Chinese Taipei national football team facts for kids
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| Nickname(s) | Blue Wings (藍翼) Formosans (寶島人) |
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| Association | Chinese Taipei Football Association | ||
| Confederation | AFC (Asia) | ||
| Sub-confederation | EAFF (East Asia) | ||
| Head coach | Gary White | ||
| Captain | Chen Po-liang | ||
| Most caps | Chen Po-liang (86) | ||
| Top scorer | Chen Po-liang (25) | ||
| Home stadium | Kaohsiung National Stadium | ||
| FIFA code | TPE | ||
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| FIFA ranking | |||
| Current | 124  (7 February 2019) |
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| Highest | 121 (April–May 2018) | ||
| Lowest | 191 (June 2016) | ||
| Elo ranking | |||
| Current | 194  1 (3 March 2019) |
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| Highest | 60 (September 1965) | ||
| Lowest | 213 (12 March 2015) | ||
| First international | |||
As Republic of China (1912–1949) Philippines 2–1 China  (Manila, Philippines; 1 February 1913) As Republic of China / Chinese Taipei (1949–present)  China 3–2 South Vietnam  (Manila, Philippines; 1 May 1954) |
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| Biggest win | |||
 Guam 0–10 Chinese Taipei  (Taipa, Macau; 17 June 2007) |
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| Biggest defeat | |||
 Kuwait 10–0 Chinese Taipei (Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, 9 November 2006) |
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| Asian Cup | |||
| Appearances | 2 (first in 1960) | ||
| Best result | Third place (1960) | ||
| AFC Challenge Cup | |||
| Appearances | 1 (first in 2006) | ||
| Best result | Quarter-finals (2006) | ||
| Chinese Taipei national football team | |||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 中華台北男子足球代表隊 | ||||||||
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The Chinese Taipei national football team plays for Taiwan (also known as the Republic of China) in international football games. This team is managed by the Chinese Taipei Football Association. While they haven't made it to the FIFA World Cup, they had some great moments in the past. They reached the semi-finals of the 1960 and 1968 AFC Asian Cups, even finishing third in 1960! They also won gold medals at the 1954 and 1958 Asian Games.
Contents
History of Chinese Taipei Football
Early Days and Big Wins (1924–1989)
The Chinese Taipei Football Association (CTFA) started in Mainland China in 1924. It moved to Taiwan in 1949 after the Chinese Civil War. Taiwan joined FIFA, the world football organization, in 1954. Later, in 1982, the team's name changed to "Chinese Taipei."
One of their best achievements was finishing third in the AFC Asian Cup in 1960. The team also played in the 1960 Summer Olympics. However, many players on the team back then were from Hong Kong.
In 1970, a new rule was made: Hong Kong players could no longer play for Taiwan. Since then, Chinese Taipei has not qualified for the FIFA World Cup or the AFC Asian Cup.
Playing in Oceania
Because of political issues with the People's Republic of China, Taiwan (Republic of China) had to change its name and Olympic symbols to "Chinese Taipei." They were also removed from the Asian Football Federation and Asian Games. For a while, from 1975 to 1989, Chinese Taipei was part of the Oceania Football Confederation, which includes countries like Australia and New Zealand.
Back to Asia and Recent Times (1989–Present)
Chinese Taipei rejoined the Asian Football Federation in 1989 and the Olympic Council of Asia in 1990.
In July 2018, Chinese Taipei reached its highest ever FIFA World Ranking at 121st place. This happened when Gary White, a coach from England, was leading the team. White wanted to make the national team better and improve football in Taiwan. He also looked for talented players with Taiwanese family roots from other countries. This plan worked, and players like Tim Chow, Will Donkin, and Emilio Estevez joined the team.
In December 2017, Chinese Taipei hosted the CTFA International Tournament. This was a special competition with teams from Laos, the Philippines, and Timor-Leste. Chinese Taipei won all three of their games, taking home their first official international trophy in 55 years! Li Mao was the top scorer in the tournament.
Gary White had a very successful time, with the team winning 7 FIFA international games in a row. He aimed to help Taiwan qualify for their first AFC Asian Cup since 1968. He joined the team halfway through the qualification games. They almost made it, missing out by just one point. White later left in September 2018 to coach the Hong Kong national team.
After White left, the team's performance dropped. In 2019, they won only one of their nine matches. They were also knocked out early from the qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. They lost badly to strong teams like Australia (1–7), Kuwait (9–0), and Jordan (5–0). After these results, coach Louis Lancaster was replaced by Vom Ca-nhum.
