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China national football team facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
This page is about the men's team. For the women's team, see China women's national football team. For the team that represents the Republic of China (also known as Taiwan), see Chinese Taipei national football team.
Quick facts for kids
China
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) 龙之队 (Dragon Team)
Association Chinese Football Association (CFA)
Confederation AFC (Asia)
Sub-confederation EAFF (East Asia)
Head coach Branko Ivanković
Captain Wu Lei
Most caps Li Weifeng (112)
Top scorer Hao Haidong (39)
Home stadium Various
FIFA code CHN
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 72 Increase 4 (7 February 2019)
Highest 37 (December 1998)
Lowest 109 (March 2013)
Elo ranking
Current 77 Decrease 7 (3 March 2019)
Highest 23 (May 1934)
Lowest 92 (October 1992)
First international
As Republic of China (1912–1949)
 Philippines 2–1 China 
(Manila, Philippines; 1 February 1913)
As People's Republic of China (1949–present)
 Finland 4–0 China 
(Helsinki, Finland; 4 August 1952)
Biggest win
 China 19–0 Guam 
(Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; 26 January 2000)
Biggest defeat
 Brazil 8–0 China 
(Recife, Brazil; 10 September 2012)
World Cup
Appearances 1 (first in 2002)
Best result Group stage (2002)
Asian Cup
Appearances 14 (first in 1976)
Best result Runners-up (1984, 2004)
EAFF Championship
Appearances 9 (first in 2003)
Best result Champions (2005, 2010)
China Cup
Appearances 3 (first in 2017)
Best result Third place (2017)

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), also known as China PR by FIFA, represents China in international association football. The team is managed by the Chinese Football Association.

China has won the EAFF East Asian Cup twice, in 2005 and 2010. They were also runners-up at the AFC Asian Cup in 1984 and 2004. The team has played in the FIFA World Cup only once, in 2002.

History of China's Football Team

Early Years (1913–1949)

Chinese olympic football team 1936
The Chinese Olympic football team in 1936.

China's first international football match was in 1913. It was part of the Far Eastern Championship Games in the Philippines. The team was chosen from the winner of the Chinese National Games, which was the South China Football Club.

On February 4, 1913, China played its first game in Manila. They lost 2–1 to the Philippines national football team. Two years later, in 1915, China won their first tournament. They beat the Philippines in a two-game series.

The Chinese Football Association was started in 1924. It joined FIFA in 1931. China and Japan were the first Asian teams to play in the Football at the Summer Olympics. They competed in the Football at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Germany. China lost their first game 2–0 to Great Britain.

After World War II, China played in the Football at the 1948 Summer Olympics. They lost 4–0 to Turkey national football team. After this, the team split into two. One became the People's Republic of China national football team. The other became the Republic of China national football team, later called Chinese Taipei national football team.

Joining the World Stage (1950–1979)

The People's Republic of China's football team played its first official game on August 4, 1952. They lost 4–0 to Finland national football team. In 1958, China stopped playing in FIFA events. This was because FIFA recognized the Republic of China as a separate country.

China only played friendly matches with countries that recognized them. In 1971, the United Nations recognized the People's Republic of China. This helped China rejoin international sports. They became a member of the Asian Football Confederation in 1974. They rejoined FIFA in 1979.

Becoming Asian Underdogs (1980–2009)

China returned to international football at the Football at the 1974 Asian Games. They finished third in the 1976 AFC Asian Cup.

Asian Cup 1984, match Saudi Arabia and China
Chinese players in a match against Saudi Arabia at the 1984 AFC Asian Cup.

In 1980, China tried to qualify for the 1982 FIFA World Cup. They lost a play-off game to New Zealand. In 1985, China needed a draw against Hong Kong to move forward in the 1986 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. But Hong Kong won 2–1, causing riots in Beijing.

China almost qualified for the 1990 FIFA World Cup. They gave up two goals in the last three minutes against Qatar. In 1994, with their first foreign coach, Klaus Schlappner, China did not reach the final qualifying round for the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

After failing to reach the 1998 FIFA World Cup, China hired Serbian coach Bora Milutinović. The team improved a lot. They finished fourth in the 2000 AFC Asian Cup. In the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, China lost only one game and drew one. They won all other games, including a key 1–0 win over Oman. This helped them reach the 2002 FIFA World Cup, their first and only World Cup so far. In the World Cup, China lost all three matches without scoring any goals.

