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China national football team

Men's association football team


Men's association football team

FieldValue
NameChina
Nickname龙之队 (Dragon Team)
BadgeChina national football team.svg
Badge_size135px
AssociationChinese Football Association (CFA)
ConfederationAFC (Asia)
Sub-confederationEAFF (East Asia)
CoachShao Jiayi
CaptainZhang Yuning
Most capsLi Weifeng (112)
Top scorerHao Haidong (39)
Home StadiumVarious
FIFA TrigrammeCHN
FIFA Rank
FIFA max37
FIFA max dateDecember 1998
FIFA min109
FIFA min dateMarch 2013
Elo Rank
Elo max23
Elo max dateMay 1934
Elo min92
Elo min dateOctober 1992
First gameAs Republic of China (1912–1949)
2–1 ****
(Manila, Philippines; 1 February 1913)
As People's Republic of China (1949–present)
4–0
(Helsinki, Finland; 4 August 1952)
Largest win19–0
(Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; 26 January 2000)
Largest loss8–0
(Recife, Brazil; 10 September 2012)
World cup apps1
World cup first2002
World cup bestGroup stage (2002)
Regional nameAsian Cup
Regional cup apps14
Regional cup first1976
Regional cup bestRunners-up (1984, 2004)
2ndRegional nameEAFF E-1 Football Championship
2ndRegional cup apps9
2ndRegional cup first2003
2ndRegional cup bestChampions (2005, 2010)
pattern_la1_chn24H
pattern_b1_chn24H
pattern_ra1_chn24H
pattern_sh1_chn24H
pattern_so1_chn24H
leftarm1FF0000
body1FF0000
rightarm1FF0000
shorts1FF0000
socks1FF0000
pattern_la2_chn24A
pattern_b2_chn24A
pattern_ra2_chn24A
pattern_sh2_chn24a
pattern_so2_chn24A
leftarm2FFFFFF
body2FFFFFF
rightarm2FFFFFF
shorts2000000
socks2FFFFFF
Note

the men's team

| Sub-confederation = EAFF (East Asia) 2–1 **** (Manila, Philippines; 1 February 1913) As People's Republic of China (1949–present) 4–0 (Helsinki, Finland; 4 August 1952) (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; 26 January 2000) (Recife, Brazil; 10 September 2012)

The China national football team (), recognised as China PR by FIFA, represents China in men's international association football and is governed by the Chinese Football Association (CFA).

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

As Republic of China (1913–1949)

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. He invited China (Republic of 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. 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.

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. 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.

The Chinese Football Association was founded in 1924 and then was first affiliated with FIFA in 1931. 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.

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. The tournament would be officially cancelled while Japan held their own tournament called the 2600th Anniversary Celebrations 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. 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. 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).

Early People's Republic (1950–1979)

The newly instated People's Republic of China reformed CFA before having FIFA acknowledge their 1931 membership on 14 June 1952. 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. In preparation for entering their first FIFA competition, China sent a young squad to train in Hungary in 1954. However, when they entered the 1958 FIFA World Cup qualification process China were knocked out by Indonesia.

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. 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. On 25 October 1971 the United Nations would recognise the People's Republic country as the sole heir to the China name in their General Assembly Resolution 2758 act. Due to this hearing in 1973, the Nationalist Chinese team, which had been using the name "Republic of China", would stop using that name and would eventually rename themselves as "Chinese Taipei" in 1980. 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.

Asian underdogs (1980–2009)

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

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. 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. 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. 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.

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).

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. 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. 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.

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. There were an estimated 250 million viewers for the match, the largest single-event sports audience in the country's history at that time.

After winning the 2005 East Asian Football Championship following a 2–0 win against North Korea, 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 unexpected, 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.

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. Some commented that China's reliance on foreign managers for the past decade had been an indicator of its poor domestic manager development.

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.

Stagnation (2010–present)

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." 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. 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 their 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. The citizens expects heavily for China to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup held 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."

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."

Camacho managed the team to an 8–0 lost against Brazil in a friendly match 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).

