2026 World Cup: China absent on the pitch, present elsewhere?

The 2026 World Cup, expanded for the first time to 48 teams and jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, was expected to open the door to more nations. A paradox highlighted by the daily Independent (Kampala, via AllAfrica): China, the world's second-largest economy and a major economic player in Africa, remains absent from the competition despite this expansion. According to the source, China has only played in a single World Cup finals in its entire history, in 2002. Despite years of investments in domestic football, it once again fails to qualify for the North American edition. The article's title, evoking a 'victory without a team', suggests that Beijing would draw economic or diplomatic benefit from the event regardless of its sporting results -- a potentially relevant issue for Sino-African economic partnerships, sponsoring, or infrastructure. However, the available source content does not detail these mechanisms. Analysis: without additional factual elements (investment figures, company names, precise agreements), it is impossible to confirm or explain the nature of this evoked 'victory'. This question remains open and would require complementary sources before making any firm assertion on Chinese economic gains linked to the World Cup, notably their potential spillover effects on the African continent.