China national football team

China PR
Nickname(s) 龙之队 Lóngzhī Duì
(Team Dragon)
Association Chinese Football Association
Sub-confederation EAFF (East Asia)
Confederation AFC (Asia)
Head coach Gao Hongbo
Captain Zhang Linpeng
Most caps Li Weifeng (112)
Top scorer Hao Haidong (41)
Home stadium Workers Stadium
FIFA code CHN
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 81 Steady (5 May 2016)
Highest 37 (December 1998)
Lowest 109 (March 2013)
Elo ranking
Current 71 (14 February 2016)
Highest 18 (27 May 1930)
Lowest 80 (December 2008)
First international
 Philippines 0–1 Republic of China Republic of China (1912–49)
(Manila, Philippines; 1 February 1913)[1]
Biggest win
China China PR 19–0 Guam 
(Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; 26 January 2000)
Biggest defeat
 Brazil 8–0 China PR China
(Recife, Brazil; 10 September 2012)
World Cup
Appearances 1 (First in 2002)
Best result Group stage: 2002
Asian Cup
Appearances 11 (First in 1976)
Best result Runners-up: 1984, 2004

The Chinese national football team (Chinese: 中国国家足球队; pinyin: Zhōngguó Guójiā Zúqiú Duì), recognized as China PR by FIFA, is the national association football team of the People's Republic of China and is governed by the Chinese Football Association. The team is colloquially referred to as "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; literally: "national football team").

The team was founded in 1924 by the Republic of China and joined FIFA in 1931. Following the Chinese Civil War, the Chinese Football Association was formed in the newly founded People's Republic of China. They remained affiliated with FIFA until 1958, when they withdrew, but they rejoined the organization in 1979.

China has won the EAFF East Asian Cup twice in 2005 and 2010 and have been runners-up at the AFC Asian Cup twice in 1984 and 2004. Although China failed to score a goal in their FIFA World Cup debut appearance during the 2002 FIFA World Cup, losing all their matches, qualifying for the tournament has been considered the greatest accomplishment in the country's football history.

Although modern football lacks a long history in China, there were an estimated 250 million viewers for the 2004 AFC Asian Cup Final, which China lost 3-1 to arch-rivals Japan, the largest single-event sports audience in the country's history at that time.[2]

History

1924–1949

The Chinese Football Association was founded in 1924 and has been affiliated with the FIFA since 1931.[3]

1949-1978

China, under the newly instated People's Republic of China, played their first match on 4 August 1952 against Finland,[4] with Finland being one of the first nations to hold diplomatic relations with China.

For nearly thirty years, China primarily only played friendly matches with nations that recognized the country such as Albania, Burma, Cambodia, Guinea, Hungary, Mongolia, North Korea, North Vietnam, Pakistan, Sudan, the Soviet Union, and the United Arab Republic.[4] However, they also participated in the 1958 FIFA World Cup qualification where they lost to Indonesia on goal average.

1978–2002

During the late 1980s, Chinese football began to grow in popularity through the introduction of televisions in Chinese households. Previously, the most popular international sports in China were badminton and table tennis.

In 1980, China participated in the 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification for a berth in the 1982 FIFA World Cup, but they lost a play-off game against New Zealand. During the 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification for the 1986 FIFA 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 between local fans. During the 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification for the 1990 FIFA World Cup, China again reached the final round of qualifying but lost to Qatar in their final group match. During the 1994 FIFA World Cup for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, they failed to reach the final round of qualifying, coming second behind Iraq. China was on the verge of making it through the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification for the 1998 FIFA World Cup but lost crucial matches at home against Qatar and Iran. In 1987 the first Chinese footballers moved abroad, they were national team players Xie Yuxin who joined FC Zwolle (Netherlands), Gu Guangming who joined SV Darmstadt 98 (Germany), and Jia Xiuquan and Liu Haiguang both joined FK Partizan (Yugoslavia).[5]

On 26 January 2000, China beat Guam 19–0 during the 2000 Asian Cup qualification which was the world record for the largest victory margin in an international football match at the time; however, the record was broken by Kuwait nineteen days later.

On 7 October 2001, China, under the direction of manager Bora Milutinović, advanced to the 2002 FIFA World Cup which was the first time China had ever qualified for the FIFA World Cup. However, they failed to score a single goal at the tournament, lost all three group matches, and were subsequently eliminated in the group stage.

