Xi says 'not so sure' of Chinese football team's abilities

Xi made the rare off-the-cuff remark in an informal conversation with Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, according to a video posted Saturday by a Thai government account on X, formerly Twitter.

After evidently hearing for the first time that China had defeated Thailand 2-1 in a recent match, Xi said: "I think there was a lot of luck involved."

"Because now, about our national team - I'm not so sure about their level. There are ups and downs," Xi said ahead of a meeting of APEC leaders in San Francisco.

Xi has previously described himself as a football fan and said he dreams of China hosting and winning a World Cup one day. But ambitions of developing the men's team into an international powerhouse have not come to fruition.

In September, hosts China fell 0-1 to Syria in a friendly loss mocked by frustrated fans and derided by state media as "another embarrassing defeat".

Chinese football has been in the grip of a major anti-corruption campaign that has seen numerous leading figures investigated or charged, including former national coach Li Tie.

The men's national team face a critical few months with the start of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, and the Asian Cup in January-February in Qatar. The long road to the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico began in earnest in Asia on Thursday with 36 teams in action.