The China national football team have been perennial contenders for the Asian Cup, most recently finishing second in 2004. The side failed to score a goal in their maiden World Cup appearance in Korea/Japan 2002. The Chinese national team was founded in 1924 and joined FIFA in 1931-58 and in 1979.
| Shirt badge/Association crest | |||
| Nickname(s) | - | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Chinese Football Association | ||
| Head coach | Zhu Guanghu (朱广沪), 2005- | ||
| Most caps | Fan Zhiyi (109) | ||
| Top scorer | Hao Haidong (37) | ||
| |||
| First international | |||
 Philippines 2 - 1 China  (Philippines; February 1, 1913)  Finland 4 - 0 China PR  (Helsinki, Finland; August 4, 1952) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
China PR 19 - 0 Guam  (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; January 26, 2000) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
 USA 5 - 0 China PR (Palo Alto, USA; April 4, 1992) | |||
| World Cup | |||
| Appearances | 1 (first in 2002) | ||
| Best result | Round 1, 2002 | ||
| AFC Asian Cup | |||
| Appearances | 8 (first in 1976) | ||
| Best result | Runners-up, 1984 and 2004 | ||
After the transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom in 1997, and Macau from Portugal in 1999, they have continued to have their own teams, which play as "Hong Kong, China" and "Macau, China". The team playing as "China" represents mainland China only.
As football is widely followed in the People's Republic of China, any triumph by the national team is considered to be a source of national pride. Around 300 million people tuned in to broadcasts of China's World Cup 2002 matches, and there were possibly even more viewers for the Asian Cup 2004 finals.
One interesting thing about Chinese football is related to their neighbour, South Korea. China have played about 30 matches against them since 1950 but they have never won against South Korea at all, in spite of finishing higher in a number of tournaments. Chinese football journalists call it "Koreaphobia."
The China national football team is currently sponsored by Adidas.
World Cup record
Asian Cup record
East Asian Cup record
Famous players
Current Players
External links
See also
- Football in China
- China women's national football team
- Hong Kong national football team
- Macau national football team
- Chinese Taipei national football team
International association football | ||
|---|---|---|
| World (FIFA) |  | |
| Asia (AFC) | ||
| Africa (CAF) | ||
| North America (CONCACAF) | ||
| South America (CONMEBOL) | ||
| Oceania (OFC) | ||
| Europe (UEFA) | ||
| Intercontinental |
| |
| Non-FIFA | ||