2002–2009

China national football team

The players of the Chinese national team prior to taking on Australia in a World Cup qualification game on 22 June 2008. The match was played at Stadium Australia in Sydney.
Traditional Chinese 中國國家足球隊
Simplified Chinese 中国国家足球队
Nickname
Traditional Chinese 萬里長城
Simplified Chinese 万里长城
Literal meaning The Great Wall

From 2004, Chinese Football Association started to limit the brands of football boots in team China. They stipulated that all the players of the Chinese national team must wear the boots of their sponsors Adidas,[6] which bought bad effects towards China. In November 2004, China failed to advance through the preliminary qualification stage for the 2006 World Cup, losing out to Kuwait on goal difference,despite China's seven goals against Hong Kong in the last qualifying match. Manager Arie Haan was later replaced by Zhu Guanghu after the qualification process.

In August 2005, China won the 2005 East Asian Football Championship, its first ever international title, with a 1–1 draw against South Korea, 2–2 draw against Japan, and a 2–0 win against North Korea.

During the qualification process for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup in 2006, 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,[7] 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.[8][9]

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 immense criticism on online communities which condemned the manager, the players, and even the Chinese Football Association. Zhu was later replaced as manager by Vladimir Petrović after the poor performances. Some commented that China's reliance on foreign managers for the past decade had been an indicator of its poor domestic manager development.[10]

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.

Gao Hongbo era

In April 2009, China appointed the young 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."[11]

Under Gao, China drew its first game against Germany 1–1 in May 2009. Afterwards, China were able to gain 13 points in the during the qualification process for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup. This led to a revival in interest amongst some Chinese football fans as China had also won 1–0 against France in June 2010 as well as holding 2010 FIFA World Cup quarter-finalists Paraguay to a 1–1 draw in September 2010. This led to some supporters even thinking that reaching the semifinals of the 2011 AFC Asian Cup was possible; however, China were knocked out in the group stages during the 2011 AFC Asian Cup. This led to some discontent amongst Chinese fans and it seemed that this was the reason that eventually led to the sacking of Gao as manager by the Chinese Football Association. Although Gao's winning percentage (65%) was the highest for a Chinese manager since Nian Weisi (67.86%) as well as the team having not lost since the end of the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, this was still not enough to convince the Chinese Football Association of replacing Gao. In August 2011, he was formally sacked as manager and replaced by José Antonio Camacho, less than a month before the qualification process for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

But corruption still remained a major problem in Chinese football and in 2010, Wei admitted that, "Chinese football has degraded to an intolerable level. It has hurt the feelings of fans and Chinese people at large." He also added that he was confident in being able to aid Chinese men's and women's football return to the leading status in Asia and world respectively in the future. Wei pointed out six major problems which had caused the "huge slump" of Chinese football in the past few years while he dissected the dwindling pool of youth player selection as being a big problem along with unhealthy professional leagues affected by gambling and match-fixing scandals.[11][12]

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.[13] Wei Di, the chief of the Chinese Football Association, 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."[14]

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."[14]

However, China failed to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, after only finishing third place in the third round of qualifying during the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification, with three wins and three losses out of six games played.

In June 2012, during a friendly match against Spain, many football experts and pundits alike expected Spain to easily steamroll China. However, many critics were stunned to find China and Spain still deadlocked 0–0 until the 84th minute when a goal from David Silva won the match 1–0 for Spain. Even though they lost, this performance was viewed highly in the media. However, disappointment would soon strike again two months later when China faced Sweden in a friendly only to lose 1–0 with the lone goal coming minutes after the second half. Several months later, Camacho managed a youthful team to an 8–0 loss against Brazil on 10 September 2012 which would go on record as China's worst ever international defeat in the team's history. This massive loss also succumbed China to their worst ever FIFA ranking (109th).[15] It was the worst defeat for China since their loss to the United States in 1992.

After a disappointing qualification process for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Camacho led China during their qualification process for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup where in the first group match China lost 2–1 to Saudi Arabia.[16] Camacho then managed China on 15 June 2013 against Thailand in a shocking 5–1 loss to a team ranked 142 and 47 places below China. This embarrassing loss then saw Camacho subsequently sacked a week as manager after immense pressure from the media with Fu Bo assigned as the caretaker.

Alain Perrin era

After Alain Perrin was announced as the new manager in March 2014, China continued through the qualification process for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, qualifying for the tournament by being the best third-placed team. Before the start of Asian Cup, Chinese Football Association ended the partnership with Adidas, and abolished the limitation on the brands of football boots.[17] It brought good effect to team China, they won their first group match of the tournament 1–0 against Saudi Arabia through a deflected free kick from Yu Hai. They won their second group match 2–1 against Uzbekistan and subsequently qualified for the knockout stage as the group winner. This was the first time in eleven years that China were not eliminated during the group stage. China won 2–1 against North Korea in their final group match; however, the team was knocked out by in a 2–0 loss against Australia during the quarterfinals.

