China national football team
The China PR national football team represents the People's Republic of China in international association football and is governed by the Chinese Football Association.
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
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 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 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 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 Chinese national football team and the other called Republic of China national football team.
Early People's Republic (1950–1976)
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. This sparked a diplomatic argument that had already seen China withdraw from the 1956 Summer Olympics for the same reasons. 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 country as the sole heir to the China name in their General Assembly Resolution 2758 act. In 1973 the team, which had been using the name Republic of China would rename themselves as Chinese Taipei. 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.
1980–2009: an Asian powerhouse
The 1974 Asian Games reintroduced the team back into international football while the 1976 AFC Asian Cup saw them came third.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 and ex-national teamer Gu Guangming joined SV Darmstadt 98. In 1988, national team captain Jia Xiuquan and striker Liu Haiguang both joined FK Partizan.
After its World Cup debut in 2002, 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 not 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.
Gao Hongbo era
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, the highest for a Chinese manager since Nian Weisi, 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 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."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 a team to an 8–0 loss against Brazil 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.
Camacho 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 loss against Thailand in a friendly, Camacho sacked a week as manager with Fu Bo assigned as the caretaker.
Gao Hongbo returns
After Camacho, there was Alain Perrin, who was sacked for the team's poor performance at the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, thus former coach Gao Hongbo returned to the role on 3 February 2016. Gao's first two matches and wins against Maldives and Qatar secured the team's passage to the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.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, China then lost 0–1 at home to Syria and 0–2 away to Uzbekistan. 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.
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. Unable to compete with and dragged behind by Syria who managed a 2–2 draw with Iran, the team was not able to be qualified for the 2018 World Cup under Lippi's tenure, but improvements could be seen.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.
Another Italian, Fabio Cannavaro was appointed as the next China's manager in conjunction with coaching Guangzhou Evergrande but he stepped down after only two matches.
Lacked of option in searching for a new coach, CFA reappointed Marcello Lippi. To improve the team, China had begun a series of naturalization on foreign-based players, with Nico Yennaris, an English-born Cypriot., with Tyias Browning, another English-born player, being naturalized. Subsequently, Elkeson, a Brazilian player with no Chinese ancestry, was naturalized.
Team image
The team is colloquially termed "Team China", the "National Team" or "Guózú".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. 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 supplier | Period | Contract announcement | Contract duration | Value | Notes |
 Nike | 2015–present | 2015–2026 | $16 million per year | ||
| Nike | 2015–present | - | - | - | - |
| Nike | 2015–present | - | - | - | - |
Rivalries
Japan
The rivalry with Japan was exemplified after 3–1 defeat to this opponent in the 2004 AFC Asian Cup Final when Chinese fans began to riot near the north gate of the Worker's Stadium. 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 2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship where Japan won 2–1. China went on to finish as third-place in the tournament, while Japan finished 2nd.South Korea
Another rivalry with fellow 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.Hong Kong
with Hong Kong has been created due to political tension during 2018 World Cup qualification. 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. Prior to the rivalry buildup, Hong Kong was not considered as a worthy opponent due to lack of success comparing to China.Taiwan
China also developed a smaller rivalry with Chinese Taipei due to the Chinese Civil War consequence, however the rivalry is mostly unknown in China due to the fact football is not the main sport in Taiwan.Coaching staff
Players
Current squad
The following 28 players were named to the squad for the training camp to be held in Shanghai for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification.Caps and goals are correct as of 18 December 2019, after the match against.
Recent call-ups
The following players have also been called up to the squad within the last twelve months.Notes:
- SUS Suspended
- INJ Withdrew due to injury
- PRE Preliminary/Standby
Results and fixtures
2019
2020
- 1 : Non FIFA 'A' international match
Competitive record
All-time results
; counted for the FIFA only. All matches before the founding of Chinese Football Association in 1924 are not counted as A-level match by FIFA.- This list consist of Olympic Games, Olympics qualification and matches between 1913 and 1923, but all of them will be deleted from list.
