Who Says There Is No "Chinese National Team" in the World Cup? Changan Automobile Meets Portugal National Team at the Summit

Who says there is no "Chinese national team" in the 2026 World Cup?

A rising SOE star in the automotive world, a Chinese brand is making its debut.

The drums of the 2026 World Cup hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico have not yet sounded, and a global surge in football fervor has already begun. At this critical juncture, Changan Automobile, the "national team" of China's automotive industry, officially partnered with Portugal's National Football Team, a powerhouse of European football, in Lisbon.

On May 22, both parties signed a global strategic cooperation agreement themed "Stay in the game (Always in the Game)", marking the first time a Chinese automaker has become an official partner of a top-tier European football national team.

This "meeting at the peak" crossing national borders is not only a milestone in Changan Automobile's global strategy but also a highlight moment for Chinese car brands on the World Cup stage to show their intelligent manufacturing strength to the world.

The 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico hasn't started yet, but in this marketing drama watched by the world, why did Changan Automobile emerge first? Why did the Portugal National Team, featuring one of the two legendary superstars of this World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo, choose to cooperate with Changan Automobile?

01 National Team Qualification: Lighting Up the World Stage

Although the Chinese Football National Team failed to appear on the field of this World Cup, Changan Automobile, as the "SOE National Team", landed on this globally watched "pitch" first in a more strategic way.

As a new SOE directly managed by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, Changan Automobile has long surpassed simple product exports, turning towards global output of brands and values. This partnership with the Portuguese Football Association is a vivid practice of its "No Overseas, No Changan" philosophy.

At the signing ceremony site, both parties jointly released the brand co-branded film "Sounds like Changan" and successfully completed the overseas delivery of the first Deepal S05 plug-in hybrid model (PHEV) in Europe.

At the same time, Changan Automobile officially launched long-distance testing of related models in Europe, comprehensively testing the vehicle's performance in range, fast charging, energy consumption, and durability.

These specific actions not only demonstrated Changan Automobile's "always online" brand posture but also sent a clear signal to the world: Chinese smart manufacturing has the strength to participate in the global high-end market competition.

This is not only a business cooperation but also a spiritual endorsement. When Cristiano Ronaldo leads the Portugal team to strive for the last World Cup, Changan Automobile is also writing a chapter of struggle belonging to Chinese brands on the global stage with the identity of "new SOE". Although the two fields are different, they share the same gene — a persistent pursuit of excellence.

02 Spiritual Resonance: Why Portugal?

Changan Automobile's choice of the Portugal National Team was not an accidental hot marketing, but a high degree of fit based on spiritual core and strategic goals.

From a spiritual level, the resilience and ambition accumulated by the Portugal National Team over a hundred years resonate deeply with Changan Automobile's corporate DNA that has experienced three entrepreneurial phases and constantly breaks through itself.

Whether it is Cristiano Ronaldo's extreme self-discipline for 20 years like one day, or the competitive backbone of the Portugal team rising in adversity, all interpret the true meaning of "Stay in the game" — not a flash in the pan, but a daily persistence and love. This is highly consistent with the corporate spirit emphasized by Changan Automobile Chairman Zhu Huarong: "If you don't move forward, you must retreat."

From a strategic dimension, Europe is a must-fight land for Changan Automobile's global layout. As the birthplace of the global automotive industry, the European market is both a challenge and a key springboard for brand leapfrogging for Chinese brands.

By binding the Portugal National Team, a world-class IP, Changan Automobile can not only effectively break cultural barriers and brand cognition barriers but also use its strong momentum radiating to Europe, Latin America, and global fan groups to accelerate the transition from "product going global" to "brand going global".

As Zhu Huarong emphasized in the "146" global strategy: In the next five years, 100 billion level resources will be invested to promote globalization, achieving overseas sales doubling to 1.5 million by 2030, striving for 1.8 million. This cooperation is the latest move in this grand blueprint.

03 Behind Qualification: High-speed Advancing Globalization

The World Cup hasn't started yet, but Changan Automobile has already taken the lead on the dual tracks of marketing and strategy. This confidence of "sounding before fighting" stems from its solid layout in the international market over many years.

In recent years, Changan Automobile has firmly promoted the "Open to All Oceans" Plan 2.0, building a "152" global layout, with business covering Southeast Asia, South America, Middle East & Africa, Euro-Asia and other key regions. From the production of the first overseas new energy vehicle factory in Rayong, Thailand, to the formal operation of the Brazilian factory; from the 2025 overseas sales breaking 637,000 units, to the first batch of 500 Deepal S05s exported to Europe in 2026, every step highlights the deep cultivation concept of "Long-term, Localization, Systematization, and Integrated ESG Construction".

Especially at the technical level, Changan Automobile focuses on Blue Whale Superelectric Hybrid and Tianyu Intelligent System to create the "Global Hybrid Chinese Solution" and promotes intelligent driving and smart energy ecology construction. These hard-core technical supports enable Changan Automobile to accept rigorous tests in the European market and have the confidence to compete on the same stage with world-class brands.

This signing is also an accelerator for Changan Automobile's transformation from "selling products" to "building brands and ecosystems". In the future, Changan will not only launch co-branded merchandise and star interaction fan benefits but also use the World Cup window to let global users see a Chinese brand image that is technology-led, warm, and trustworthy.

Conclusion: Always Online, Meeting at the Summit Together

"To be the best, or nothing." This golden life quote by Cristiano Ronaldo is firmly imprinted in the hearts of hundreds of millions of football fans.

And this has become the best footnote for Changan Automobile to accelerate its growth into a global enterprise.

From the banks of the Jialing River in Chongqing to the Luz Stadium in Lisbon, from Europe, the birthplace of football, to the vast USA, Canada, and Mexico, amidst the roaring applause of the World Cup, from the sales champion of fuel sedans to the pioneer of new energy overseas, Changan Automobile is entering the center of the world stage with an open posture and firm steps.

This "meeting at the peak" with the Portugal National Team is not just a juxtaposition of two names, but a convergence of two struggling spirits, a two-way journey of "Chinese Smart Manufacturing" and "Sports Powerhouses", and also a summer feast of Chinese automobiles and global users.

When Cristiano Ronaldo steps onto the World Cup journey for the last time, what he represents is the curtain call of an era and the continuation of unyielding spirit; while the overseas path of Changan Automobile is the rise of a national brand and the opening of the future. Under the shared belief of "Stay in the game", whether on the green field or the global track, they have chosen — always online, never withdraw.

I believe that as the 2026 World Cup curtain rises, the world will see: a team fighting for glory and a brand traveling for dreams, walking hand in hand towards the peak under the same sky.