Limitation on football boots

However, in May 2015, Chinese Football Association stipulated that all the players of team China must wear the football boots of the sponsor Nike if other brands do not pay money to CFA.[18] But some players of team China are spokesmen of other brands (Zheng Zhi, Yu Dabao, Wu Xi, Yang Xu and Yu Hai), so they must change their familiar boots when they played for national team. It brought bad effect to team China. In the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification, China fell behind Hong Kong after 6 matches.

Gao Hongbo returns

After Perrin was sacked for the team's poor performance at the 2018 World Cup qualifications, former coach Gao Hongbo volunteers himself to be the next head coach, stating that it was his mission as a football coach to help the national team when it needs help. He was appointed the team's coach on 3 February 2016.

In his first two matches, and also China's last matches to qualify for the last round of 2018 FIFA World Cup, Gao Hongbo and the Team Dragon created one of the most miraculous stories in their qualification history. China continued their journey by beating Maldives 4–0 at home; therefore they took the second position back from Hong Kong due to Qatar's 2–0 win over Hong Kong. In the last match, China must win Qatar while waiting North Korea, Jordan, Syria, Oman, the UAE and Iraq (Kuwait is being banned) to fail to defend their positions. China beat Qatar 2–0, and due to Socceroos's 5–1 thrash over Jordan and North Korea's shocking 2–3 loss to the Philippines, China managed to qualify to the last round of the 2018 World Cup qualification in Asian zone, as the last of top four teams. They also earned a ticket to qualify direct to the 2019 AFC Asian Cup held in the UAE. Later, Oman also failed to defend their positions after losing 0–2 to Iran.

Stadium

The Worker's Stadium (simplified Chinese: 工人体育场; traditional Chinese: 工人體育場; pinyin: Gōngrén Tǐyùcháng) is a multi-purpose stadium in Beijing with a capacity of 70,161. It was built in 1959 and was last renovated in 2004. It is mostly used for football matches and was the main venue for the 1990 Asian Games where the opening and closing ceremonies took place.

Also used frequently by the team is the Kunming Tuodong Sports Center which is a multi-purpose stadium in Kunming. The stadium has a capacity of approximately 40,000. It has been used several times for international friendlies since 2010 and was chosen as the home ground for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification.

Kit

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.[19] The team has also started to use cooling vests in certain warmer climates.[20] After decades of having Adidas producing the team's kits, China's current kit has been produced and manufactured by Nike since 2015.

Kit provider

Manufacturer Period
Germany Adidas 1984–2014
United States Nike 2015–present

Rivalries

Traditionally, China's greatest rival has been Japan.[21] This was exemplified after Japan beat China 3–1 in the 2004 AFC Asian Cup Final when Chinese fans began to riot near the north gate of the Worker's Stadium.[22] 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 2015 East Asian Cup where the two sides drew 1–1. China went on to finish as runners-up in the tournament, while Japan finished 4th.

Another well known rivalry is also with fellow neighbour South Korea. China played 27 matches against South Korea between 1978 and 2010, a span of 32 years, without winning a single match (11 draws and 16 losses). 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.

A new rivalry with Hong Kong has been created due to poltical tension. 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.

Media coverage

Home and away matches are typically shown on CCTV-5, CCTV-5+, GDTV-Sports, STV-Sports, BTV-6, and several other local sports channels in mainland China.

Coaching staff

Position Name Nationality
Head coach Gao Hongbo  Chinese
Assistant coaches Ou Chuliang  Chinese
Fu Bo  Chinese
Goalkeeper coach Ou Chuliang  Chinese
Management Li Tie  Chinese
Tactics analyst Yu Yue  Chinese
Technical employee Li Haipeng  Chinese

Players

Current squad

Match Date: 24 March 2016 Opposition:  Maldives
Match Date: 29 March 2016 Opposition:  Qatar
Caps and goals correct as of: 29 March 2016