| Nations | First Played | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Confederation |
| 1984 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | +6 | AFC | |
| 1973 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | UEFA | |
| 2004 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | CAF | |
| 2004 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | UEFA | |
| 1984 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | CONMEBOL | |
| 1983 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 15 | −5 | AFC | |
| 1986 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 8 | +6 | AFC | |
| 1980 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | +15 | AFC | |
| 2015 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | +18 | AFC | |
| 1997 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | UEFA | |
| 2009 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | CAF | |
| 2002 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 12 | −12 | CONMEBOL | |
| 1975 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 1 | +21 | AFC | |
| 1963 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 3 | +21 | AFC | |
| 1984 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 7 | +1 | CONCACAF | |
| 2003 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | CONMEBOL | |
| 1995 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | −3 | CONMEBOL | |
| 1977 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | CAF | |
| 2002 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 8 | −2 | CONCACAF | |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | UEFA | |
| 1971 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | CONCACAF | |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | –3 | UEFA | |
| 1963 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 | CAF | |
| 2008 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | CONCACAF | |
| 1936 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | −5 | UEFA | |
| 2003 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 | UEFA | |
| 1975 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | OFC | |
| 1952 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 7 | −1 | UEFA | |
| 2006 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | UEFA | |
| 2005 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | UEFA | |
| 2012 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | CAF | |
| 2000 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | +19 | AFC | |
| 1965 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 3 | +5 | CAF | |
| 2003 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 | −1 | CONCACAF | |
| 2006 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | +2 | CONCACAF | |
| 1975 | 20 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 35 | 8 | +27 | AFC | |
| 2004 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | UEFA | |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 | UEFA | |
| 1956 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 17 | 5 | +12 | AFC | |
| 1934 | 14 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 34 | 8 | +26 | AFC | |
| 1976 | 22 | 4 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 36 | −18 | AFC | |
| 1976 | 17 | 6 | 2 | 9 | 18 | 20 | −2 | AFC | |
| 1986 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 | UEFA | |
| 1977 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | +5 | CONCACAF | |
| 1917 | 30 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 52 | 40 | +12 | AFC | |
| 1984 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 25 | 9 | +16 | AFC | |
| 1997 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | UEFA | |
| 1984 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | CAF | |
| 1959 | 24 | 11 | 6 | 7 | 29 | 22 | +7 | AFC | |
| 1978 | 36 | 3 | 12 | 21 | 27 | 52 | −25 | AFC | |
| 1975 | 18 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 24 | 16 | +8 | AFC | |
| 2009 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 | AFC | |
| 2011 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 3 | +10 | AFC | |
| 2010 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | UEFA | |
| 1998 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 1 | +12 | AFC | |
| 1978 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 2 | +20 | AFC | |
| 2004 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 | UEFA | |
| 1976 | 15 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 37 | 7 | +30 | AFC | |
| 2001 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 1 | +17 | AFC | |
| 1966 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | CAF | |
| 1987 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 | −5 | CONCACAF | |
| 1977 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 5 | +1 | CAF | |
| 1957 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 28 | 4 | +24 | AFC | |
| 1972 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 5 | +14 | AFC | |
| 1996 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | −4 | UEFA | |
| 1975 | 14 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 13 | 15 | −2 | OFC | |
| 1992 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | UEFA | |
| 1998 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 5 | +5 | AFC | |
| 1963 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 23 | 8 | +15 | AFC | |
