China national football team

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China PR
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)龙之队
(Dragon's Team)
AssociationChinese Football Association (CFA)
ConfederationAFC (Asia)
Sub-confederationEAFF (East Asia)
Head coachLi Tie
CaptainZheng Zhi
Most capsLi Weifeng (112)
Top scorerHao Haidong (41)
Home stadiumBeijing National Stadium
FIFA codeCHN
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 75 Decrease 4 (16 September 2021)[1]
Highest37 (December 1998)
Lowest109 (March 2013)
First international
Unofficial
 Philippines 2–1 China 
(Manila, Philippines; 1 February 1913)
Official
 China 3–0 Philippines 
(Osaka, Japan; 22 May 1923) [2]
Biggest win
 China PR 19–0 Guam 
(Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; 26 January 2000)
Biggest defeat
 Brazil 8–0 China PR 
(Recife, Brazil; 10 September 2012)
World Cup
Appearances1 (first in 2002)
Best resultGroup stage (2002)
Asian Cup
Appearances12 (first in 1976)
Best resultRunners-up (1984, 2004)
EAFF Championship
Appearances8 (first in 2003)
Best resultChampions, (2005, 2010)

The China national football team (simplified Chinese: 中国国家足球队; traditional Chinese: 中國國家足球隊; pinyin: Zhōngguó guójiā zúqiú duì, recognized as China PR by FIFA) represents the People's Republic of China in international association football and is governed by the Chinese Football Association.

China won the EAFF East Asian Cup in 2005 and 2010, was runner-up at the AFC Asian Cup in 1984 and 2004, and made its sole FIFA World Cup appearance in 2002, losing all matches without scoring a goal.

History[]

Republic of China (1913–1949)[]

Chinese Olympic football team in 1936

China's first-ever international representative match was arranged by Elwood Brown, president of the Philippine Athletic Association, who proposed the creation of the Far Eastern Championship Games, a multi-sport event considered to be a precursor to the Asian Games.[4] He invited China to participate in the inaugural 1913 Far Eastern Championship Games held in the Philippines, which included association football within the schedule. To represent them, it was decided that the winner of the football at the Chinese National Games in 1910 should have the honour to represent the country, where it was won by South China Football Club.[5] The club's founder and coach Mok Hing (Chinese 莫慶) would become China's first coach and on 4 February 1913 in a one-off tournament game held in the Manila he led China to a 2–1 defeat against the Philippines national football team.[6]

The political unrest of the Xinhai Revolution that mired China's participation in the first tournament, especially in renaming the team as Republic of China national football team, did not stop Shanghai being awarded the 1915 Far Eastern Championship Games. Once again South China Football Club, now known as South China Athletic Association won the right to represent the nation. This time in a two legged play-off against the Philippines, China won the first game 1–0 and then drew the second 0–0 to win their first ever tournament.[7] With the games being the first and only regional football tournament for national teams outside Britain, China looked to establish themselves as a regional powerhouse by winning a total of nine championships.[8]

The Chinese Football Association was founded in 1924 and then was first affiliated with FIFA in 1931.[9] With these foundations in place China looked to establish themselves within the international arena and along with Japan were the first Asian sides to participate in the Football at the Summer Olympics when they competed within the 1936 Summer Olympics held in Germany. At the tournament China were knocked out within their first game at the round of 16 when they were beaten by Great Britain Olympic football team 2–0 on 6 August 1936.[10]

On 7 July 1937 the Second Sino-Japanese War officially erupted, which saw the relations between China and Japan completely eroded especially once it was announced that Japan would hold the 1938 Far Eastern Championship Games.[11] The tournament would be officially cancelled while Japan held their own tournament called the 2600th Anniversary of the Japanese Empire, which included the Japanese puppet states Manchukuo and the collaborationist National Reorganised Government of China based in occupied Nanjing. But none of the top Chinese players competed in the Japanese Empire anniversary games.[12] None of the games during the Second Sino-Japanese War are officially recognized and once the war ended on 9 September 1945 China looked to the Olympics once again for international recognition. On 2 August 1948 China competed in the Football at the 1948 Summer Olympics where they were once again knocked out in the last sixteen, this time by Turkey national football team in a 4–0 defeat.[13] When the players returned they found the country in the midst of the Chinese Civil War. When it ended, the team had been split into two, one called the People's Republic of China national football team and the other called Republic of China national football team (later renamed Chinese Taipei national football team).[14]

