China vs Singapore

It’s crunch time in the 2026 World Cup qualifying Group C as China and Singapore go head-to-head at the Olympic Sports Center Stadium.

China’s quest to qualify for their first World Cup finals since 2002 might have gone off to a flying start, but things have become complicated for Branko Ivankovic’s team. After a 2-1 win at Thailand in their curtain-raising Group C fixture, they lost 3-0 to South Korea at home before wasting a 2-0 halftime lead in a 2-2 draw at Singapore last time out. Level on points with second-placed Thailand at the start of this round, the Chinese need a win to move back to second, and the history is on their side. They have emerged victorious from all three previous encounters against Singapore they hosted, netting ten goals while conceding just two in return.

In the meantime, Singapore’s heroic effort in the abovementioned draw barely softened the blow after back-to-back defeats at the start of their qualifying campaign. The visitors’ porous backline has conceded 2+ goals in all three Group C matches at an average of 3.3 per game and will need to step up their defensive effort to bolster their slim hopes of securing a first-ever World Cup appearance. Slow entries have seen Singapore fall behind inside the first ten minutes in their last two qualifying fixtures. But they can draw confidence from going unbeaten on three consecutive travels (W2, D1) before a 5-0 thumping at the hands of South Korea on day one.