Camacho then led China during their qualification process for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup whereby losing the first group match 2–1 to Saudi Arabia. After a 5–1 lost against Thailand in a friendly match, Camacho was sacked a week later and with Fu Bo assigned as the caretaker. In light of continued struggles, in 2015, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Xi Jinping expressed the goal of having China's men's national team be the top team in Asia by 2030 and the following year China revealed its ambitious blueprint to be the best in the world by 2050.

Alain Perrin and Gao Hongbo returns

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. 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 AFC Asian Cup, Perrin's China was placed in a group with Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and North Korea. China emerged victoriously in all three games, qualified for the knockout stage for the first time since the 2004 edition. The Chinese Dragons then lost to host Australia 0–2 with Tim Cahill scoring a brace.

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. Perrin was sacked for the team's poor performance at the middle of the second round following another goalless draw to Hong Kong, and 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 Qatar, and with North Korea suddenly slipping out against the Philippines, these results secured the team's passage to the 2019 AFC Asian Cup and entering the final qualifying stage for the World Cup for the first time since 2002.

China continued their World Cup hunt by a 2–3 defeat to South Korea; and a goalless draw to AFC's then highest ranked Iran at home. However, China followed that with a 0–1 loss 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.

Marcello Lippi's tenure

On 22 October 2016, Marcello Lippi was appointed manager of the team ahead for the last remaining matches. 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. 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.

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. 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 from the team.

Another Italian and former Ballon d'Or winner, Fabio Cannavaro was appointed as the next China's manager in conjunction with coaching Guangzhou Evergrande but he stepped down after only two matches.

Lacking options when it came to searching for a new coach, CFA re-appointed Marcello Lippi. To improve the team, China had begun a series of naturalization on foreign-based players, with Nico Yennaris, an English-born Cypriot, and Tyias Browning, another English-born player, being naturalized. Subsequently, Elkeson, a Brazilian player with no Chinese ancestry, was naturalized. 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 lost to Syria, and Lippi resigned as coach.

Li Tie and Li Xiaopeng's era

2002 FIFA World Cup ace Li Tie was appointed as China's head coach on 2 January 2020. Trailing behind Syria by five points before Li took charge, China were still unable to reclaim their first place but nonetheless 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 them as the best second-placed team, thus reaching the third round.

In the third round, China shared Group B with Asian powerhouses Japan, Australia and Saudi Arabia, alongside Oman and Vietnam. The Chinese started poorly with two losses to Australia and Japan in Doha due to the COVID-19 pandemic at home preventing the country from hosting. After this poor start, China salvaged five points in the next four matches, including a hard-fought 3–2 win over Vietnam and two 1–1 draws to Oman and especially Australia, all occurring in Sharjah, the UAE. However, despite these improvements, Li Tie was sacked on 2 December 2021 amidst heavy criticism.

After Li Tie's resignation, his World Cup teammate Li Xiaopeng took the head coach position with immense pressure. China's first game under Li Xiaopeng, however, was a 0–2 away loss to Japan in Saitama, effectively ending China's hopes of finishing in the top two and could only rely on the play-offs. Yet, on 1 February 2022, coinciding with the traditional Lunar New Year, the Chinese stumbled to a shock 1–3 loss to Vietnam in Hanoi, officially extending China's hunt for a second World Cup appearance to 24 years. This defeat, the first in Chinese football history to Vietnam, triggered widespread anger and criticism amongst Chinese fans. With their World Cup hopes lost, China grabbed a solitary point coming from a 1–1 draw with the Saudis before losing to Oman 0–2 in Muscat, finishing fifth with two more points than Vietnam.

The Yugoslav era

After poor forms in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifications, China took part in the 2022 EAFF E-1 Football Championship under interim manager Aleksandar Janković. With the leadership of Janković, China won four points, finishing third after a 1–0 win over Hong Kong, though for the first time in 12 years, China did not lose to Japan away. Because of this result Janković was named the permanent coach of the China national team in 2023, with the aim to guide China to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

On 1 January 2024, China suffered a 1–2 defeat to Hong Kong in an international friendly, marking their first loss in 39 years. Later, for the first time ever, China could not score in three consecutive matches at the AFC Asian Cup as they fell to third with only two points and later eliminated. This result and poor performance of the side triggered outrage in China, and Aleksandar Janković would lose the job on 31 January 2024.