China hosted the 2004 AFC Asian Cup. They lost 3–1 to Japan in the final. This loss made many Chinese fans angry. About 250 million people watched the match, which was a record at the time.

In 2005, China won the 2005 East Asian Football Championship. But their performance in the 2007 AFC Asian Cup was disappointing. They drew with Singapore and lost to Uzbekistan. This led to a lot of criticism. In 2008, China failed to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Recent Challenges (2010–present)

In 2009, Gao Hongbo became the new manager. He tried to change the team's playing style. But he was replaced by José Antonio Camacho in 2011.

Coaches and World Cup Dreams

José Antonio Camacho was hired to help China catch up with teams like Japan and South Korea. However, under his leadership, China had their biggest international defeat. They lost 8–0 to Brazil in 2012. This also caused China's FIFA ranking to drop to its lowest ever (109th).

After a 5–1 loss to Thailand in a friendly match, Camacho was fired. In 2015, China's leader, Xi Jinping, set a goal for the team to be the best in Asia by 2030. He also wanted them to be the best in the world by 2050.

China PR national football team training in Tehran 01
The Chinese national team training in Tehran before a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Iran.

Next, Alain Perrin became coach. He helped China qualify for the knockout stage of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. This was the first time since 2004. They won all three group games but lost to Australia in the quarter-finals.

However, China struggled in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. They drew twice with Hong Kong and lost to Qatar. Perrin was fired. Gao Hongbo returned as coach. He helped the team reach the final qualifying stage for the World Cup. But after four winless matches in that stage, Gao resigned.

Lippi's Time and New Players

THA-CHN 20190120 Asian Cup 22
Chinese players celebrating after winning against Thailand at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup Round of 16.

In 2016, Marcello Lippi became the manager. Under him, China beat South Korea for the first time in a FIFA tournament. However, they did not qualify for the 2018 World Cup.

Lippi also led the team in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. China won two group games and reached the quarter-finals. They lost 3–0 to Iran, and Lippi left the team.

Later, Lippi returned as coach. To make the team stronger, China started allowing foreign-born players to become Chinese citizens and play for the team. Players like Nico Yennaris and Elkeson joined. But even with these new players, China struggled in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification. After a loss to Syria, Lippi resigned again.

New Coaches and World Cup Hopes

Li Tie, a former World Cup player, became head coach in 2020. He led China to win all their remaining games in the second round of World Cup qualifiers. This included a 3–1 win over Syria, which helped them reach the third round.

In the third round, China faced tough teams like Japan, Australia, and Saudi Arabia. They started with two losses. After a few more games, Li Tie was fired in December 2021.

Another former player, Li Xiaopeng, took over. His first game was a 2–0 loss to Japan. On February 1, 2022, China lost 3–1 to Vietnam. This was the first time China had ever lost to Vietnam in football history. This loss ended China's hopes of reaching the 2022 World Cup.

In 2023, Aleksandar Janković became the permanent coach. He aimed to guide China to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. However, on January 1, 2024, China lost 2–1 to Hong Kong in a friendly. This was their first loss to Hong Kong in 39 years. China also failed to score in three straight matches at the AFC Asian Cup and was eliminated. Janković was replaced by Branko Ivanković in February 2024. Under Ivanković, China barely made it to the final round of World Cup qualification.

Team Look and Nicknames

The team is often called the "Dragon Team" (Chinese: 龙之队; pinyin: Lóng zhī duì). Other names include "Team China" (Chinese: 中国队) and "National Team" (Chinese: 国家队), or "Guózú" (Chinese: 国足), which is short for "national football team."

China's home uniform is usually all red with white or yellow details. Their away uniform is often white with red details. For a short time in 1996, they also used an all-blue uniform. Since 2015, Nike has made the team's uniforms. Before that, Adidas made them for many years.

