Chinese fans receive early apologies on social media for the impending World Cup defeat against Saudi Arabia

Chinese football fans have their excuses ready ahead of their 2026 World Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, blaming the rain before the downpours have even started.

A hashtag is trending on Weibo announcing that China's Group C match against Saudi Arabia at the Dalian Suoyuwan Football Stadium could go ahead even if it rains. Football fans are debating whether the rain would be good for the national team.

Although China, ranked 87th in the world, has the home advantage over World Cup regular Saudi Arabia, who are 30 places higher in the FIFA rankings, fans are convinced that the weather will determine the outcome.

“The national football team lost this match because of the rain. Let's think about the reason first,” said one Weibo user.

Another particularly pessimistic user commented: “I think even if the opposition [had only] a goalkeeper, the national team would still not score a goal.”