Early People's Republic (1950–1976)[]

The newly instated People's Republic of China reformed CFA before having FIFA acknowledge their 1931 membership on 14 June 1952.[15] Finland, who were one of the first nations to hold diplomatic relations with China's new government, invited the country to take part in the 1952 Summer Olympics. Li Fenglou would become the country's first permanent manager to lead them in the tournament, however the Chinese delegation was delayed and they missed the entire competition, nevertheless the Finland national football team would still greet Li and the Chinese team with a friendly game on 4 August 1952 making it People's Republic of China's official first game, which ended in a 4–0 defeat.[16][17] In preparation for entering their first FIFA competition, China sent a young squad to train in Hungary in 1954.[18] However, when they entered the 1958 FIFA World Cup qualification process China were knocked out by Indonesia.[19]

On 7 June 1958, China stopped participating within any FIFA recognised football events when FIFA officially started to recognise the Republic of China as a different country.[20] This sparked a diplomatic argument that had already seen China withdraw from the 1956 Summer Olympics for the same reasons.[21] For years the People's Republic of China would only play in friendlies with nations who recognized them as the sole heir to the China name.[19] On 25 October 1971 the United Nations would recognise the country as the sole heir to the China name in their General Assembly Resolution 2758 act.[22][23][24] In 1973 the team, which had been using the name Republic of China would rename themselves as Chinese Taipei.[25] These acts would see China rejoin the international sporting community, first by becoming a member of the Asian Football Confederation in 1974 and by rejoining FIFA again in 1979.[26]

1980–2009: an Asian powerhouse[]

The 1974 Asian Games reintroduced the team back into international football while the 1976 AFC Asian Cup saw them came third.[27]

Chinese players in a match against Saudi Arabia at the 1984 AFC Asian Cup

In 1980, China participated in the 1982 FIFA World Cup qualifiers for a berth in the 1982 World Cup, but they lost a play-off game against New Zealand.[28] During the 1986 FIFA World Cup qualifiers for the 1986 World Cup, China faced Hong Kong at home in the final match of the first qualifying round on 19 May 1985 where China only needed a draw to advance. However, Hong Kong produced a 2–1 upset win which resulted in riots inside and outside the stadium in Beijing.[29] During the 1990 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, China again reached the final round. They just missed out on qualifying as they conceded two goals in the final three minutes against Qatar in their final group match.[30] During the 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifiers - when they were led by their first ever foreign manager, Klaus Schlapner - China failed to reach the final round of qualifying, coming second behind Iraq.[31]

In 1987, the first Chinese footballers moved abroad when future national team player Xie Yuxin joined FC Zwolle (Netherlands) and ex-national teamer Gu Guangming joined SV Darmstadt 98 (Germany). In 1988, national team captain Jia Xiuquan and striker Liu Haiguang both joined FK Partizan (Yugoslavia).[32][33]

After failing to reach the 1998 FIFA World Cup, China appointed Serbian manager Bora Milutinović as coach of the national team, and China saw its fortune increased. The country managed to take fourth place finish in the 2000 AFC Asian Cup where the Chinese side performed well, and only fell to heavyweights Japan and South Korea by one goal margin.[34] The good performance in Lebanon boosted the confidence of Chinese side, and in 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, China lost only one and drew only one, winning all the remaining games, most notably an important 1–0 win over Oman, to finally reach the 2002 FIFA World Cup, its first and only World Cup up to date.[35] In the 2002 World Cup, China was eliminated after three matches without gaining a single point nor even scoring a goal during their participation in the tournament.[36]

China hosted the 2004 AFC Asian Cup, ultimately fell 1–3 to Japan in a final match. The match's outcome sparked anger among Chinese supporters, who rioted in response to bad refereeing.[37] There were an estimated 250 million viewers for the match, the largest single-event sports audience in the country's history at that time.[38]

After winning the 2005 East Asian Football Championship following a 2–0 win against North Korea,[39] they started qualification for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup. During this time, the team became the subject of immense criticism and national embarrassment in the media when they had managed to score only one goal, Shao Jiayi's penalty kick during injury time, against Singapore at home and only managed a draw with Singapore in the away game. During preparations for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, the team spent the weeks leading up to the tournament on a tour of the United States. While the 4–1 loss to the United States was not unexpected,[40] a 1–0 loss to Major League Soccer side Real Salt Lake which finished bottom of the league in the 2007 season caused serious concern.[41][42]

During the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, the team played three group matches, winning against Malaysia, drawing with Iran after leading 2–1, and losing 3–0 to Uzbekistan. After high expectations, China's performance at the tournament drew criticism online which condemned the team's members and even the association. Zhu was later replaced as manager by Vladimir Petrović after these performances.[43] Some commented that China's reliance on foreign managers for the past decade had been an indicator of its poor domestic manager development.[44]

In June 2008, China failed to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, losing against Qatar and Iraq at home. After the 2008 Summer Olympics, Petrović was sacked as the manager and Yin Tiesheng was announced as the team's caretaker.