Key Rivalries

China vs. Japan

China has a strong rivalry with Japan. This became very clear after China lost 3–1 to Japan in the 2004 AFC Asian Cup Final at home. Chinese fans were very upset, partly because of the refereeing and strong feelings against Japan at the time. China has not beaten Japan in a FIFA-sanctioned tournament since 2000.

China vs. South Korea

Another big rivalry is with South Korea. For a long time, China could not beat South Korea. From 1978 to 2010, China played 27 matches against South Korea without a single win. This was called "Koreaphobia" by the media. But on February 10, 2010, China finally won 3–0 against South Korea. They went on to win the 2010 East Asian Football Championship.

China vs. Hong Kong

A rivalry with Hong Kong has grown because of political tensions. During the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, Hong Kong fans booed the Chinese national anthem. Both matches ended in 0–0 draws. On January 1, 2024, China lost 2–1 to Hong Kong in a friendly match. This was their first loss to Hong Kong in 39 years.

China vs. Uzbekistan

The rivalry with Uzbekistan has developed more recently. China has often struggled against Uzbekistan. In the final of the Football at the 1994 Asian Games, Uzbekistan surprised China with a 4–2 win. Uzbekistan also beat China 2–0 in their first 1996 AFC Asian Cup match. China has never won against Uzbekistan when playing in Uzbekistan.

Recent Matches and Future Games

Here are some of China's recent match results and upcoming games.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2023

2024

2025

  • 1 : Non FIFA 'A' international match

Coaching Staff

This table shows the current coaching staff for the China national football team.

Source
Position Name
Technical director China Gao Hongbo
Head coach Croatia Branko Ivanković
Assistant coach Croatia Mario Tokić
China Chen Tao
China Zheng Zhi
Goalkeeping coach Croatia Igor Panadic
Conditioning coach China Guo Xiaolei
Fitness coach Croatia Marko Stilinović
Video analysts China Zhang Bin
China Jiang Yong
Match analyst China Sui Han
Technical analyst Iran Farzad Habibollahi
Therapists China Jin Ri
China Jiang Wenyu
China Hang Yanrui
Equipment manager China Wang Yue
Logistics China Yang Hao
China Chen Xi
Press officers China Zheng Chao
China Che Hengzhi
Doctor China Wang Shucheng
Team coordinator China Yuan Jiayang

Players

Current Squad

These are the players recently called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC) match against  Japan on November 19, 2024.

Caps (games played) and goals are correct as of November 14, 2024, after the match against  Bahrain.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Yan Junling (1991-01-28) 28 January 1991 (age 34) 57 0 China Shanghai Port
1GK Wang Dalei (Captain) (1989-01-10) 10 January 1989 (age 36) 38 0 China Shandong Taishan
1GK Liu Dianzuo (1990-06-25) 25 June 1990 (age 34) 4 0 China Wuhan Three Towns
1GK Han Jiaqi (1999-07-03) 3 July 1999 (age 25) 3 0 China Beijing Guoan
2DF Zhu Chenjie (2000-08-23) 23 August 2000 (age 24) 33 1 China Shanghai Shenhua
2DF Jiang Guangtai (1994-05-30) 30 May 1994 (age 31) 32 1 China Shanghai Port
2DF Jiang Shenglong (2000-12-24) 24 December 2000 (age 24) 15 0 China Shanghai Shenhua
2DF Wei Zhen (1997-02-12) 12 February 1997 (age 28) 3 0 China Shanghai Port
2DF Yang Zexiang (1994-12-14) 14 December 1994 (age 30) 3 0 China Shanghai Shenhua
2DF Hu Hetao (2003-10-05) 5 October 2003 (age 21) 2 0 China Chengdu Rongcheng
2DF Wang Zhen'ao (1999-08-10) 10 August 1999 (age 25) 1 0 China Shanghai Port
2DF Han Pengfei (1993-04-28) 28 April 1993 (age 32) 0 0 China Tianjin Jinmen Tiger
3MF Wang Shangyuan (1993-06-02) 2 June 1993 (age 32) 24 1 China Henan FC
3MF Li Yuanyi (1993-08-28) 28 August 1993 (age 31) 7 0 China Shandong Taishan
3MF Xie Wenneng (2001-02-06) 6 February 2001 (age 24) 6 1 China Shandong Taishan
3MF Xu Haoyang (1999-01-15) 15 January 1999 (age 26) 4 0 China Shanghai Shenhua
3MF Cheng Jin (1995-02-18) 18 February 1995 (age 30) 2 0 China Zhejiang Professional
3MF Huang Zhengyu (1997-01-24) 24 January 1997 (age 28) 2 0 China Shandong Taishan
3MF Wang Haijian (2000-08-02) 2 August 2000 (age 24) 2 0 China Shanghai Shenhua
4FW Zhang Yuning (1997-01-05) 5 January 1997 (age 28) 37 8 China Beijing Guoan
4FW Wei Shihao (1995-04-08) 8 April 1995 (age 30) 33 4 China Chengdu Rongcheng
4FW Lin Liangming (1997-06-04) 4 June 1997 (age 28) 15 2 China Beijing Guoan
4FW Wang Ziming (1996-08-05) 5 August 1996 (age 28) 6 0 China Beijing Guoan
4FW Tao Qianglong (2001-11-20) 20 November 2001 (age 23) 2 0 China Wuhan Three Towns
4FW Cao Yongjing (1997-02-15) 15 February 1997 (age 28) 1 0 China Beijing Guoan