On 25 February 2024, Branko Ivanković succeeded Janković as China's new coach. Under his tenure, China only managed to reach the third round of the World Cup qualification by the slimmest margin, thanks to China's superior head-to-head record against Thailand after both teams were equal on points, goals scored and goal difference. In the first match of the third round, China suffered a heavy 7–0 defeat to Japan. Ivanković was sacked by the CFA on 27 June 2025 , after the team's elimination from the qualifiers, finishing fifth with a goal difference of –13, the lowest in the round tied by Kuwait.

After failing to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, Dejan Đurđević took place as the caretaker manager of the national team. The team participated in the 2025 EAFF E-1 Football Championship, where they finished in third place after losing 0–3 to South Korea and 0–2 to Japan.

Shao Jiayi era

On 5 November 2025, Shao Jiayi was appointed as China's new head coach, stepping away from his managerial position at Qingdao West Coast.

Team image

The national football team of China in 2011

The team is known as the "Dragon Team" (), "Team China" (), the "National Team" () or "Guózú" (, short for ). China's home kit is traditionally all-red with a white or yellow 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. The 2022–24 season marks the first time the team had a turquoise blue secondary kit, replace the white kit worn in previous seasons. The team has also started to use cooling vests in certain warmer climates. After decades of having Adidas producing the team's kits, China's current kit has been produced and manufactured by Nike since 2015.

Kit supplierPeriodContract
announcementContract
durationValueNotes
GER Adidas1991–2014
USA Nike2015–present2015–2026 (11 years)$16 million per year

Rivalries

Japan

Main article: China–Japan football rivalry

Traditionally, China's greatest rival has been Japan. This rivalry was exemplified after their 3–1 defeat in the 2004 AFC Asian Cup Final on home soil. The subsequent rioting by Chinese fans at the Workers' Stadium was said to be provoked by controversial officiating during the tournament and the heightened anti-Japanese sentiment at the time.

South Korea

Main article: China–South Korea football rivalry

Another rivalry is with 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. Traced further, China met South Korea (then known as Korea) for the first time in 1949 in a friendly in British Hong Kong, where China clinched the first and only win over Korea in 61 years. There is also another political dimension behind the fuelling of this rivalry, mostly because of the long history of wars between the two states.

Hong Kong

Main article: China–Hong Kong football rivalry

A rivalry with Hong Kong has been created due to political tensions as well as issues during 2018 World Cup qualification. With Hong Kong fans booing the Chinese national anthem, which Hong Kong share with China, 2018 World Cup qualifier matches were also very tense with both matches resulting in 0–0 draws.

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.

2025

  • Irvine
  • Velupillay
  • Wang Yudong
  • Lee Dong-gyeong
  • Joo Min-kyu
  • Kim Ju-sung

2026

  • Xie Wenneng
  • Karimov
  • 1 : Non FIFA 'A' international match

Coaching staff

PositionName
Technical directorCHN Gao Hongbo
Head coachCHN Shao Jiayi
Assistant coachesGER Reiner Maurer
ESP Javi Morillas Jimenez
CHN Zhou Ting
Goalkeeping coachCHN Yang Zhi
TrainerCHN Liu Jian
CHN Yu Hanchao
Fitness coachESP Telmo De Andrés
AnalystsITA Sergio Gargelli
CHN Li Duliang
Team doctorCHN Wang Shucheng
CHN Jin Ri
Team coordinatorCHN Sui Han
PhysiotherapistCHN Jiang Wenyu
CHN Xie Ziyan

Coaching history

1930–1948

#NameGameRecord
1Hong KongRepublic of China (1912–1949) Tong Fuk Cheung1930 Far Eastern GamesChampions
2Hong KongRepublic of China (1912–1949) Lee Wai Tong1934 Far Eastern GamesChampions
3Hong Kong Ngan Shing Kwan1936 Summer OlympicsFirst round
4Hong KongRepublic of China (1912–1949) Lee Wai Tong (2nd time)1948 Summer OlympicsFirst round

1951–present

Recent call-ups

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

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

:. :Players in bold are still active with China.