2010–present: stagnation[]

Gao Hongbo era[]

In April 2009, China appointed Gao Hongbo as the new manager, replacing Yin Tiesheng. His arrival saw China opt for a new strategy, turning towards ground passing tactics and adopting the 4–2–3–1 formation. It was noted that Chinese footballers had relied too heavily on the long ball tactic for almost a decade. Wei Di, the chief of the Chinese Football Association, stressed that, "Anytime, no matter win or loss, they must show their team spirit and courage. I hope, after one year's effort, the national team can give the public a new image."[45] Gao was knocked out of the 2011 AFC Asian Cup's group stage. His winning percentage (65%), the highest for a Chinese manager since Nian Weisi (67.86%), did not defer the Chinese Football Association from replacing him with José Antonio Camacho in August 2011, less than a month before the qualification process for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Appointment of José Antonio Camacho[]

On 13 August 2011, José Antonio Camacho was appointed as the new manager of the team, signing a three-year deal for a reported annual salary of $8 million.[46] Wei Di, CFA chief, explained the decision as being part of a long-term plan to help the country catch up with rivals Japan and South Korea. He noted that, "Compared with our neighbours Japan and South Korea, Chinese football is lagging far behind, we need to work with a long-term view and start to catch up with a pragmatic approach. A lot of our fans expect China to qualify for the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil. They are afraid that changing the coach at the last moment may cause bad effect to the team's qualifying prospect. I can totally understand that. But we do not have any time to waste."[47]

Yu Hongchen, the vice-president of the Chinese Football Administrative Centre, also stated, "The qualifying stage of 2014 World Cup is just a temporary task for him. Even if the task is failed, Camacho will not lose the job. When we started to find a new coach for the national team, we mainly focus on European countries such as Germany, the Netherlands and Spain. First of all, they have advanced football concepts, and secondly they have a productive youth training system, which we can learn from. We hope he can help us to find a suitable style."[47]

Camacho managed a team to an 8–0 loss against Brazil on 10 September 2012 which would go on record as China's biggest ever international defeat. This massive loss also succumbed China to their worst ever FIFA ranking (109th).[48]

Camacho led China during their qualification process for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup whereby losing the first group match 2–1 to Saudi Arabia.[49] After a 5–1 loss against Thailand in a friendly, Camacho sacked a week as manager with Fu Bo assigned as the caretaker.

Alain Perrin and Gao Hongbo returns[]

The Chinese national team in Tehran before a 2018 WCQ match with Iran

After Camacho, there was Alain Perrin, who finally led China to qualify for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, which also included luck from the Thailand–Lebanon encounter, in which Thailand lost but salvaged an important goal by Adisak Kraisorn to help improve China's goal difference with the Lebanese.[50] Soon after that, Perrin led China into a series of friendlies, where some positive results against Macedonia, Kuwait, Paraguay and Thailand boosted some optimism.

In the 2015 Asian Cup, Perrin's China joined group with Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and North Korea. Despite sharing such a difficult group, China emerged victoriously in all three games, qualified for the knockout stage for the first time since 2004 edition.[51][52][53] The Chinese Dragons then lost to host Australia 0–2 with Tim Cahill scored a brace, but changes made to China signalled greater optimism for Chinese fans.[54]

Despite this, China's 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers immediately represented a huge problem for the Chinese side; they were held goalless by Hong Kong at home twice, and lost to Qatar. He was sacked for the team's poor performance at the middle of the second round following another goalless draw to Hong Kong,[55] thus former coach Gao Hongbo returned to the role on 3 February 2016, where he had to face a task of guiding China in at the expense of North Korea which had a better second-place ranking than China. Gao's first two matches were consecutive wins against Maldives and importantly, Qatar, adding with North Korea suddenly slipped out in the Philippines, it secured the team's passage to the 2019 AFC Asian Cup and entering the final qualifying stage for the World Cup.

