As the years go by, Chinese soccer has entered the year 2022 with a sigh of relief. Although it is still a bumper year for Chinese sports, with the Winter Olympics in Beijing in February and the Asian Games in Hangzhou in September undoubtedly two major events, the challenges facing Chinese soccer are perhaps even more daunting than in 2021. Whether it's men's or women's soccer, national teams at all levels will be out in full force, however, no one can predict what awaits Chinese soccer in the future. The Chinese women's soccer team, led by Shui Qingxia, will serve as the trailblazer for the 2022 Chinese soccer team's trip to the Asian Cup and the World Cup Asian qualifiers.
First, the men's soccer team has four lines of attack, full impact on the World Cup qualifiers
● National Team: Continuing Journey to the Final 12
In 2022, the primary goal for the Chinese men's soccer team remains the Qatar World Cup qualifying round of 12 in Asia. Theoretically, the national soccer team still has the possibility to fight for the third place play-off qualification. After Li Xiaopeng replaces Li Tie as the new head coach, his debut will be against Japan at the 2002 World Cup Stadium in Saitama on Jan. 27, followed by an away match against Vietnam on Feb. 1, the night of the traditional Chinese Lunar New Year festival. Whether the national football team can extend its life and whether the games against Saudi Arabia and Oman on March 24 and 29 are merely routine will be crucial.
If it can fight for the qualification of the play-offs, the national football team will travel to Doha in June to continue its campaign; if it does not have the chance to play in the play-offs, the window of FIFA's designated national team matches from May 30 to June 14 can only be arranged for warm-up matches. However, given the current domestic anti-epidemic policy and the actual situation, it is feared that this will be difficult to achieve, and even a league match may be arranged at this stage.
The most important tournament for the national football team in the second half of the year after the Top 12 tournament is the East Asian Cup, which will be held in China from July 19th to 27th. Although the national soccer team can send the strongest lineup, the two powerhouses of South Korea and Japan will probably only participate with their local second-tier lineups.
With the World Cup tournament to be played in Qatar in November, the national football team will only have the international match days of September 19-27 to arrange warm-up matches to practice for the 2023 Asian Cup at home. However, as with the aforementioned May-June international match day, it will then only depend on the domestic reality.
II. U23 national football team (99 age group)
Affected by the epidemic, China's 99-age U23 national football team withdrew from the fifth U23 Asian Cup qualifying tournament last year, and also lost the qualification for the final stage of the fifth U23 Asian Cup, which will be held in Uzbekistan from June 1 to 19 this year, losing a good opportunity to exercise, and it will also affect the next age group, namely the 2001-age group, the possibility of the future impact of the Paris Olympics.
Of course, for the 99 age group U23 national football team, this year's most important tournament task is the Hangzhou Asian Games men's football game on September 6th. In accordance with the requirements of the relevant parties, the home for the game must be completed to enter the top eight or even the top four of the task and goal, but this team in 2020, 2021, and even an international competition has not participated in, and Asian teams of the same age group are practicing everywhere, warming up has not been interrupted. China's U23 national football team with what to fight against the Asian powers? I'm afraid this is the most worrying.
Since the 2006 Doha Asian Games, China's U23 national soccer team has failed to reach the quarterfinals of the Asian Games for three consecutive years, including the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, which was held at home. This is the last time for the "90s" to participate in an intercontinental competition, can they give fans some hope? I'm afraid no one can give a clear answer.
III. U21 National Youth (01 age group)
China's 2001 age group team has not participated in an international tournament of its age group since failing to make it out of the group stage of the 2019 Asian U19 Youth Championship qualifiers. Fortunately, with an eye on the future of the 2024 Paris Olympics, the CFA has allowed the coaching staff led by Cheng Yaodong to lead this age group to consecutive appearances in the China B League in 2020 and 2021, which has helped the growth of players in this age group greatly. In fact, in the past season, many players in this age group have begun to make their debut in the Chinese Super League and the Chinese First Division. Despite the exit of many foreigners in the Chinese Super League and Chinese League A, it has definitely provided more opportunities and growth platforms for these young players.
