Chinese football has struggled for two decades to build on their only World Cup appearance, but coach Li Tie is adamant his team will be at Qatar 2022.
China will be in the final phase of the Asia's World Cup qualifiers for just the second time since featuring in the 2002 finals. They face Australia today in Doha.
"You might seem much stronger than us, but that doesn't mean we don't stand a chance," Li warned rivals heading to Qatar last week. "One thing is for sure - we have to go all out with a mentality of going to war."
China are an outside bet among 12 nations seeking one of Asia's four guaranteed World Cup berths between now and March, despite enhancing an ageing squad with naturalized players and those with ancestral links.
But their campaign will be largely on the road.
In a tournament affected by the pandemic, China and Australia have a preview of Doha's Khalifa International Stadium, a World Cup venue, rather than meeting in Sydney due to travel restrictions.
The pair are in Group B and take on four-time Asian champions Japan, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam and Oman.
Group A has World Cup regulars South Korea and Iran plus Iraq, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates and Syria.
Australia coach Graham Arnold, meanwhile, had to work on his game plan for today's qualifier largely by Zoom as two assistants were unable to travel to due to Covid-19 issues.
The match is a "home" fixture for the Socceroos, who cannot host China due to virus restrictions.
Most players arrived days ago but could not get on a training pitch until Tuesday as they awaited results of virus tests.
Li Tie has a message for rivals in World Cup qualifiers. AP