China continued their World Cup hunt by a 2–3 defeat to South Korea;[56] and a goalless draw to AFC's then highest ranked Iran at home, leading fans to have an impression that China was heading the right direction for its decent performances against Asian powerhouses South Korea and Iran.[57] It proved wrong however, when China lost 0–1 at home to Syria and 0–2 away to Uzbekistan next month. Gao Hongbo resigned. His team had been winless in the first four matches of the final qualifying stage for the World Cup, including a home loss to Syria which was criticised by a number of fans.[58]

Lippi's tenure[]

Chinese players after win against Thailand at 2019 AFC Asian Cup Round of 16

On 22 October 2016, Marcello Lippi was appointed manager of the team ahead for the last remaining matches.[59] A match saw China defeat South Korea for the first time in a FIFA-sanctioned tournament, amidst the heat of tensions over South Korea's deployment of THAAD.[60] However, China's away loss to Iran and a 2–2 draw to Syria meant China was unable to compete with and dragged behind by Syria who managed a 2–2 draw with Iran and not to be qualified for the 2018 World Cup under Lippi's tenure, but improvements could be seen following two late wins over Uzbekistan and Qatar.[61]

Lippi led the side during the final stage of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, where China won 2–1 to Kyrgyzstan and 3–0 to Philippines, before losing 2–0 to group leaders South Korea on 16 January.[62] China then beat Thailand 2–1 to earn a place in the quarter-finals, where it was knocked 3–0 out by Iran; Lippi subsequently confirmed his departure.[63]

Another Italian, Fabio Cannavaro was appointed as the next China's manager in conjunction with coaching Guangzhou Evergrande but he stepped down after only two matches.[64]

Lacked of option in searching for a new coach, CFA reappointed Marcello Lippi.[65] To improve the team, China had begun a series of naturalization on foreign-based players, with Nico Yennaris, an English-born Cypriot,[66] and Tyias Browning, another English-born player, being naturalized.[67] Subsequently, Elkeson, a Brazilian player with no Chinese ancestry, was naturalized.[68] Despite the process of naturalization, the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification for China proved to be rockier than expected, the team could only beat the Maldives and Guam, before being held goalless in the Philippines and followed with a denting 1–2 away loss to Syria, and Lippi resigned as coach.[69]

Li Tie's era[]

Former 2002 FIFA World Cup player, Li Tie, was appointed coach of China in July 2020, with a task to guide China to the third round, as China has been trailing behind Syria by five points.[70] Under Li's tenure, China was unable to reclaim its first place due to unpromising previous results, nonetheless, China managed to win all of their remaining fixtures, including an important 2–0 win over the Philippines and notably, a 3–1 win over Syria, to guarantee China as the best second-place team, thus reaching the final phase.[71][72]

Team image[]

The team is colloquially termed "Dragon's Team" (Chinese: 龙之队; pinyin: Lóng zhī duì),[73] "Team China" (Chinese: 中国队), the "National Team" (Chinese: 国家队) or "Guózú" (Chinese: 国足, short for Chinese: 国家足球队; pinyin: Guójiā Zúqiú Duì; lit. 'national football team').[74]

China's home kit is traditionally all red with a white trim while their away kit is traditionally an inverted version of the home kit, fully white with a red trim. During the 1996 AFC Asian Cup, China employed a third kit which was all blue with a white trim and was used against Saudi Arabia during the tournament.[75] The team has also started to use cooling vests in certain warmer climates.[76] After decades of having Adidas producing the team's kits, China's current kit has been produced and manufactured by Nike since 2015.

Kit supplier Period Contract
announcement
Contract
duration
Value Notes
Germany Adidas 1991–2014
United States Nike 2015–present
2015-01-03
2015–2026 (11 years) $16 million per year [77][78]

Rivalries[]

Japan[]

The rivalry with Japan was exemplified after 3–1 defeat to this opponent in the 2004 AFC Asian Cup Final when Chinese fans began to riot near the north gate of the Worker's Stadium.[79] The rioting was said to be provoked by controversial officiating during the tournament and the heightened anti-Japanese sentiment at the time. China's most recent tournament meeting with Japan was at the 2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship where Japan won 2–1. China went on to finish as third-place in the tournament, while Japan finished 2nd.

South Korea[]

Another rivalry with fellow neighbour South Korea who China played 27 matches against between 1978 and 2010, without winning a single match. The media coined the term "Koreaphobia" to describe this phenomenon, but China finally registered its first win against South Korea on 10 February 2010, winning 3–0 during the 2010 East Asian Football Championship and eventually going on to win the tournament.

