Newly appointed China head coach Aleksandar Jankovic is aiming to guide the Asian country to qualification for the 2026 World Cup, the Serbian said, adding that the team has room for improvement.

新任国足主教练亚历山大•扬科维奇表示，他的目标是带领这支亚洲国家获得2026年世界杯的参赛资格，并补充说这支球队还有提高的空间。

Despite major government ambitions for the team, China have qualified for the World Cup only once in 2002 when they lost all three of their group matches and failed to score a goal.

尽管中国政府对国足寄予厚望，但中国队在2002年只有一次进入世界杯，当时他们小组赛三战全败，一球未进。

The 2026 World Cup, to be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada, will be the first edition to feature 48 teams, with at least eight countries from the Asian Football Confederation set to feature.

2026年世界杯将在美国、墨西哥和加拿大举行，这将是第一届有48支球队参赛的世界杯，其中至少有8个亚足联成员国将参赛。

"I know that every long journey starts with a small step. As a head coach, I must have a clear picture of the big target --the general goal is for the 2026 World Cup, and the Chinese team must play," Jankovic told reporters on Wednesday.

“我知道每一段漫长的旅程都始于一小步。作为主教练，我必须对大目标有一个清晰的认识——总的目标是2026年世界杯，中国队必须参加比赛，”扬科维奇周三告诉记者。

"We have a lot of things to do... we have no time to waste. I fully agree that the big goal is determined by what we do every day. I make no difference when preparing big games and friendly games. We have to start implementing all the details from our first training tomorrow."

“我们有很多事情要做……我们没有时间可以浪费了。我完全同意大目标是由我们每天所做的决定的。在准备大型比赛和友谊赛时，我没有什么区别。我们必须从明天的第一次训练开始实施所有的细节。”

Jankovic, who was appointed last week, will guide the team at next year's Asian Cup and the qualifiers for the World Cup.

扬科维奇上周被任命，他将带领球队参加明年的亚洲杯和世界杯预选赛。

The former Red Star Belgrade coach and player has been in charge of various China age group teams since 2018 and was named caretaker coach of the senior side for the East Asian Championships last year after Li Xiaopeng resigned.

这位前贝尔格莱德红星队教练兼球员自2018年以来一直负责中国各年龄组的球队，并在李霄鹏辞职后，于去年被任命为东亚锦标赛成年队的代理教练。

Jankovic said he has been a long-time follower of Chinese soccer and emphasised the need for better fitness among players.

扬科维奇表示，他长期以来一直关注中国足球，并强调球员们需要更好的身体素质。

"Over the last 30 months, I spent 28 months watching games in China and observing players not only from the Chinese Super League but from China League One and League two as well. I know all levels of Chinese players well," the 50-year-old added.

“在过去的30个月里，我花了28个月在中国观看比赛，不仅观察了中超的球员，还观察了中甲和中乙的球员。我非常了解各个级别的中国球员，”这位50岁的球员补充道。

"Chinese players and Chinese people are intelligent and learn fast, which is something that I have never seen in my life elsewhere. However, if you are not fit, maybe you can win one game, but you can never win a competition."

“中国球员和中国人都很聪明，学得很快，这是我在其他地方从未见过的。然而，如果你不健康，也许你可以赢得一次游戏，但你永远无法赢得一场正式竞赛。”

"Our players need to improve their physical conditions, intensity and aggressiveness. Otherwise, we will always stay at home when the big competition comes. It's a challenge for me as a coach if we want to match up with those good teams in the world."

“我们的球员需要改善他们的身体状况、强度和侵略性。否则，当大的竞赛来临时，我们将永远呆在家里。作为一名教练，如果我们想与世界上那些优秀的球队相媲美，这对我来说是一个挑战。”

China, 80th in the world rankings, are twice Asian Cup runners-up.

中国在世界排名第80位，两次获得亚洲杯亚军。

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