0#0 Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Zeng Cheng（曾诚） (1987-01-08) 8 January 1987 33 0 China Guangzhou Evergrande
1GK Wang Dalei（王大雷） (1989-01-10) 10 January 1989 22 0 China Shandong Luneng
1GK Yan Junling（颜骏凌） (1991-01-28) 28 January 1991 2 0 China Shanghai SIPG
2DF Du Wei（杜威） (1982-02-09) 9 February 1982 68 4 China Hebei China Fortune
2DF Feng Xiaoting（冯潇霆） (1985-10-22) 22 October 1985 50 0 China Guangzhou Evergrande
2DF Zhang Linpeng（张琳芃） (1989-05-09) 9 May 1989 49 5 China Guangzhou Evergrande
2DF Ren Hang（任航） (1989-02-23) 23 February 1989 24 0 China Jiangsu Suning
2DF Li Xuepeng（李学鹏） (1988-09-18) 18 September 1988 19 0 China Guangzhou Evergrande
2DF Li Ang（李昂） (1993-09-15) 15 September 1993 2 0 China Jiangsu Suning
2DF Zhao Mingjian（赵明剑） (1987-11-22) 22 November 1987 2 0 China Shandong Luneng
2DF Wang Shenchao（王燊超） (1989-02-08) 8 February 1989 0 0 China Shanghai SIPG
2DF Ding Haifeng（丁海峰） (1991-07-17) 17 July 1991 0 0 China Hebei China Fortune
3MF Yu Hai（于海） (1987-06-04) 4 June 1987 60 10 China Shanghai SIPG
3MF Hao Junmin（蒿俊闵） (1987-03-24) 24 March 1987 54 11 China Shandong Luneng
3MF Wu Xi（吴曦） (1989-02-19) 19 February 1989 35 2 China Jiangsu Suning
3MF Wu Lei（武磊） (1991-11-19) 19 November 1991 34 7 China Shanghai SIPG
3MF Huang Bowen（黄博文） (1987-07-13) 13 July 1987 33 3 China Guangzhou Evergrande
3MF Zhang Chengdong（张呈栋） (1989-02-09) 9 February 1989 21 0 China Beijing Guoan
3MF Cai Huikang（蔡慧康） (1989-10-10) 10 October 1989 17 0 China Shanghai SIPG
3MF Zhang Xizhe（张稀哲） (1991-01-23) 23 January 1991 12 3 China Beijing Guoan
3MF Yin Hongbo（尹鸿博） (1989-10-30) 30 October 1989 0 0 China Henan Jianye
4FW Gao Lin（郜林） (1986-02-14) 14 February 1986 86 18 China Guangzhou Evergrande
4FW Yang Xu（杨旭） (1987-02-12) 12 February 1987 44 22 China Shandong Luneng
4FW Yu Dabao（于大宝） (1988-04-18) 18 April 1988 37 14 China Beijing Guoan
4FW Jiang Ning（姜宁） (1986-09-01) 1 September 1986 30 5 China Hebei China Fortune

Recent call-ups

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

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Du Jia (1993-05-01) 1 May 1993 0 0 China Tianjin Teda v.  Maldives, 24 March 2016 PRE
DF Yu Yang (1989-08-06) 6 August 1989 8 0 China Guangzhou R&F 2015 EAFF East Asian Cup
DF Rao Weihui (1989-03-25) 25 March 1989 3 0 China Guizhou Renhe 2015 EAFF East Asian Cup
DF Lei Tenglong (1991-01-17) 17 January 1991 1 0 China Beijing Guoan v.  Maldives, 24 March 2016 PRE
DF Wang Tong (1993-02-12) 12 February 1993 1 0 China Shandong Luneng v.  Maldives, 24 March 2016 PRE
DF Jiang Zhipeng (1989-03-06) 6 March 1989 14 0 China Guangzhou R&F v.  Hong Kong, 3 September 2015
DF Liu Jianye (1987-06-17) 17 June 1987 45 0 China Jiangsu Sainty v.  Maldives, 8 September 2015
DF Ji Xiang (1990-03-01) 1 March 1990 8 0 China Jiangsu Suning v.  Qatar, 8 October 2015
DF Mei Fang (1989-11-14) 14 November 1989 19 1 China Guangzhou Evergrande v.  Hong Kong, 17 November 2015
DF Zou Zheng (1988-02-07) 7 February 1988 3 0 China Guangzhou Evergrande v.  Hong Kong, 17 November 2015
DF Jin Yangyang (1993-02-03) 3 February 1993 0 0 China Hebei China Fortune v.  Maldives, 24 March 2016 PRE
MF Song Boxuan (1989-09-16) 16 September 1989 1 0 China Beijing Guoan v.  Bhutan, 16 June 2015
MF Liu Binbin (1993-06-16) 16 June 1993 4 0 China Shandong Luneng 2015 EAFF East Asian Cup
MF Zhang Chiming (1989-01-07) 7 January 1989 3 0 China Beijing Guoan 2015 EAFF East Asian Cup
MF Sun Ke (1989-08-26) 26 August 1989 30 7 China Tianjin Quanjian v.  Maldives, 24 March 2016 PRE
MF Zheng Long (1988-04-15) 15 April 1988 10 4 China Guangzhou Evergrande v.  Qatar, 8 October 2015
MF Yu Hanchao (1987-02-25) 25 February 1987 43 8 China Guangzhou Evergrande v.  Maldives, 24 March 2016 PRE
MF Wang Yongpo (1987-01-19) 19 January 1987 14 7 China Shandong Luneng v.  Hong Kong, 17 November 2015
MF Zheng Zhi (1980-08-20) 20 August 1980 92 15 China Guangzhou Evergrande v.  Hong Kong, 17 November 2015
MF Xu Xin (1994-04-19) 19 April 1994 0 0 China Guangzhou Evergrande v.  Maldives, 24 March 2016 PRE
FW Bi Jinhao (1991-01-05) 5 January 1991 1 0 China Shanghai Shenhua v.  Hong Kong, 17 November 2015
FW Zhang Yuning (1997-01-05) 5 January 1997 0 0 Netherlands Vitesse v.  Maldives, 24 March 2016 PRE