Recent Call-ups

These players have also been called up to the squad in the last twelve months.


Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Bao Yaxiong (1997-05-23) 23 May 1997 (age 28) 0 0 China Shanghai Shenhua September 2024 training camp
GK Zhao Bo (1993-09-17) 17 September 1993 (age 31) 0 0 China Zhejiang Professional v.  Singapore, 21 March 2024 PRE
GK Jian Tao (2001-06-22) 22 June 2001 (age 23) 0 0 China Chengdu Rongcheng 2023 AFC Asian Cup
DF Li Lei (1992-05-30) 30 May 1992 (age 33) 17 0 China Beijing Guoan v.  Bahrain, 14 November 2024
DF Gao Zhunyi (1995-08-21) 21 August 1995 (age 29) 18 0 China Shandong Taishan v.  Indonesia, 15 October 2024
DF Liu Yang (1995-06-17) 17 June 1995 (age 29) 32 0 China Shandong Taishan v.  Australia, 10 October 2024
DF Li Shuai (1995-06-18) 18 June 1995 (age 29) 2 0 China Shanghai Port v.  South Korea, 11 June 2024
DF Zhang Linpeng (1989-05-09) 9 May 1989 (age 36) 105 6 China Shanghai Port v.  Singapore, 21 March 2024
DF Deng Hanwen (1995-01-08) 8 January 1995 (age 30) 15 2 China Wuhan Three Towns v.  Singapore, 21 March 2024 PRE
DF Li Ang (1993-09-15) 15 September 1993 (age 31) 8 0 China Shanghai Port v.  Singapore, 21 March 2024 PRE
DF Wu Shaocong (2000-03-20) 20 March 2000 (age 25) 7 0 Turkey İstanbul Başakşehir 2023 AFC Asian Cup
DF Xu Haofeng (1999-01-27) 27 January 1999 (age 26) 4 0 China Henan FC 2023 AFC Asian Cup
MF Xie Pengfei (1993-06-29) 29 June 1993 (age 31) 19 0 China Shanghai Shenhua v.  Thailand, 6 June 2024
MF Gao Tianyi (1998-07-01) 1 July 1998 (age 26) 6 0 China Shanghai Shenhua v.  South Korea, 11 June 2024
MF Dai Wai Tsun (1999-07-25) 25 July 1999 (age 25) 14 0 China Shanghai Shenhua v.  Singapore, 21 March 2024 PRE
MF Li Ke (1993-05-24) 24 May 1993 (age 32) 12 0 China Beijing Guoan v.  Singapore, 21 March 2024 PRE
MF Wang Qiuming (1993-01-09) 9 January 1993 (age 32) 7 1 China Tianjin Jinmen Tiger 2023 AFC Asian Cup
MF Xu Xin (1994-04-19) 19 April 1994 (age 31) 16 1 China Shanghai Port 2023 AFC Asian Cup
MF Wu Xi (1989-02-19) 19 February 1989 (age 36) 90 9 China Shanghai Shenhua 2023 AFC Asian Cup
MF Liu Binbin (1993-06-16) 16 June 1993 (age 31) 21 1 China Shandong Taishan 2023 AFC Asian Cup
MF Chen Pu (1997-01-15) 15 January 1997 (age 28) 7 0 China Shandong Taishan 2023 AFC Asian Cup
FW Behram Abduweli (2003-03-08) 8 March 2003 (age 22) 7 1 China Shenzhen Peng City v.  Bahrain, 14 November 2024
FW Wu Lei (1991-11-19) 19 November 1991 (age 33) 99 36 China Shanghai Port v.  Saudi Arabia, 10 September 2024
FW A Lan (1989-07-10) 10 July 1989 (age 35) 14 3 China Qingdao West Coast v.  Indonesia, 15 October 2024
FW Fei Nanduo (1993-03-16) 16 March 1993 (age 32) 7 1 China Shandong Taishan v.  Australia, 10 October 2024
FW Ai Kesen (1989-07-13) 13 July 1989 (age 35) 19 4 China Chengdu Rongcheng v.  South Korea, 11 June 2024
FW Fang Hao (2000-01-03) 3 January 2000 (age 25) 6 0 China Beijing Guoan v.  South Korea, 11 June 2024
FW Xie Weijun (1997-11-14) 14 November 1997 (age 27) 1 0 China Tianjin Jinmen Tiger v.  South Korea, 11 June 2024
FW Ba Dun (1995-09-16) 16 September 1995 (age 29) 3 1 China Tianjin Jinmen Tiger v.  Singapore, 21 March 2024 PRE
FW Tan Long (1988-04-01) 1 April 1988 (age 37) 20 3 China Changchun Yatai 2023 AFC Asian Cup

