Football national side

China PR U23

National team · China

«Guoao»

33 Matches

15 wins

10 draws

8 losses

46–25 Goals

+21 Difference

1.4 Scored per game

Form W W D D W L

China's Olympic-eligible squad exists for a single reason: to funnel the country's best young players into the age-group cycle that runs alongside the senior 'Dragon Team', giving the Chinese Football Association a pipeline through the Asian Games and, later, the AFC U-23 Asian Cup.

For two decades that record read as a string of early exits. The Asian Games produced nothing better than the quarter-finals, reached in 2002, 2006 and again in 2022, and the Olympic tournament brought only a group-stage finish in 2008. Then came 2026: China reached the final of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup, its best showing in the competition, before Japan closed it out 0–4.

South Korea remains the opponent that matters most, the age-group extension of a rivalry long shadowed by what Chinese media call the 'Fear of Korea Syndrome' — a hesitancy built up over decades of near-misses rather than any one match. The squad plays behind the Xi'an International Football Center, a 60,000-seat ground among several it rotates through depending on the tournament. With the 2026 final already behind them, the next task is turning a runners-up finish into the platform for another push through the Asian Games and Olympic qualifying.

Latest results

Fixtures and results

30 Sep	Asian Games	Korea Republic U23 A	1:2	L
26 Sep	Asian Games	Thailand U23 H	3:0	W
23 Sep	Asian Games	UAE U23 H	0:0	D
20 Sep	Asian Games	Iran U23 A	0:0	D
16 Sep	Asian Games	Korea DPR U23 H	2:1	W
9 Jun	Friendlies	Tajikistan U23 H	3:0	W

Standing

Asian Games

Group stage · Group B

#	Team	M	W	D	L	Goals	Pts
1	China PR U23	3	1	2	0	2:1	5
2	Korea DPR U23	3	1	1	1	5:3	4
3	Iran U23	3	1	1	1	4:5	4
4	UAE U23	3	0	2	1	1:3	2

Full table

Team statistics

matches counted in total: 33

33 Matches

15 wins

10 draws

8 losses

46–25 Goals

+21 Difference

1.4 Scored per game

Match outcomes matches counted in total: 33

15 10 8

wins draws losses

Scored and conceded last matches

scored — above the line conceded — below the line

Metric	Total	Home	Away
Matches	33	19	14
Scored	46	26	20
Conceded	25	18	7
Scored per game	1.4	1.4	1.4
Conceded per game	0.8	0.9	0.5
Difference	+21	+8	+13

Key players

by appearances over the last year

Imran Memet Midfielder 3 Matches

Peng Xiao Defender 3 Matches

Xinxiang Liu Forward 3 Matches

A. Yang Defender 3 Matches

Kuai Zhiwen Midfielder 3 Matches

He Jiran Defender 3 Matches

Hu Hatiao Defender 3 Matches

Iminkari Mutalep Midfielder 3 Matches

Squad of China PR U23

by appearances over the last year

Number	Player	Position	Age	Matches
14	Imran Memet	Midfielder		3
21	Peng Xiao	Defender	21	3
8	Xinxiang Liu	Forward	27	3
23	A. Yang	Defender	21	3
11	Kuai Zhiwen	Midfielder	20	3
17	He Jiran	Defender	21	3
2	Hu Hatiao	Defender	23	3
13	Iminkari Mutalep	Midfielder	22	3
19	Baihelama Abuduwaili	Forward	23	3
22	Weize Mao	Midfielder	21	3
5	Chenjie Zhu	Defender	26	3
15	Wu Xi	Midfielder	37	3
9	Yuning Zhang	Forward		3
4	Shi Songchen	Defender		3
3	Liu Haofan	Defender		3
1	Jinyong Yu	Goalkeeper	22	3
18	Zeshi Chen	Midfielder		3
20	Haoyu Yang	Midfielder		3
6	Xu Bin	Midfielder		3
12	Yao Haoyang	Goalkeeper		3
7	Xiang Yuwang	Forward		3
16	Li Hao	Goalkeeper		3
10	Wang Yudong	Forward		2