China’s national football team “misses” October, focusing mainly on U22 and youth teams

Reported by journalist Chen Yong Since the national team head coach remains undecided, the national team will once again skip the October international fixtures. The Chinese Football Association will prioritize developing players from the U22 squad preparing for the Asian Cup early next year and the U16 squad, which is set to take part in the U17 Asian Cup qualifying matches this November.

On September 5, the Chinese Football Association issued a coaching recruitment announcement, with the application deadline set for September 20. Given that only half a month remains before the October international match window after the deadline, it is clear that this timeframe is insufficient to complete the coach selection process. As a result, following the national team’s non-training period in September, the team will again not gather for training in October.

Without a confirmed head coach, holding training camps lacks significant purpose. If the national team were to train, an interim coach would have to lead, but once the permanent coach is appointed, they would likely reselect players and familiarize themselves with the squad again, making interim-led training less meaningful.

The national team’s next cycle goal is the 2027 Asian Cup, scheduled for January 2027. Regarding the 2030 World Cup qualifiers, the expected start is in the latter half of 2027, meaning there is still ample preparation time for the national team.

In the previous cycle, the national team began formal preparations only in March 2023. Translating that to the new cycle corresponds to March 2027. Another factor was that the previous World Cup qualifiers ended in early 2022, and the 2023 Asian Cup was postponed to 2024.

Because the new national team and the U22 team share many players, considering the U22 team’s preparation and competitions alongside the national team’s coaching selection process, it remains uncertain whether the national team will hold training during the November international window.

Although there is plenty of time for the national team to prepare for the new cycle, assembling the team even a day earlier would allow for better practice and more opportunities to play high-quality international matches. Therefore, accelerating the coaching appointment process remains necessary.

Within the national team system, the U22 team will participate in the U23 Asian Cup in January next year. This U23 Asian Cup is for a non-Olympic age group and does not lead to subsequent tournaments. After this tournament, they will compete in the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held later in the year.

The U22 team has already qualified through the U23 Asian Cup qualifiers. Before the U23 Asian Cup, the two training camps in October and November are crucial. These training sessions will take place at the Kunming Haigeng base, with plans to play two matches against Thailand’s U22 team.

The U20 national team, also known as the 2005 Olympic team, has not yet been assembled. The U18 team, or the 2007 youth team, has completed initial formation, with the first phase split into two groups for training and matches. The 2007 youth team will not organize training during the October international window. Their main task is preparing for the 2027 U20 Asian Cup, and they currently have sufficient preparation time.

The U16 national team released its latest 30-player training roster on September 25. The team is training in Xianghe. Their confirmed warm-up opponent is North Korea, while another opponent, India, is currently processing visas. The U16 squad also plans to hold friendly matches against professional club youth teams from the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

The U16 team’s objective is the 2026 U17 Asian Cup, which serves as a qualifier for the 2026 U17 World Cup. Before that, in late November, the U16 team will compete in the U17 Asian Cup qualifiers. China is grouped with Bahrain, East Timor, Brunei, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. Only the top team from each of the seven groups advances to the finals, making the match between China and Bahrain a decisive battle. These two teams will face off in the first group stage match on November 22. The good news is that the U16 team will host this critical game in Chongqing.