Most appearances

Li Weifeng is China's most capped player with 112 appearances.
RankNameCapsGoalsCareer
1Li Weifeng112141998–2011
2Zhu Bo11121983–1993
3Fan Zhiyi110171992–2002
4Gao Lin109222005–2019
5Zheng Zhi108152002–2019
6Hao Haidong106391992–2004
7Zhang Linpeng10562009–2024
8Wu Lei99362010–present
9Li Ming9661992–2004
10Li Tie9351997–2007

Top goalscorers

RankNameGoalsCapsRatioCareer
1Hao Haidong391061992–2004
2Wu Lei36992010–present
3Liu Haiguang31771983–1990
4Ma Lin29591985–1990
5Yang Xu28542009–2019
6Su Maozhen27551994–2002
7Li Jinyu25721997–2008
8Li Bing22741992–2001
Gao Lin221092005–2019
10Zhao Dayu20301982–1986

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

Main article: China at the 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.

AFC Asian Cup

Summer Olympics

YearResultPosPldWDLGFGA
FRA 1900 to NED 1928Did not enter
GER 1936First round12100102
UK 194814100104
FIN 1952 to AUS 1956Withdrew after qualifying
ITA 1960 to CAN 1976Not an IOC member
SOV 1980 to USA 1984Did not qualify
KOR 1988First round14301205
Total3/25-5014011

For 1992 to 2024, see China national under-23 football team

Asian Games

YearResultRankPldWDLGFGA
IND 1951Did not enter
Philippines 1954
JPN 1958
Indonesia 1962
Thailand 1966
Thailand 1970
IRN 1974First round10310274
THA 1978Third place37502165
IND 1982Quarter-finals7421143
KOR 198684211107
CHN 19906420284
JPN 1994Runners-up27511168
THA 1998Third place38602247
Total*7/13-37233118538
  • Including 1998 onwards (until 2010)

For 2002 to 2022, see China national under-23 football team

EAFF East Asian Cup

YearResultPldWDLGFGA
JPN 2003Third place310234
KOR 2005Champions312053
CHN 2008Third place310255
JPN 2010Champions321050
KOR 2013Runners-up312076
CHN 2015Runners-up311133
JPN 2017Third place302145
KOR 2019Third place310233
JPN 2022Third place311113
KOR 2025Third place310215
Total10/10301091137

Head-to-head record

Since 1924

:As of 15 July 2025 after match against Hong Kong.

NationsFirst PlayedPlayedWinDrawLossGoals ForGoals AgainstGoal DiffWin PercentageConfederation19256653261452041181740+441%
1984110060+6%AFC
19731010110%UEFA
2004110010+1%CAF
20041010000%UEFA
1984110010+1%CONMEBOL
1927175392332−9%AFC
19869540168+8%AFC
19805500150+15%AFC
20152200180+18%AFC
1997110030+3%UEFA
2009110041+3%CAF
20023012012−12%CONMEBOL
19753300221+21%AFC
19635500212+19%AFC
1986220030+3%CONCACAF
20031010000%CONMEBOL
1995411248−4%CONMEBOL
2002512268−2%CONCACAF
20171010110%UEFA
1971110010+1%CONCACAF
2018100114−3%UEFA
1963201102−2%CAF
20081010220%CONCACAF
1936200205−5%UEFA
2003220040+4%UEFA
1952430167−1%UEFA
2006210123−1%UEFA
2005201112−1%UEFA
1978211031+2%CAF
20003300330+33%AFC
1972211063+3%CAF
2003201156−1%CONCACAF
2006311131+2%CONCACAF
1975281972497+42%AFC
2004110021+1%UEFA
2017100102−2%UEFA
193614851247+17%AFC
19341912344416+28%AFC
19762557132143−22%AFC
19761973919190%AFC
1986100102−2%UEFA
1977330050+5%CONCACAF
192539129185357–4%AFC
198412651259+16%AFC
1997320152+3%UEFA
19602110652819+9%AFC
197839213242659−33%AFC
1975188552416+8%AFC
2009220051+4%AFC
20112200133+10%AFC
2010110010+1%UEFA
19986420131+12%AFC
19786600253+22%AFC
1948151041358+27%AFC
20016600281+27%AFC
1963320184+4%CAF
1987300327−5%CONCACAF
195611902354+31%AFC
19724400312+29%AFC
1996200204−4%UEFA
1975133551112−1%OFC
2004532040+4%UEFA
1992110021+1%UEFA
1998104151513+2%AFC
196395222310+13%AFC
19667520172+15%AFC
1985211052+3%OFC
1996311134−1%CONMEBOL
1978210143+1%CONMEBOL
1925131210503+47%AFC
1984200202−2%UEFA
2002100102−2%UEFA
1978219572417+7%AFC
1984200202−2%UEFA
1959310235−2%UEFA
1959100101−1%UEFA
19782165102329−6%AFC
1972211052+3%CAF
19565005011−11%UEFA
1974110041+3%CAF
19481812423811+27%AFC
20021010000%UEFA
19722200105+5%CAF
19722200107+3%AFC
2005200204−4%UEFA
19802200100+10%AFC
2001301226−4%UEFA
2006100114−3%UEFA
1966158252914+15%AFC
1997642091+8%AFC
19663210154+11%CAF
19483221567225+47%AFC
2001220072+5%CONCACAF
19882020110%CAF
1948200207−7%UEFA
19944310103+7%AFC
198411551166+10%AFC
194892251019−9%CONCACAF
1982612329−7%CONMEBOL
1994145181521−6%AFC
1978110010+1%CONMEBOL
19601211013311+22%AFC
2018100106−6%UEFA
19665311111+10%AFC
19721010330%CAF
1997110031+2%CAF
Total (105)

