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A Chinese entrepreneur who requested a Malaysian hotel to display China’s flag turned into an internet joke when users pointed out that the flags symbolized the 48 teams participating in the World Cup, none of which were China.

A man, said to be in Kuala Lumpur for work, approached a staff member outside his hotel’s breakfast restaurant following the discovery that among the flags from many nations he had counted, there was no Chinese one, theSouth China Morning Post reported.

Videos from the meeting were shared extensively on July 6.

In the video, he confronts a visibly puzzled employee for an explanation. “If you aim to make money from Chinese people, please display the national flag of China,” he says to her.

The flags indicated the 48 teams set for the 2026 World Cup, which was the first expansion from 32. China was not included.

Malaysian outlet The Starthe man faced mockery on social media once the link became known.

Some interpret the outburst as awkward nationalism instead of self-importance.

Several people directed the joke towards the team. “A nation with 1.4 billion people, the world’s second-largest population, isn’t able to field a football team for the World Cup. Therefore, no flag. Don’t hold us responsible, blame your country,” a commenter wrote.

China is ranked 91st in FIFA’s June standings, trailing Zambia, a nation with less than 2% of China’s population, and positioned slightly higher than Bahrain.

Its sole World Cup participation was in 2002, during which it lost all three group stage games without finding the net.

Even with the expanded 48-team format, China was unable to advance through Asian qualifiers, and the campaign featured a 7-0 defeat against Japan in 2024.