Hong Kong[]

A rivalry with Hong Kong has been created due to political tension during 2018 World Cup qualification. With Hong Kong fans booing the Chinese national anthem, which Team Hong Kong share with Team China, 2018 World cup qualifier matches were also very tense with both matches resulting in 0–0 draws. Prior to the rivalry buildup, Hong Kong was not considered as a worthy opponent due to lack of success comparing to China.

Results and fixtures[]

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

2021[]

30 May 2021 (2021-05-30) FIFA World Cup qualification R2 Guam  0–7  China PR Suzhou, China
19:30 UTC+8 Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
  • Wu Lei Goal 20' (pen.)55'
  • Jin Jingdao Goal 39'
  • Wu Xi Goal 61'
  • Elkeson Goal 65'
  • Alan Goal 83'87'
Stadium: Suzhou Olympic Sports Centre
Attendance: 29,222
Referee: Sivakorn Pu-udom (Thailand)
7 June 2021 (2021-06-07) FIFA World Cup qualification R2 China PR  2–0  Philippines Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
21:00 UTC+4
  • Wu Lei Goal 56' (pen.)
  • Wu Xinghan Goal 65'
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Stadium: Sharjah Stadium
Attendance: 0
Referee: Kim Hee-gon (South Korea)
11 June 2021 (2021-06-11) FIFA World Cup qualification R2 China PR  5–0  Maldives Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
21:00 UTC+4
  • Liu Binbin Goal 5'
  • Wu Lei Goal 30'
  • Alan Goal 68'
  • Zhang Yuning Goal 69'
  • Tan Long Goal 79'
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Stadium: Sharjah Stadium
Attendance: 0
Referee: Ahmed Al-Ali (Jordan)
15 June 2021 (2021-06-15) FIFA World Cup qualification R2 China PR  3–1  Syria Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
22:00 UTC+4
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
  • Aosman Goal 50'
Stadium: Sharjah Stadium
Attendance: 0
Referee: Muhammad Taqi (Singapore)
2 September 2021 (2021-09-02) FIFA World Cup qualification R3 Australia  3–0  China PR Doha, Qatar
21:00 UTC+3
Report (FIFA) Stadium: Khalifa International Stadium
Attendance: 0
Referee: Ko Hyung-jin (South Korea)
7 September 2021 (2021-09-07) FIFA World Cup qualification R3 China PR  0–1  Japan Doha, Qatar
18:00 UTC+3 Report (FIFA)
  • Osako Goal 40'
Stadium: Khalifa International Stadium
Attendance: 0
Referee: Nawaf Shukralla (Bahrain)
30 September 2021 (2021-09-30) Friendly China PR  v  Syria TBD, United Arab Emirates
--:-- UTC+4 Stadium: TBD
7 October 2021 (2021-10-07) FIFA World Cup qualification R3 China PR  v  Vietnam Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
--:-- UTC+4 Stadium: Sharjah Stadium
12 October 2021 (2021-10-12) FIFA World Cup qualification R3 Saudi Arabia  v  China PR Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
--:-- UTC+3 Stadium: King Abdullah Sports City
11 November 2021 (2021-11-11) FIFA World Cup qualification R3 China PR  v  Oman TBD, China
Stadium: TBD
16 November 2021 (2021-11-16) FIFA World Cup qualification R3 China PR  v  Australia TBD, China
Stadium: TBD

2022[]

27 January 2022 (2022-01-27) FIFA World Cup qualification R3 Japan  v  China PR TBD, Japan
Stadium: TBD
1 February 2022 (2022-02-01) FIFA World Cup qualification R3 Vietnam  v  China PR TBD, Vietnam
Stadium: TBD
24 March 2022 (2022-03-24) FIFA World Cup qualification R3 China PR  v  Saudi Arabia TBD, China
Stadium: TBD
29 March 2022 (2022-03-29) FIFA World Cup qualification R3 Oman  v  China PR TBD, Oman
Stadium: TBD
  • 1 : Non FIFA 'A' international match

Coaching staff[]

Source[80]
Position Name
Head coach China Tie Li
Technical employee China
China
Team Doctor China
Therapists China
China
China
Manager China
China
China
Logistics China
China
Press Officer China
Doctor China
Administrator China
Technical director China

Coaching history[]

1930–1948[]

1951–present[]