1913–1923

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

NationsFirst PlayedPlayedWinDrawLossGoals ForGoals AgainstGoal DiffWin PercentageConfederation
19236114919−10%AFC
19173300141+13%AFC
19231010110%AFC
191310622156+9%AFC
Total (4)19132010463927+1250%

Honours

Continental

  • AFC Asian Cup
  • Asian Games****1
    • Silver medal (1): 1994
    • Bronze medal (2): 1978, 1998

Regional

  • EAFF East Asian Cup / EAFF E-1 Football Championship
  • Far Eastern Games
    • Gold medal (9): 1915, 1917, 1919, 1921, 1923, 1925, 1927, 1930, 1934
    • Silver medal (1): 1913

Friendly

  • Dunhill Cup (1): 1997
  • Four Nations Tournament (2): 2000-I, 2000-II
  • King's Cup (1): 1993
  • Lunar New Year Cup (1): 1978
  • Merlion Cup (1): 1986
  • Quaid-e-Azam International Tournament (1): 1986

Awards

  • FIFA Best Mover of the Year (1): 2004
  • AFC National Team of the Year (1): 2001
  • AFC Asian Cup Fair Play Award (2): 1984, 2004

Summary

Only official honours are included, according to FIFA statutes (competitions organized/recognized by FIFA or an affiliated confederation).

CompetitionTotalTotal0224
AFC Asian Cup0224

;Notes:

  1. Competition organized by OCA, officially not recognized by FIFA.
  • Shared titles.

References

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  101. "阿富汗". Chinese Football Association.
  102. "阿尔巴尼亚". Chinese Football Association.
  103. "阿尔及利亚". Chinese Football Association.
  104. "安道尔". Chinese Football Association.
  105. "阿根廷". Chinese Football Association.
  106. "澳大利亚". Chinese Football Association.
  107. "巴林". Chinese Football Association.
  108. "孟加拉国". Chinese Football Association.
  109. "不丹". Chinese Football Association.
  110. "波黑". Chinese Football Association.
  111. "博茨瓦纳". Chinese Football Association.
  112. "巴西". Chinese Football Association.
  113. "文莱". Chinese Football Association.
  114. "柬埔寨". Chinese Football Association.
  115. "加拿大". Chinese Football Association.
  116. "智利". Chinese Football Association.
  117. "哥伦比亚". Chinese Football Association.
  118. "哥斯达黎加". Chinese Football Association.
  119. "克罗地亚". Chinese Football Association.
  120. "古巴". Chinese Football Association.
  121. "捷克". Chinese Football Association.
  122. "埃及". Chinese Football Association.
  123. "萨尔瓦多". Chinese Football Association.
  124. "英格兰". Chinese Football Association.
  125. "爱沙尼亚". Chinese Football Association.
  126. "芬兰". Chinese Football Association.
  127. "法国". Chinese Football Association.
  128. "德国". Chinese Football Association.
  129. "加纳". Chinese Football Association.
  130. "关岛". Chinese Football Association.
  131. "几内亚". Chinese Football Association.
  132. "海地". Chinese Football Association.
  133. "洪都拉斯". Chinese Football Association.
  134. "中国香港". Chinese Football Association.
  135. "匈牙利". Chinese Football Association.
  136. "冰岛". Chinese Football Association.
  137. "印度". Chinese Football Association.
  138. "印度尼西亚". Chinese Football Association.
  139. "伊朗". Chinese Football Association.
  140. "伊拉克". Chinese Football Association.
  141. "意大利". Chinese Football Association.
  142. "牙买加". Chinese Football Association.
  143. "日本". Chinese Football Association.
  144. "约旦". Chinese Football Association.
  145. "哈萨克斯坦". Chinese Football Association.
  146. "朝鲜". Chinese Football Association.
  147. "韩国". Chinese Football Association.
  148. "科威特". Chinese Football Association.
  149. "吉尔吉斯斯坦". Chinese Football Association.
  150. "老挝". Chinese Football Association.
  151. "拉脱维亚". Chinese Football Association.
  152. "黎巴嫩". Chinese Football Association.
  153. "中国澳门". Chinese Football Association.
  154. "马来西亚". Chinese Football Association.
  155. "马尔代夫". Chinese Football Association.
  156. "马里". Chinese Football Association.
  157. "墨西哥". Chinese Football Association.
  158. "缅甸". Chinese Football Association.
  159. "尼泊尔". Chinese Football Association.
  160. "荷兰". Chinese Football Association.
  161. "新西兰". Chinese Football Association.
  162. "北马其顿". Chinese Football Association.
  163. "挪威". Chinese Football Association.
  164. "阿曼". Chinese Football Association.
  165. "巴基斯坦". Chinese Football Association.
  166. "巴勒斯坦". Chinese Football Association.
  167. "巴布亚新几内亚". Chinese Football Association.
  168. "巴拉圭". Chinese Football Association.
  169. "秘鲁". Chinese Football Association.
  170. "菲律宾". Chinese Football Association.
  171. "波兰". Chinese Football Association.
  172. "葡萄牙". Chinese Football Association.
  173. "卡塔尔". Chinese Football Association.
  174. "爱尔兰". Chinese Football Association.
  175. "罗马尼亚". Chinese Football Association.
  176. "俄罗斯". Chinese Football Association.
  177. "沙特阿拉伯". Chinese Football Association.
  178. "塞内加尔". Chinese Football Association.
  179. "塞尔维亚". Chinese Football Association.
  180. "塞拉利昂". Chinese Football Association.
  181. "新加坡". Chinese Football Association.
  182. "斯洛文尼亚". Chinese Football Association.
  183. "索马里". Chinese Football Association.
  184. "民主也门". Chinese Football Association.
  185. "西班牙". Chinese Football Association.
  186. "斯里兰卡". Chinese Football Association.
  187. "瑞典". Chinese Football Association.
  188. "瑞士". Chinese Football Association.
  189. "叙利亚". Chinese Football Association.
  190. "塔吉克斯坦". Chinese Football Association.
  191. "坦桑尼亚". Chinese Football Association.
  192. "泰国". Chinese Football Association.
  193. "特立尼达和多巴哥". Chinese Football Association.
  194. "突尼斯". Chinese Football Association.
  195. "土耳其". Chinese Football Association.
  196. "土库曼斯坦". Chinese Football Association.
  197. "阿联酋". Chinese Football Association.
  198. "美国". Chinese Football Association.
  199. "乌拉圭". Chinese Football Association.
  200. "乌兹别克斯坦". Chinese Football Association.
  201. "委内瑞拉". Chinese Football Association.
  202. "越南". Chinese Football Association.
  203. "威尔士". Chinese Football Association.
  204. "也门". Chinese Football Association.
  205. "赞比亚". Chinese Football Association.
  206. "津巴布韦". Chinese Football Association.
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