The entry of South Korea, a team that had consistently qualified for the World Cup, meant that in Asia, excluding Japan and Australia, who had already secured their spots, and Saudi Arabia, China's national football team realistically had only 1.5 slots to compete for.
However, the situation was now different. The number of available slots had dramatically increased to four, with the addition of Team Am as a teammate, significantly boosting the chances of qualification. There was a real possibility of seeing the Chinese team in the World Cup this time.
Consequently, the excitement surrounding the top 12 qualifiers was immense. The viewership ratings for every televised match reached unprecedented highs, and online platforms reaped substantial profits.
The rules for the third round of the top 12 qualifiers stipulated that the twelve teams would be divided into two groups. The top two teams from each group would directly qualify for the World Cup, while the third-placed teams would enter an additional playoff. The winners of the playoff between the third-placed teams from the two groups would then compete against the fourth-placed team from the CONCACAF region for a spot in the World Cup finals. This was the origin of the 0.5 slot.
The draw was a cause for anxiety among Chinese fans. Since each group comprised four group winners and two second-placed teams from the initial eight groups, there was a possibility of Team Am and the Chinese national football team being placed in the same group. This would inevitably lead to an internal "civil war" where one team might eliminate the other, a scenario Chinese fans absolutely wished to avoid.
"What if we directly secure the first and second spots in our group?" you might ask. That would only be feasible if the three aforementioned strong teams were all in the same group, allowing Team Am and the Chinese national team to dominate the other group. Otherwise, securing the top two positions in a single group was highly improbable. A more likely scenario was for the two Chinese teams to compete for third or even fourth place, which would be rather pathetic.
What if the two teams were placed in separate groups? Then it was possible that neither team would manage to qualify.
Ultimately, amidst the anxious wait of domestic fans, the draw results were announced. Team Am was not drawn into the same group as the national team. However, Team Am faced a dire situation as Australia and Japan were in their group, virtually guaranteeing them the first and second positions. Team Am's only realistic chance was to compete for third or fourth place. Finishing third would grant direct qualification to the World Cup, while fourth place offered a chance to vie for the 0.5 slot.
In comparison, the national team's situation was much more favorable. Apart from the formidable opponent Saudi Arabia, there were no other significant contenders. Securing third place was not an impossibility. This scenario led many fans to fantasize about their country securing two World Cup final berths simultaneously.
However, reality proved to be exceptionally harsh. Although the national team faced much stronger opponents in this round compared to the previous qualifiers, their performance was even more lackluster. Despite playing well in the top 40 qualifiers, they made a series of inexplicable errors in the top 12 matches. After two rounds, the national team found themselves in fourth place in their group, needing to compete with the fourth-placed team from the other group for the remaining 0.5 spot.
In their despair, fans could only turn their hopes to Team Am. Given the presence of two strong teams in their group, fans' primary wish was for Team Am to secure third place.
The first round of matches unfolded as all fans had anticipated. Team Am was no match for Japan and Australia, suffering two losses consecutively, but they managed to defeat the other opponents in their group. This outcome was already satisfactory to Chinese fans, as it indicated a high probability of Team Am securing third place.
However, what happened next caused all Chinese people to erupt in further astonishment. Against Australia and Japan, this team with an average age of 17 displayed incredible resilience. After conceding goals in the first half of both matches, they managed to turn the score around in the second half through sheer grit and skill, ultimately winning both games. As a result, Team Am achieved a remarkable clean sweep in the second round of group matches, securing the second position in the group. Japan, having twice defeated Australia, ultimately finished first, with Australia relegated to third place.
With this outcome, Team Am officially secured their qualification for the World Cup finals. The entire country erupted in celebration, with spontaneous gatherings in many cities causing traffic chaos. Streets were filled with excited crowds waving national flags. Many onlookers were baffled by the scene, mistaking it for a territorial reclamation. Upon learning it was due to the Chinese team qualifying for the World Cup, their surprise intensified. In their minds, reclaiming that territory was a matter of time and not a difficult feat. However, China's qualification for the World Cup was an exceptionally rare and challenging accomplishment, something they believed they might never witness in their lifetime.
Meanwhile, FIFA was also overjoyed. It was reported that the FIFA Executive Committee even opened a special case of champagne and invited a large number of models to a celebratory banquet to commemorate the successful qualification of a Chinese team for the World Cup finals.
"What? Why is FIFA so happy?" you might ask. It was quite simple: a Chinese team had qualified for the World Cup. China, the world's largest economy, with a population of 1.3 billion, harbored an immeasurable number of affluent football fans. Previously, as the World Cup had been largely unrelated to China, the associated economy and revenue streams had bypassed China. However, this time was different. With a Chinese team in the World Cup, it was predictable that hundreds of millions of Chinese fans would tune in through various channels. While those who flew directly to the host cities for matches contributed to the host nation's economy, the television broadcasting rights belonged to FIFA. When selling the broadcasting rights for the 2030 World Cup to Chinese television stations, FIFA would undoubtedly charge at least an additional hundred million US dollars.
Furthermore, various Chinese brands would undoubtedly compete fiercely for sponsorship opportunities at the World Cup. During a period of nationwide viewership, World Cup advertising would be the most valuable. FIFA would then rake in significant profits. According to estimates by FIFA's internal actuaries, China's qualification for the World Cup would generate at least over a billion US dollars in net profit for FIFA per tournament, along with indirect revenue in the tens of billions. This would also foster the promotion of World Cup culture within China, an invaluable outcome that warranted grand celebrations.
There had long been rumors suggesting that FIFA's eagerness to expand the World Cup to 48 teams and allocate more slots to Asia was precisely to facilitate China's qualification. Without it, they believed they would never be able to penetrate this enormous market. However, they never expected that even with the additional slots, the Chinese national football team itself would fail to perform. In the playoff match between the two fourth-placed teams, the Chinese national team shockingly lost to Qatar, failing to secure even the 0.5 slot and thus being eliminated from World Cup contention.
The subsequent ridicule and anger directed at the Chinese national football team were, as expected, immense. However, the Chinese Football Association likely remained unfazed, as they had already begun to claim credit for Team Am's World Cup qualification. They asserted that their initiative in sending five teams to play in top European leagues was solely responsible for Team Am's success, thereby claiming all credit for themselves, which only led to widespread condemnation for their shamelessness.
Despite this, the Football Association remained indifferent. They even suggested that Team Am could cede their spot to the national team, as the latter was the true national representative and embodied China's honor. However, this idea was met with a barrage of criticism from fans, and FIFA would never have approved such a change, so the matter was quickly dropped.