| 2006 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 2 | +6 | AFC | |
| 1985 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | OFC | |
| 1996 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | CONMEBOL | |
| 1978 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | CONMEBOL | |
| 1913 | 21 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 55 | 13 | +42 | AFC | |
| 1984 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | −2 | UEFA | |
| 2002 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 | UEFA | |
| 1978 | 19 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 23 | 16 | +7 | AFC | |
| 1984 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | −2 | UEFA | |
| 1984 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 | UEFA | |
| 1959 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | UEFA | |
| 1978 | 18 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 21 | 22 | −1 | AFC | |
| 1972 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | CAF | |
| 2000 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 | −7 | UEFA | |
| 1974 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | CAF | |
| 1984 | 17 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 38 | 12 | +26 | AFC | |
| 2002 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | UEFA | |
| 1972 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 5 | +5 | CAF | |
| 2005 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | −4 | UEFA | |
| 1972 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | AFC | |
| 1957 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | CAF | |
| 2001 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | −4 | UEFA | |
| 2006 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | −3 | UEFA | |
| 1966 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 25 | 10 | +15 | AFC | |
| 1997 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | +7 | AFC | |
| 1966 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 8 | +7 | CAF | |
| 1970 | 27 | 18 | 4 | 5 | 61 | 23 | +38 | AFC | |
| 2001 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | +5 | CONCACAF | |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | CAF | |
| 1948 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | −7 | UEFA | |
| 1994 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 3 | +7 | AFC | |
| 1984 | 11 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 16 | 8 | +8 | AFC | |
| 1977 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 17 | −10 | CONCACAF | |
| 1982 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 9 | −7 | CONMEBOL | |
| 1994 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 14 | 18 | −4 | AFC | |
| 1978 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | CONMEBOL | |
| 1956 | 13 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 13 | +18 | AFC | |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | −6 | UEFA | |
| 1988 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | +4 | AFC | |
| 1972 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | CAF | |
| 1997 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | CAF | |
| Total | 1913 | 608 | 305 | 136 | 173 | 1096 | 638 | +458 | All |
- http://www.worldfootball.net/teams/china-team/21/
- http://www.worldfootball.net/teams/china-team/
- https://www.fifa.com/live-scores/teams/country=chn/men/matches/index.html
- All matches before the founding of Chinese Football Association in 1924 are not counted as A-level match by FIFA :
| Nations | First Played | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Confederation |
| 1923 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 19 | −10 | AFC | |
| 1917 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 | +13 | AFC | |
| 1923 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | AFC | |
| 1913 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 6 | +9 | AFC | |
| Total | 1913 | 20 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 39 | 27 | +12 | All |
correct table :
2 June 2018 : http://www.worldfootball.net/teams/china-team/21/
546 P 268 W 115 D 156 L 991:570 +421
Competition history
FIFA World Cup
China has only appeared at the 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
For 1992 to 2016, see China national under-23 football teamAsian Games
- Including 1998 onwards
EAFF East Asian Cup
Honours
Continental
- AFC Asian Cup
- *Runners-up : 1984, 2004
- *Third place : 1976, 1992
- Asian Games
- *Silver medal : 1994
- *Bronze medal : 1978, 1998
Regional
- EAFF East Asian Cup
- *Winners : 2005, 2010
- * Runners-up : 2013, 2015
- *Third place : 2003, 2008, 2017
- Dynasty Cup
- *Runners-up : 1990, 1998
- Far Eastern Games
- *Winners : 1915, 1917, 1919, 1921, 1923, 1925, 1927, 1930, 1934
- *Runners-up : 1913
Minor tournaments
- China Cup
- *Third place : 2017
- Dunhill Cup
- *Winners : 1997
- *Runners-up : 1999
- Four Nations Tournament
- *Winners : Jan. 2000, Sept. 2000
- *Third place : 2001
- King's Cup
- *Winners : 1993
- *Runners-up : 2001
- *Third place : 1980
- Kirin Cup
- *Third place : 1984
- Lunar New Year Cup
- *Winners : 1978
- *Runners-up : 1989, 1990
- Merlion Cup
- *Winners : 1986
- *Third place : 1983
- Nehru Cup
- *Runners-up : 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986
- *Third place : 1997