Previous squads

FIFA World Cup squads
AFC Asian Cup squads
Olympic Games squads
EAFF East Asian Cup squads

Recent and forthcoming fixtures

2015

2016

2017

Competitive record

All-time results

As of 17 November 2015; counted for the FIFA A-level matches only.[26]
Nations First Played P W D L GF GA GD Confederation
 Afghanistan 1984110060+6 AFC
 Albania 19731010110 UEFA
 Algeria 2004110010+1 CAF
 Andorra 20041010000 UEFA
 Argentina 1984110010+1 CONMEBOL
 Australia 198394141015−5 AFC
 Bahrain 19866330148+6 AFC
 Bangladesh 19805500150+15 AFC
 Bhutan 20152200180+18 AFC
 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1997110030+3 UEFA
 Botswana 2009110041+3 CAF
 Brazil 20023012012−12 CONMEBOL
 Brunei 19753300221+21 AFC
 Cambodia 19636600243+21 AFC
 Canada 1984320187+1 CONCACAF
 Chile 20031010000 CONMEBOL
 Colombia 1995110021+1 CONMEBOL
 DR Congo 1977110032+1 CAF
 Costa Rica 2002512268−2 CONCACAF
 Cuba 1971110010+1 CONCACAF
 Egypt 1963201102−2 CAF
 El Salvador 20081010220 CONCACAF
 England[27] 1936200205−5 UEFA
 Estonia 2003220040+4 UEFA
 Fiji 1975110041+3 OFC
 Finland 1952400467−1 UEFA
 France 2006210123−1 UEFA
 Germany 2005201112−1 UEFA
 Ghana 20121010110 CAF
 Guam 20001100190+19 AFC
 Guinea 1965321083+5 CAF
 Haiti 2003201156−1 CONCACAF
 Honduras 2006311131+2 CONCACAF
 Hong Kong 1975191162326+26 AFC
 Hungary 2004110021+1 UEFA
 India 195611740175+12 AFC
 Indonesia 1934141121348+26 AFC
 Iran 19762045111835−17 AFC
 Iraq 1976166281718−1 AFC
 Italy 1986100102−2 UEFA
 Jamaica 1977330050+5 CONCACAF
 Japan 1925259893835+3 AFC
 Jordan 198411641248+16 AFC
 Kazakhstan 1997220051+4 UEFA
 Kenya 1984100101−1 CAF
 North Korea 19592011452816+12 AFC
 South Korea 197828110171838−20 AFC
 Kuwait 1975188552416+8 AFC
 Kyrgyzstan 2009110030+3 AFC
 Laos 20112200133+10 AFC
 Latvia 2010110010+1 UEFA
 Lebanon 19985410131+12 AFC
 Macau 19785500222+20 AFC
 Macedonia 2004532040+4 UEFA
 Malaysia 1976131021346+28 AFC
 Maldives 20013300141+13 AFC
 Mali 1966210153+2 CAF
 Mexico 1987300327−5 CONCACAF
 Morocco 1977211065+1 CAF
 Myanmar 19578602274+23 AFC
   Nepal 1972110062+4 AFC
 Netherlands 1996200204−4 UEFA
 New Zealand 1975143561315−2 OFC
 Norway 1992110021+1 UEFA
 Oman 19985302105+5 AFC
 Pakistan 19638521238+15 AFC
 Palestine 2006431071+6 AFC
 Papua New Guinea 1985211052+3 OFC
 Paraguay 1996311134−1 CONMEBOL
 Peru 1978210143+1 CONMEBOL
 Philippines 19137701344+30 AFC
 Poland 1984200202−2 UEFA
 Portugal 2002100102−2 UEFA
 Qatar 1978156451914+5 AFC
 Republic of Ireland 1984200202−2 UEFA
 Romania 1984200225−3 UEFA
 Russia 1959100101−1 UEFA
 Saudi Arabia 1978187472122−1 AFC
 Senegal 1972211052+3 CAF
 Serbia 2000300305−5 UEFA
 Sierra Leone 1974110041+3 CAF
 Singapore 1984121020306+24 AFC
 Slovenia 20021010000 UEFA
 Somalia 19722200105+5 CAF
 Spain 2005200204−4 UEFA
 Sri Lanka 1972220042+2 AFC
 Sudan 1957110041+3 CAF
 Sweden 2001301226−4 UEFA
  Switzerland 2006100114−3 UEFA
 Syria 19669612217+14 AFC
 Tajikistan 1997431081+7 AFC
 Tanzania 19663210158+7 CAF
 Thailand 19751913335017+33 AFC
 Trinidad and Tobago 2001110030+3 CONCACAF
 Tunisia 20151010110 CAF
 Turkey 1948200207−7 UEFA
 Turkmenistan 19944310103+7 AFC
 United Arab Emirates 198411452168+8 AFC
 United States 19778125717−10 CONCACAF
 Uruguay 1982612329−7 CONMEBOL
 Uzbekistan 1994104151316−3 AFC
 Venezuela 1978110010+1 CONMEBOL
 Vietnam 19976600203+17 AFC
 Yemen 1988421151+4 AFC
 Zambia 19721010330 CAF
 Zimbabwe 1997110031+2 CAF