As of 12 August 2020

Players[]

Current squad[]

The following players were called up for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Australia on 2 September 2021 and Japan on 7 September 2021.[82][83][84]
Caps and goals are correct as of 7 September 2021, after the match against Japan.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Yan Junling (1991-01-28) 28 January 1991 (age 30) 35 0 China Shanghai Port
12 1GK Liu Dianzuo (1990-06-26) 26 June 1990 (age 31) 3 0 China Guangzhou
23 1GK Wang Dalei (1989-01-10) 10 January 1989 (age 32) 27 0 China Shandong Taishan
1GK Dong Hengyi (1991-03-25) 25 March 1991 (age 30) 0 0 China Wuhan

2 2DF Li Ang (1993-09-15) 15 September 1993 (age 28) 7 0 China Shanghai Port
3 2DF Wang Shenchao (1989-02-08) 8 February 1989 (age 32) 13 0 China Shanghai Port
5 2DF Zhang Linpeng (1989-05-09) 9 May 1989 (age 32) 84 5 China Guangzhou
6 2DF Tyias Browning (1994-05-27) 27 May 1994 (age 27) 5 0 China Guangzhou
14 2DF Gao Zhunyi (1995-08-21) 21 August 1995 (age 26) 8 0 China Guangzhou
20 2DF Wang Gang (1989-02-17) 17 February 1989 (age 32) 10 0 China Beijing Guoan
22 2DF Zhu Chenjie (2000-08-23) 23 August 2000 (age 21) 7 0 China Shanghai Shenhua
2DF Yu Dabao (1988-04-17) 17 April 1988 (age 33) 62 19 China Beijing Guoan
2DF Zheng Zheng (1989-07-11) 11 July 1989 (age 32) 20 2 China Shandong Taishan
2DF Li Lei (1992-05-30) 30 May 1992 (age 29) 5 0 China Beijing Guoan

4 3MF Xu Xin (1994-04-19) 19 April 1994 (age 27) 0 0 China Shandong Taishan
8 3MF Hao Junmin (1987-03-24) 24 March 1987 (age 34) 85 12 China Wuhan
10 3MF Zhang Xizhe (1991-01-23) 23 January 1991 (age 30) 34 7 China Beijing Guoan
13 3MF Jin Jingdao (1992-01-18) 18 January 1992 (age 29) 16 1 China Shandong Taishan
15 3MF Wu Xi (1989-02-19) 19 February 1989 (age 32) 73 8 China Shanghai Shenhua
16 3MF Chi Zhongguo (1989-10-26) 26 October 1989 (age 31) 19 0 China Beijing Guoan
17 3MF Wu Xinghan (1993-02-24) 24 February 1993 (age 28) 4 1 China Shandong Taishan
19 3MF Yin Hongbo (1989-10-30) 30 October 1989 (age 31) 14 1 China Hebei
3MF Liu Binbin (1993-06-16) 16 June 1993 (age 28) 7 1 China Shandong Taishan
3MF Wang Shangyuan (1993-06-02) 2 June 1993 (age 28) 2 0 China Henan Songshan Longmen
3MF Wang Qiuming (1993-01-09) 9 January 1993 (age 28) 0 0 China Hebei

7 4FW Wu Lei (1991-11-19) 19 November 1991 (age 29) 73 23 Spain Espanyol
9 4FW Elkeson (1989-07-13) 13 July 1989 (age 32) 9 4 China Guangzhou
11 4FW Alan (1989-07-10) 10 July 1989 (age 32) 4 3 China Guangzhou
18 4FW Zhang Yuning (1997-01-05) 5 January 1997 (age 24) 14 4 China Beijing Guoan
21 4FW Aloísio (1988-06-19) 19 June 1988 (age 33) 1 0 China Guangzhou
4FW Wei Shihao (1995-04-08) 8 April 1995 (age 26) 16 2 China Guangzhou
4FW Ba Dun (1995-09-16) 16 September 1995 (age 26) 0 0 China Tianjin Jinmen Tiger
4FW Guo Tianyu (1999-03-05) 5 March 1999 (age 22) 0 0 China Shandong Taishan

Recent call-ups[]

The following players have also been called up to the squad within the last twelve months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Zeng Cheng (1987-01-08) 8 January 1987 (age 34) 42 0 China Shanghai Shenhua v.  Guam, 30 May 2021 INJ

