In the 55th minute, Almeida stepped forward to help Macau, China equalize the score 1-1. In the 62nd minute, China and Macau's corner kick defense was useless, and Jue Somomo easily scored in front of the goal without anyone watching, helping Myanmar take a 2-1 lead again. In the 81st minute, Angonman headed the ball and scored, helping Myanmar expand the score 3-1. In stoppage time, the Myanmar team scored two more goals, completely securing the victory.

In the end, Myanmar won 5-1 and had the opportunity to advance in two rounds.

This defeat resulted in China Macau winning five consecutive games against Myanmar, continuing a shameful record of 14 years. At the same time, they lost to Myanmar for the first time in the World Cup qualifiers, becoming the first Chinese team to lose in this year's World Cup qualifiers.

The number of participating teams in the 2026 US Canada Mexico World Cup will increase to 48, and the Asian region will receive 8.5 qualifying spots.

According to AFC regulations, the World Cup Asian qualifiers are divided into four stages, with a total of 46 teams participating. In the first stage of the preliminary round, the lowest ranked 18 teams will compete in a pairs match, and the 9 teams that ultimately win will enter the second round. In the second stage, the top 27 teams in Asia will form the top 36, and the Chinese national football team will be ranked 11th in Asia, thus automatically advancing to the top 36.