Competition history

FIFA World Cup record

FIFA World Cup record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 Did Not Enter
Italy 1934
France 1938
Brazil 1950
Switzerland 1954
Sweden 1958 Did not qualify
Chile 1962 Did not enter
England 1966
Mexico 1970
West Germany 1974
Argentina 1978
Spain 1982 Did not qualify
Mexico 1986
Italy 1990
United States 1994
France 1998
South Korea Japan 2002 Group stage 31st 3 0 0 3 0 9
Germany 2006 Did not qualify
South Africa 2010
Brazil 2014
Russia 2018 To be determined
Qatar 2022
Total Group stage 1/20 3 0 0 3 0 9

AFC Asian Cup record

AFC Asian Cup record
Year Round Position P W D L F A
Hong Kong 1956 to Thailand 1972Did not enter
Iran 1976Third place3rd411224
Kuwait 1980Group stage7th411295
Singapore 1984Runners-up2nd6402114
Qatar 1988Fourth place4th622275
Japan 1992Third place3rd513166
United Arab Emirates 1996Quarterfinals8th410367
Lebanon 2000Fourth place4th6222117
China 2004Runners-up2nd6321136
Indonesia Malaysia Thailand Vietnam 2007Group stage9th311176
Qatar 2011Group stage9th311144
Australia 2015Quarterfinals7th430154
United Arab Emirates 2019Qualified-------
Total 12/16 0 Titles 51 20 13 18 81 58

Olympic Games record

Year Result Pos P W D L F A
1900 to 1928Did not enter-------
Germany 1936First round12100102
United Kingdom 1948First round14100104
1952 to 1956Withdrew after qualifying-000000
1960 to 1976Did not enter-------
1980 to 1984Did not qualify-------
South Korea 1988First round14301205
Total*4/25-8026117

* Including 1988 onwards

For 1992 to 2012, see China national under-23 football team

Asian Games record

Year Result Pos P W D L F A
1951 to 1970Did not enter-------
1974First round10310274
1978Third place37502165
1982Quarterfinals7421143
1986Quarterfinals84211107
1990Quarterfinals6420284
1994Runners-up27511168
1998Third place38602247
Total*10/16-493141410750

* Including 1998 onwards (until 2010)

For 2002 to 2014, see China national under-23 football team

EAFF East Asian Cup record

Year Result Pos P W D L F A
Japan 2003Third place3310234
South Korea 2005Champions1312053
China 2008Third place3310255
Japan 2010Champions1321050
South Korea 2013Runners-up2312076
China 2015Runners-up2311133
Total-187652821

Far Eastern Championship Games record

Year Result Pos P W D L F A
Philippines 1913Runners-up2nd210122
Republic of China (1912–49) 1915Champions1st312021
Japan 1917Champions1st220080
Philippines 1919Champions1st320153
Republic of China (1912–49) 1921Champions1st220051
Japan 1923Champions1st220081
Philippines 1925Champions1st220071
Republic of China (1912–49) 1927Champions1st220082
Japan 1930Champions1st211083
Philippines 1934Champions1st330073
Total 10/10 9 Titles 23 18 3 2 60 17