Player records
Most capped players
Below is a list of the 10 players with the most caps for China,.| # | Name | Career | Caps | Goals |
| 1 | Li Weifeng | 1998–2011 | 112 | 14 |
| 2 | Gao Lin | 2005–present | 109 | 22 |
| 3 | Zheng Zhi | 2002–present | 108 | 15 |
| 4 | Hao Haidong | 1992–2004 | 107 | 41 |
| 5 | Fan Zhiyi | 1992–2002 | 106 | 17 |
| 6 | Li Tie | 1997–2010 | 92 | 6 |
| 7 | Zhao Xuri | 2003–present | 87 | 2 |
| 8 | Ma Mingyu | 1996–2002 | 86 | 12 |
| 8 | Li Ming | 1992–2004 | 86 | 8 |
| 8 | Zhu Bo | 1983–1993 | 86 | 1 |
Top goalscorers
Below is a list of the top 10 goalscorers for China,.| # | Name | Career | Goals | Ratio |
| 1 | Hao Haidong | 1992–2004 | 41 | 0.383 |
| 2 | Yang Xu | 2009–present | 28 | 0.528 |
| 3 | Su Maozhen | 1994–2002 | 27 | 0.509 |
| 4 | Li Jinyu | 1997–2008 | 24 | 0.342 |
| 5 | Gao Lin | 2005–present | 22 | 0.202 |
| 6 | Ma Lin | 1985–1990 | 21 | 0.467 |
| 7 | Liu Haiguang | 1983–1990 | 20 | 0.345 |
| 8 | Zhao Dayu | 1982–1986 | 19 | 0.655 |
| 8 | Li Bing | 1992–2001 | 19 | 0.283 |
| 8 | Yu Dabao | 2010–present | 19 | 0.333 |
Managerial history
1930–1948
1951–present
| # | Name | Period | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | GF | GA | Win % | Achievements |
| 1 |  Li Fenglou | 1951–1952 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 00.00% | |
| 2 | Ke Lun | 1956 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100.00% | |
| 3 | Dai Linjing | 1957 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 25.00% | |
| 4 | Chen Chengda | 1958–1962 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 8 | 57.14% | |
| 5 | Nian Weisi | 1963 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 26 | 11 | 53.85% | |
| 6 | Fang Renqiu | 1964 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 00.00% | |
| 7 | Nian Weisi | 1965–1973 | 28 | 19 | 6 | 3 | 97 | 40 | 67.86% | |
| 8 | Nian Weisi | 1974–1976 | 27 | 14 | 5 | 8 | 58 | 40 | 51.85% | Third place at the 1976 AFC Asian Cup |
| 9 | Zhang Honggen | 1977 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 20 | 12 | 60.00% | |
| 10 | Nian Weisi | 1978 | 14 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 25 | 12 | 57.14% | Bronze medal at the 1978 Asian Games |
| 11 | Zhang Honggen | 1979 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 00.00% | |
| 12 | Nian Weisi | 1980 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 4 | 40.00% | |
| 13 | Su Yongshun | 1980–1982 | 20 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 20 | 18 | 45.00% | |
| 14 | Zhang Honggen | 1982 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 10 | 30.00% | |
| 15 | Zeng Xuelin | 1983–1985 | 42 | 24 | 6 | 12 | 99 | 35 | 57.14% | Runners-up of the 1984 AFC Asian Cup |
| 16 | Nian Weisi | 1985–1986 | 26 | 14 | 7 | 5 | 44 | 24 | 53.85% | |
| 17 | Gao Fengwen | 1986–1990 | 56 | 27 | 13 | 16 | 112 | 40 | 48.21% | Fourth place at the 1988 AFC Asian Cup |
| 18 | Xu Genbao | 1991–1992 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 00.00% | |
| * | Chen Xirong | 1992 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 10 | 60.00% | |
| 19 |  Klaus Schlappner | 1992–1993 | 25 | 9 | 6 | 10 | 35 | 27 | 36.00% | Third place at the 1992 AFC Asian Cup |
| 20 | Qi Wusheng | 1994–1997 | 55 | 27 | 13 | 15 | 97 | 60 | 49.09% | Silver medal at the 1994 Asian Games |
| 21 |  Bobby Houghton | 1997–1999 | 17 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 36 | 15 | 58.82% | Bronze medal at the 1998 Asian Games |
| * | Jin Zhiyang | 2000 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 0 | 100.00% | |
| 22 |  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 |
| * | Shen Xiangfu | 2002 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 33.33% | |
| 23 |  Arie Haan | 2002–2004 | 30 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 52 | 22 | 56.67% | Runners-up of the 2004 AFC Asian Cup |
| 24 | Zhu Guanghu | 2005–2007 | 27 | 9 | 6 | 12 | 35 | 37 | 33.33% | Winners of the 2005 East Asian Football Championship |
| 25 |  Vladimir Petrović | 2007–2008 | 18 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 28 | 16 | 33.33% | Third place at the 2008 East Asian Football Championship |
| * |  Yin Tiesheng | 2008–2009 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 12 | 33.33% | |
| 26 | Gao Hongbo | 2009–2011 | 38 | 24 | 10 | 4 | 65 | 31 | 63.16% | Winners of the 2010 East Asian Football Championship |
| 27 |  José Antonio Camacho | 2011–2013 | 20 | 7 | 2 | 11 | 23 | 31 | 35.00% | |
| * | Fu Bo | 2013–2014 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 18 | 11 | 44.44% | Runners-up of the 2013 EAFF East Asian Cup |
| 28 |  Alain Perrin | 2014–2016 | 25 | 11 | 10 | 4 | 45 | 18 | 44.00% | 7th place of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup Runners-up of the 2015 EAFF East Asian Cup |
| 29 | Gao Hongbo | 2016 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 9 | 37.50% | Qualified - 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC Third Round |
| 30 |  Marcello Lippi | 2016–2019 | 30 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 35 | 41 | 33.33% | 6th place of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup |
| * | Fabio Cannavaro | 2019 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 00.00% | |
| 31 | Marcello Lippi | 2019– |