DF Tang Miao (1990-10-16) 16 October 1990 (age 30) 6 0 China Guangzhou City v.  Syria, 15 June 2021
DF Ming Tian (1995-04-08) 8 April 1995 (age 26) 5 0 China Wuhan v.  Syria, 15 June 2021
DF Jiang Zhipeng (1989-03-06) 6 March 1989 (age 32) 26 0 China Shenzhen Shanghai Training Camp, March 2021
DF Yu Yang (1989-08-06) 6 August 1989 (age 32) 14 0 China Beijing Guoan Shanghai Training Camp, March 2021
DF Mei Fang (1989-11-14) 14 November 1989 (age 31) 23 1 China Guangzhou Haikou Training Camp, January 2021
DF Tong Lei (1997-12-16) 16 December 1997 (age 23) 0 0 China Dalian Pro Shanghai Training Camp, October 2020

MF Nico Yennaris (1993-05-24) 24 May 1993 (age 28) 6 0 China Beijing Guoan v.  Syria, 15 June 2021
MF Ji Xiang (1990-03-01) 1 March 1990 (age 31) 11 1 China Shandong Taishan v.  Syria, 15 June 2021
MF Cao Yunding (1989-11-22) 22 November 1989 (age 31) 5 0 China Shanghai Shenhua Shanghai Training Camp, March 2021
MF Liu Yun (1995-01-07) 7 January 1995 (age 26) 0 0 China Wuhan Shanghai Training Camp, October 2020 INJ

FW Tan Long (1988-04-01) 1 April 1988 (age 33) 7 1 China Changchun Yatai v.  Syria, 15 June 2021
FW Fernandinho (1993-03-16) 16 March 1993 (age 28) 0 0 China Guangzhou v.  Guam, 30 May 2021 INJ
FW Dong Xuesheng (1989-05-22) 22 May 1989 (age 32) 8 1 China Wuhan Shanghai Training Camp, October 2020

INJ Withdrew due to injury
PRE Preliminary squad
RET Retired from the national team
SUS Serving suspension

Individual records[]

Player records[]

As of 7 September 2021.[85]
Players in bold are still active with China.

Manager records[]

Most manager appearances
China Gao Fengwen: 56

Team records[]

Biggest victory
19–0 vs. Guam, 26 January 2000

Competitive record[]

FIFA World Cup[]

China has only appeared at one World Cup with the appearance being in the 2002 FIFA World Cup where they finished bottom of the group which included a 4–0 loss to Brazil.[86]

Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 Did not enter Declined participation
Italy 1934
France 1938
Brazil 1950
Switzerland 1954
Sweden 1958 Did not qualify 3 1 1 1 4 5
Chile 1962 Did not enter Declined participation
England 1966
Mexico 1970
Germany 1974
Argentina 1978
Spain 1982 Did not qualify 10 6 2 2 17 6
Mexico 1986 6 4 1 1 23 2
Italy 1990 11 7 0 4 18 9
United States 1994 8 6 0 2 18 4
France 1998 14 8 3 3 24 16
South Korea Japan 2002 Group stage 31st 3 0 0 3 0 9 14 12 1 1 38 5
Germany 2006 Did not qualify 6 5 0 1 14 1
South Africa 2010 8 3 3 2 14 4
Brazil 2014 8 5 0 3 23 9
Russia 2018 18 8 5 5 35 11
Qatar 2022 To be determined To be determined
Canada Mexico United States 2026
Total Group stage 1/21 3 0 0 3 0 9 106 65 16 25 216 72

AFC Asian Cup[]

Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Hong Kong 1956 Did not enter Did not enter
South Korea 1960 Did not enter Did not enter
Israel 1964 Did not enter Did not enter
Iran 1968 Did not enter Did not enter
Thailand 1972 Did not enter Did not enter
Iran 1976 Third place 3rd 4 1 1 2 2 4 5 4 0 1 14 4
Kuwait 1980 Group stage 7th 4 1 1 2 9 5 3 2 0 1 5 2
Singapore 1984 Runners-up 2nd 6 4 0 2 11 4 4 4 0 0 15 0
Qatar 1988 Fourth place 4th 6 2 2 2 7 5 5 2 3 0 10 1
Japan 1992 Third place 3rd 5 1 3 1 6 6 3 3 0 0 7 0
United Arab Emirates 1996 Quarter-finals 8th 4 1 0 3 6 7 3 3 0 0 16 1
Lebanon 2000 Fourth place 4th 6 2 2 2 11 7 3 3 0 0 29 0
China 2004 Runners-up 2nd 6 3 2 1 13 6 Qualified as hosts
Indonesia Malaysia Thailand Vietnam 2007 Group stage 9th 3 1 1 1 7 6 6 3 2 1 7 3
Qatar 2011 9th 3 1 1 1 4 4 6 4 1 1 13 5
Australia 2015 Quarter-finals 7th 4 3 0 1 5 4 6 2 2 2 5 6
United Arab Emirates 2019 6th 5 3 0 2 7 7 8 5 2 1 27 1
China 2023 Qualified as hosts 2* 2 0 0 12 0
Total 13/18 0 Titles 55 23 13 20 88 65 52 35 10 7 148 23