Statistics

Most capped players

  Still active national team players are highlighted
As of 17 November 2015, the ten players with the most appearances for China are:[28][29]
# Name Career Caps Goals
1 Li Weifeng 1998–2011 112 14
2 Hao Haidong 1992–2004 107 41
3 Fan Zhiyi 1992–2002 106 17
4 Li Tie 1997–2010 92 6
5 Zheng Zhi 2002–present 92 15
6 Ma Mingyu 1996–2002 86 12
Li Ming 1992–2004 86 8
Zhu Bo 1983–1993 86 1
9 Gao Lin 2005–present 86 18
10 Sun Jihai 1996–2008 80 1

Top goalscorers

As of 17 November 2015, the ten highest goalscorers for China are:[29][30]
# Player Career Goals (caps) Ratio
1 Hao Haidong 1992–2004 41 0(107) 0.383
2 Su Maozhen 1994–2002 27 0(53) 0.509
3 Li Jinyu 1997–2008 24 0(70) 0.342
4 Yang Xu 2009–present 22 0(44) 0.500
5 Ma Lin 1985–1990 21 0(45) 0.467
6 Liu Haiguang 1983–1990 20 0(58) 0.345
7 Zhao Dayu 1982–1986 19 0(29) 0.655
Li Bing 1992–2001 19 0(67) 0.283
9 Qu Bo 2001–2013 18 0(78) 0.231
Gao Lin 2005–present 18 0(86) 0.212
10 Fan Zhiyi 1992–2002 17 0(106) 0.160

List of managers

1930–1948

China went without a manager until 1930 and the establishment of the national team only occurred when it came to international sporting events.

# Name Game Record
1 Republic of China (1912–49)Hong Kong Tong Fuk Cheung 1930 Far Eastern Games Champions
2 Republic of China (1912–49)Hong Kong Lee Wai Tong[31] 1934 Far Eastern Games Champions
3 Hong Kong Ngan Shing Kwan 1936 Summer Olympics First round
4 Republic of China (1912–49)Hong Kong Lee Wai Tong (2nd time) 1948 Summer Olympics First round

1951–present

As of 17 November 2015
# Name Period Played Won Drawn Lost GF GA Win % Achievements
1 China Li Fenglou 1951–1952 1 0 0 1 0 4 00.00%
2 China Ke Lun 1956 1 1 0 0 1 0 100.00%
3 China Dai Linjing 1957 4 1 1 2 5 7 25.00%
4 China Chen Chengda 1958–1962 7 4 0 3 14 8 57.14%
5 China Nian Weisi 1963 13 7 3 3 26 11 53.85%
6 China Fang Renqiu 1964 0 0 0 0 0 0 00.00%
7 China Nian Weisi (2nd time) 1965–1973 28 19 6 3 97 40 67.86%
8 China Nian Weisi (3rd time) 1974–1976 27 14 5 8 58 40 51.85% Third place at the 1976 AFC Asian Cup
9 China Zhang Honggen 1977 10 6 1 3 20 12 60.00%
10 China Nian Weisi (4th time) 1978 14 8 1 5 25 12 57.14% Bronze medal at the 1978 Asian Games
11 China Zhang Honggen (2nd time) 1979 0 0 0 0 0 0 00.00%
12 China Nian Weisi (5th time) 1980 5 2 2 1 11 4 40.00%
13 China Su Yongshun 1980–1982 20 9 5 6 20 18 45.00%
14 China Zhang Honggen (3rd time) 1982 10 3 5 2 11 10 30.00%
15 China Zeng Xuelin 1983–1985 42 24 6 12 99 35 57.14% Runners-up of the 1984 AFC Asian Cup
16 China Nian Weisi (6th time) 1985–1986 26 14 7 5 44 24 53.85%
17 China Gao Fengwen 1986–1990 56 27 13 16 112 40 48.21% Fourth place at the 1988 AFC Asian Cup
18 China Xu Genbao 1991–1992 0 0 0 0 0 0 00.00%
* China Chen Xirong (caretaker) 1992 5 3 0 2 9 10 60.00%
19 Germany Klaus Schlappner 1992–1993 25 9 6 10 35 27 36.00% Third place at the 1992 AFC Asian Cup
20 China Qi Wusheng 1994–1997 55 27 13 15 97 60 49.09% Silver medal at the 1994 Asian Games
21 England Bobby Houghton 1997–1999 17 10 3 4 36 15 58.82% Bronze medal at the 1998 Asian Games
* China Jin Zhiyang (caretaker) 2000 5 5 0 0 31 0 100.00%
22 Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Bora Milutinović 2000–2002 46 20 11 15 75 50 43.48% Group stage of the 2002 FIFA World Cup
Fourth place at the 2000 AFC Asian Cup
* China Shen Xiangfu (caretaker) 2002 3 1 2 0 5 3 33.33%
23 Netherlands Arie Haan 2002–2004 30 17 7 6 52 22 56.67% Runners-up of the 2004 AFC Asian Cup
24 China Zhu Guanghu 2005–2007 27 9 6 12 35 37 33.33% Winners of the 2005 East Asian Football Championship
25 Serbia Vladimir Petrović 2007–2008 18 6 7 5 28 16 33.33% Third place at the 2008 East Asian Football Championship
* China Yin Tiesheng (caretaker) 2008–2009 6 2 0 4 11 12 33.33%
26 China Gao Hongbo 2009–2011 38 24 10 4 65 31 63.16% Winners of the 2010 East Asian Football Championship
27 Spain José Antonio Camacho 2011–2013 20 7 2 11 23 31 35.00%
* China Fu Bo (caretaker) 2013–2014 9 4 4 1 18 11 44.44% Runners-up of the 2013 EAFF East Asian Cup
28 France Alain Perrin 2014–2016 25 11 10 4 45 18 44.00%
29 China Gao Hongbo (2nd time) 2016– 2 2 0 0 6 0 100%