INJ Withdrew due to injury
PRE Preliminary squad
RET Retired from the national team
SUS Serving suspension
WD Withdrew due to non-injury related reasons

Player Records

Here are some of the top players in China's football history. Players in bold are still active with the team.

Most Games Played

Li Weifeng
Li Weifeng is China's most capped player with 112 appearances.
Rank Name Caps Goals Career
1 Li Weifeng 112 14 1998–2011
2 Zhu Bo 111 2 1983–1993
3 Fan Zhiyi 110 17 1992–2002
4 Gao Lin 109 22 2005–2019
5 Zheng Zhi 108 15 2002–2019
6 Hao Haidong 106 39 1992–2004
7 Zhang Linpeng 105 6 2009–present
8 Wu Lei 99 36 2010–present
9 Li Ming 96 6 1992–2004
10 Li Tie 93 5 1997–2007

Top Goal Scorers

Rank Name Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Hao Haidong 39 106 0.37 1992–2004
2 Wu Lei 36 99 0.37 2010–present
3 Liu Haiguang 31 77 0.4 1983–1990
4 Ma Lin 29 59 0.49 1985–1990
5 Yang Xu 28 54 0.52 2009–2019
6 Su Maozhen 27 55 0.49 1994–2002
7 Li Jinyu 25 72 0.35 1997–2008
8 Li Bing 22 74 0.3 1992–2001
Gao Lin 22 109 0.2 2005–2019
10 Zhao Dayu 20 30 0.67 1982–1986

Tournament Records

FIFA World Cup

China has only played in one World Cup, the 2002 FIFA World Cup. They finished last in their group.

China's FIFA World Cup record
 Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L F A Pld W D L F A
Uruguay 1930 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
1934 to 1954 Did not enter Declined participation
Sweden 1958 Did not qualify 3 1 1 1 4 5
1962 to 1978 Did not enter Declined participation
Spain 1982 Did not qualify 12 7 2 3 19 8
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 18 7 4 7 39 22
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined 4 2 1 1 8 7
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total Group stage 1/21 3 0 0 3 0 9 130 75 21 34 277 103

AFC Asian Cup

China's AFC Asian Cup record
 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
Qatar 2023 Group stage 18th 3 0 2 1 0 1 8 6 1 1 30 3
Saudi Arabia 2027 To be determined To be determined
Total 13/18 0 Titles 59 23 15 21 88 66 58 39 11 8 166 26


Summer Olympics

China has played in the Summer Olympics football tournament a few times.