* automatic qualification as hosts; but compete in qualification process because of 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification.

Summer Olympics[]

Year Result Pos Pld W D L GF GA
France 1900 to Netherlands 1928 Did not enter
Germany 1936 First round 12 1 0 0 1 0 2
United Kingdom 1948 14 1 0 0 1 0 4
Finland 1952 to Australia 1956 Withdrew after qualifying
Italy 1960 to Canada 1976 Not an IOC member
Soviet Union 1980 to United States 1984 Did not qualify
South Korea 1988 First round 14 3 0 1 2 0 5
Total 3/25 - 5 0 1 4 0 11

For 1992 to 2016, see China national under-23 football team

Asian Games[]

Year Result Rank Pld W D L GF GA
India 1951 Did not enter
Flag of Philippines.svg 1954 Did not enter
Japan 1958 Did not enter
Flag of Indonesia.svg 1962 Did not enter
Flag of Thailand.svg 1966 Did not enter
Flag of Thailand.svg 1970 Did not enter
Iran 1974 First round 10 3 1 0 2 7 4
Thailand 1978 Third place 3 7 5 0 2 16 5
India 1982 Quarter-finals 7 4 2 1 1 4 3
South Korea 1986 8 4 2 1 1 10 7
China 1990 6 4 2 0 2 8 4
Japan 1994 Runners-up 2 7 5 1 1 16 8
Thailand 1998 Third place 3 8 6 0 2 24 7
Total* 7/13 - 37 23 3 11 85 38

* Including 1998 onwards (until 2010)

For 2002 to 2018, see China national under-23 football team

EAFF East Asian Cup[]

Year Result Pos Pld W D* L GF GA
Japan 2003 Third place 3 3 1 0 2 3 4
South Korea 2005 Champions 1 3 1 2 0 5 3
China 2008 Third place 3 3 1 0 2 5 5
Japan 2010 Champions 1 3 2 1 0 5 0
South Korea 2013 Runners-up 2 3 1 2 0 7 6
China 2015 2 3 1 1 1 3 3
Japan 2017 Third place 3 3 0 2 1 4 5
South Korea 2019 Third place 3 3 1 0 2 3 3
Total - 24 8 8 8 35 29

Head-to-head record[]

1924–present[]

As of 20 January 2019[87]

1913–1923[]

All matches before the founding of Chinese Football Association in 1924 are not counted as A-level match by FIFA:

Honours[]

Continental[]

Regional[]

  • EAFF East Asian Cup
    • Winners (2): 2005, 2010
    • Runners-up (1): 2013, 2015
    • Third place (3): 2003, 2008, 2017
  • Dynasty Cup
    • Runners-up (2): 1990, 1998
  • Far Eastern Games
    • Winners (9): 1915, 1917, 1919, 1921, 1923, 1925, 1927, 1930 (shared), 1934
    • Runners-up (1): 1913

Minor tournaments[]

  • China China Cup
    • Third place (1): 2017
  • Malaysia Dunhill Cup
    • Winners (1): 1997
    • Runners-up (1): 1999
  • China Four Nations Tournament
    • Winners (2): Jan. 2000, Sept. 2000
    • Third place (1): 2001
  • Thailand King's Cup
    • Winners (1): 1993
    • Runners-up (1): 2001
    • Third place (1): 1980 (shared)
  • Japan Kirin Cup
    • Third place (1): 1984 (shared)
  • Hong Kong Lunar New Year Cup
    • Winners (1): 1978
    • Runners-up (2): 1989, 1990
  • Singapore Merlion Cup
    • Winners (1): 1986
    • Third place (1): 1983
  • India Nehru Cup
    • Runners-up (4): 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986
    • Third place (1): 1997

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Includes North Vietnam and South Vietnam before 1975.

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External links[]

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