Honours

Continental

Regional

References

  1. ↑ "China matches, ratings and points exchanged". World Football Elo Ratings: China. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  2. ↑ "Asian Cup final smashes viewing records". The AFC. 2007-10-18. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. ↑ "China PR". FIFA.
  4. 1 2 "China National Football Team Database". China National Football Team Database. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
  5. ↑ Saga over As Dong Joins Man Utd at china.org.cn, 18 January 2007, Retrieved 5 April 2012
  6. ↑ "‘阿迪达斯’进入国奥训练场 ‘球鞋风波’告一段落". 新浪体育 (新浪网). 23 March 2004. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  7. ↑ "China National Football Team Database – China PR 1–4 USA". Teamchina.freehostia.com. 2007-06-02. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  8. ↑ Archived 7 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine.
  9. ↑ "MLS 2007 : Summary". Betexplorer.com. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  10. ↑ China Daily. Jobless Haan reflects China's football crisis. 2004-11-20.
  11. 1 2 "New boss vows to revive China's football in 5 years". CHINAdaily. 2010-02-02. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  12. ↑ "FIFA World Cup News, Results, Fixtures". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  13. ↑ "Camacho To Be New Coach of China National Football Team". The China Times. 2013-11-20. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  14. 1 2 "Jose Antonio Camacho's appointment is part of a long-term revival plan: China Football Association head Wei Di". Goal.com. 2011-08-15. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  15. ↑ "Match Report: Brazil 8–0 China". Goal.com. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  16. ↑ "Summary – Asian Cup Qualification – Asia – Results, fixtures, tables and news – Soccerway". Uk.soccerway.com. 2013-01-09. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  17. ↑ "国足换装备足球鞋限制放开 多数国脚换鞋(图)". 新浪体育 (新浪网). 1 January 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  18. ↑ "关于中国足协中国之队用鞋资格的公告". 中国足球协会. 19 May 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  19. ↑ "( السعودية 4 – 3 الصين ) ربع نهائي كأس آسيا 1996" (in Arabic). YouTube. 2009-02-07. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  20. ↑ Archived 9 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
  21. ↑ Minter, Adam. "Why Chinese Hate Their Men’s Soccer Team". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  22. ↑ ESPNSoccernet. 'Hand of Koji' brings Japan third title 8 August 2004
  23. ↑ http://sports.online.sh.cn/sports/gb/content/2016-02/05/content_7712485.htm
  24. ↑ http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/matches/round=275171/match=300317410/index.html
  25. ↑ 马尔代夫放弃主场 世预赛沈阳开战 (in Chinese). zhibo8.com. 19 August 2015.
  26. ↑ All matches before the founding of Chinese Football Association in 1924 are not counted as A-level match by FIFA.
  27. ↑ The Great Britain Olympic football team's matches at the 1936 Summer Olympics are counted as England's FIFA A-level match.
  28. ↑ "China team stats (caps)". Team China.
  29. 1 2 Roberto Mamrud. "China – Record International Players". Retrieved 2013-08-09.
  30. ↑ "China team stats (goals)". Team China.
  31. ↑ Also as a player.

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