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 2020, the Olympic football tournament became an under-23 event. See China national under-23 football team for those results.

Asian Games

China has also competed in the Asian Games football tournament.

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 2022, the Asian Games football tournament became an under-23 event. See China national under-23 football team for those results.

EAFF East Asian Cup

China has often done well in the EAFF East Asian Cup.

Year Result Pld W D* L GF GA
Japan 2003 Third place 3 1 0 2 3 4
South Korea 2005 Champions 3 1 2 0 5 3
China 2008 Third place 3 1 0 2 5 5
Japan 2010 Champions 3 2 1 0 5 0
South Korea 2013 Runners-up 3 1 2 0 7 6
China 2015 Runners-up 3 1 1 1 3 3
Japan 2017 Third place 3 0 2 1 4 5
South Korea 2019 Third place 3 1 0 2 3 3
Japan 2022 Third place 3 1 1 1 1 3
Total 9/9 27 9 9 9 36 32

Team Achievements

China has won several awards and medals in different football competitions.

Continental Awards

  • AFC Asian Cup
    • 2 Runners-up (2 times): 1984, 2004
    • 3 Third place (2 times): 1976, 1992
  • Asian Games
    • 2 Silver medal (1 time): 1994
    • 3 Bronze medal (2 times): 1978, 1998

Regional Awards

  • EAFF E-1 Football Championship
    • 1 Winners (2 times): 2005, 2010
    • 2 Runners-up (2 times): 2013, 2015
    • 3 Third place (5 times): 2003, 2008, 2017, 2019, 2022
  • Far Eastern Games
    • 1 Gold medal (9 times): 1915, 1917, 1919, 1921, 1923, 1925, 1927, 1930 (shared), 1934
    • 2 Silver medal (1 time): 1913
  • Dynasty Cup
    • 2 Runners-up (2 times): 1990, 1998

Friendly Tournament Wins

  • China China Cup
    • 3 Third place (1 time): 2017
  • Malaysia Dunhill Cup
    • 1 Winners (1 time): 1997
    • 2 Runners-up (1 time): 1999
  • China Four Nations Tournament
    • 1 Winners (2 times): January 2000, September 2000
    • 3 Third place (1 time): 2001
  • Thailand King's Cup
    • 1 Winners (1 time): 1993
    • 2 Runners-up (1 time): 2001
    • 3 Third place (1 time): 1980 (shared)
  • Japan Kirin Cup
    • 3 Third place (1 time): 1984 (shared)
  • Hong Kong Lunar New Year Cup
    • 1 Winners (1 time): 1978
    • 2 Runners-up (2 times): 1989, 1990
  • Singapore Merlion Cup
    • 1 Winners (1 time): 1986
    • 3 Third place (1 time): 1983
  • Pakistan Quaid-e-Azam International Cup
    • 1 Winners (1 time): 1986
  • India Nehru Cup
    • 2 Runners-up (4 times): 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986
    • 3 Third place (1 time): 1997

Summary of Awards

Competition 1 2 3 Total
AFC Asian Cup 0 2 2 4
Asian Games 0 1 2 3
EAFF E-1 Football Championship 2 2 5 9
Far Eastern Games 9 1 0 10
Dynasty Cup 0 2 0 2
Total 11 8 9 28

Images for kids

  • Chinese olympic football team 1936

    Chinese Olympic football team in 1936

  • Asian Cup 1984, match Saudi Arabia and China

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

  • China PR national football team training in Tehran 01

    The Chinese national team training in Tehran before a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Iran

  • THA-CHN 20190120 Asian Cup 22

    Chinese players celebrating after winning against Thailand at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup Round of 16

  • Li Weifeng

    Li Weifeng is China's most capped player with 112 appearances.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de China para niños

  • Sport in China
    • Football in China
      • Women's football in China
  • China national football B team
  • China national under-23 football team
  • China national under-20 football team
  • China national under-17 football team
  • China national futsal team
  • China national under-20 futsal team
  • China national beach soccer team
  • China women's national football team
  • Chinese referees in FIFA competitions
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