In October 2023, Chinese Taipei played in the first round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification. They beat Timor-Leste 7–0 over two games, moving on to the next round. They are now in a group with Oman, Kyrgyzstan, and Malaysia.
Team Look and Home Ground
Team Kit
Since January 2023, the team's official uniform is made by Entes, a sports brand from Taiwan.
Home Stadium
Chinese Taipei plays its home matches at the Kaohsiung National Stadium. This stadium can hold up to 55,000 people. It was designed by a Japanese architect named Toyo Ito. What's really cool about this stadium is that it uses 1 MW of solar cells to get most of its power. It's shaped like a semi-spiral, like a dragon, and was the first stadium in the world to use solar power technology for its energy needs. The solar panels on the outside can even send extra power back to the city's electricity grid!
The team also used to play at the Taipei Municipal Stadium, which holds 20,000 people. This stadium is now the second choice for national team games. In 2011, a record 15,335 fans came to watch Chinese Taipei play Malaysia there.
Recent Matches
Here are some of the recent games Chinese Taipei has played:
- On November 16, 2023, they lost 3–0 to Oman in a World Cup qualifier.
- On November 21, 2023, they lost 1–0 to Malaysia in another World Cup qualifier.
- On March 21, 2024, they lost 2–0 to Kyrgyzstan in a World Cup qualifier.
- On March 26, 2024, they lost 5–1 to Kyrgyzstan in a World Cup qualifier.
- On June 6, 2024, they lost 3–0 to Oman in a World Cup qualifier.
- On June 11, 2024, they lost 3–1 to Malaysia in a World Cup qualifier.
- On October 11, 2024, they lost 3–2 to Cambodia in a friendly match.
- On November 18, 2024, they won 3–2 against Singapore in a friendly match.
Who Coaches the Team?
The current head coach of the Chinese Taipei national football team is Gary White from England. He works with a team of assistant coaches, a goalkeeping coach, a fitness coach, and other staff members to help the players.
Coaching History
Many different coaches have led the team over the years. Some of them include:
- Lee Wai Tong (1954–1958)
- Chiang Chia (1981–1985)
- Huang Jen-cheng (1988–1993, 2000–2001)
- Toshiaki Imai (2005–2007, 2016)
- Chen Kuei-Jen (2013–2016)
- Gary White (2017–2018, 2023–present)
- Louis Lancaster (2019)
- Vom Ca-Nhum (2020–2021)
Meet the Players
Current Squad
Here are some of the players who were recently called up for the team:
- Goalkeepers: Huang Chiu-lin, Odo Jacobs, Tuan Hsuan
- Defenders: Christopher Tiao, Fong Shao-chi, Huang Tzu-ming, Huang Chun-lin, Wang Chien-ming, Martín Baudelet, William López, Hsieh Ming-you, Chen Ting-yang
- Midfielders: Wu Yen-shu, Lin Chen, Tu Shao-chieh, Chen Po-liang (the team captain!), Kang Tae-won, Tsai Meng-cheng, Emilio Estevez
- Forwards: Liu Chien-wei, Chen Hao-wei, Yu Yao-hsing, Ange Kouamé, Chen Chao-an, Miguel Sandberg, Yang Chen-ying
Player Records
The players listed below are the ones who have played the most games (most appearances) or scored the most goals (top goalscorers) for Chinese Taipei. Players whose names are in bold are still playing for the team.
- Most Appearances:
- Chen Po-liang (86 games)
- Wu Chun-ching (66 games)
- Chen Yi-wei (61 games)
- Chen Ting-yang (60 games)
- Chen Hao-wei (52 games)
- Top Goalscorers:
- Chen Po-liang (25 goals)
- Wu Chun-ching (12 goals)
- Chang Han (10 goals)
- Chu En-le (9 goals)
- Lo Chih-an (9 goals)
Team Achievements
Chinese Taipei has won some important awards and tournaments:
- AFC Asian Cup:
- Third place in 1960
- Asian Games:
- Gold medal in 1954 and 1958
- Friendly Tournaments:
- Winners of the CTFA International Tournament in 2017
Images for kids
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The flag of Chinese Taipei, used by the football team.
See Also
In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de China Taipéi para niños
- List of Taiwanese footballers
- Chinese Taipei national futsal team
- Chinese Taipei women's national football team