After 2022, although this age group does not have the task of intercontinental competitions, but if you want to have a better stage and space for growth, I am afraid that you should not just play in the B League, but should strive to participate in a higher level of the Chinese League. Of course, this is a very different concept from the "national soccer team playing in the Chinese Super League".
IV. U19 National Youth (03 age group)
China's 2003 age group U19 National Youth Football Team, with Spaniard Antonio as head coach, will have its first mini-test this year. From September 10th to 18th, the team will participate in the group stage of the 41st U20 Asian Cup Qualifying Tournament. Formerly known as the Asian U19 Youth Championship, the tournament has been renamed and moved back a year by the AFC in a new package starting in 2021. The final stage of the tournament is scheduled to take place in Uzbekistan in the first half of 2023, with the top four teams qualifying for the U20 World Youth Championship in Indonesia in 2023.
China's National Youth Football Team hasn't won a World Youth Championship since 2005, and now it's struggling to even get a ticket to the final stage of the U20 Asian Cup after failing to qualify for the final stage of the qualifying group stage of the previous edition, in 2019. Can Antonio's team change that?
V. U17 National Youth (05 age group)
The 2005 age group team has no official intercontinental tournament assignment in the coming year, just like the 2001 age group team, but because it belongs to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games age group team, the CFA has been formed since last year, appointing Yang Chen, the head coach of the U16 National Junior Team, to also serve as the head coach of the age group team, in charge of the formation and preparation work. This year, the main focus on domestic training.
VI. U16 National Youth (06 age group)
China's 2006-age U16 national junior team, coached by Yang Chen, will also have its first test this year, from October 1 to 9, when it will participate in the group stage of the 20th U17 Asian Cup Qualifying Tournament. Formerly known as the Asian U16 Junior Championship, the tournament will be renamed by the AFC from 2021 and moved back a year. The final stage of the tournament is scheduled to take place in Bahrain in the first half of 2023, with the top four teams competing at the U17 World Youth Championship in Peru in the second half of 2023.
China's 2000 and 2002 U16 National Junior Teams failed to qualify for the Asian Junior Championships (AJC) in consecutive qualifying rounds, while the 2004 team regained their place in the final stage of the AJC. However, because of the epidemic, the final stage of the Asian Junior Championships, which was supposed to be held in 2020, was canceled, and thus the Chinese National Junior Team did not have the opportunity to prove their ability and level of competence in the Asian tournament. This time, Yang Chen led the 2006 age group team to play in the final stage of the tournament, which is only the first hurdle.
In addition, the 3rd Asian Youth Games soccer tournament, which was supposed to be held in Shantou in November last year, was postponed due to the epidemic, and the new tournament is scheduled to be held in Shantou in December this year. According to the competition regulations, the players who will participate in the Asian Youth Games Men's Football Tournament are those born after January 1, 2006, Yang Chen will lead the team to play at home, how will they perform? It is also worth paying attention to.
VII. Reconstruction of the women's national team is a top priority
Compared to the men's national team in four lines, the top priority of women's soccer is the national team. China's women's football team will play the first round of the group stage of the 20th Women's Asian Cup on January 20, the opponent will be Chinese Taipei, China's women's football team will play the first shot in 2022.
Tokyo Olympic Games on the fiasco, once again the Chinese women's football into an unprecedented shock, not only is the head coach by the water Qingxia to replace Jia Xiuquan, the entire team's management of the main body, the management mode has also undergone significant changes, the Asian Cup is "newborn" after the first strike. Women's Asian Cup, but also the 2023 Women's World Cup Asian qualifiers, Asia has a total of "6 + 2" seats, that is, in addition to the six direct line team (including Australia Women's Football), there are two additional places to participate in the tournament. The entire Asian women's soccer world is still presenting the "five strong struggle", because the North Korean women's soccer team withdrew from the qualifying round, the Chinese women's soccer team and Japan, Australia and South Korea to enter the World Cup final round there is no suspense, but China's women's soccer team can make a breakthrough in the Asian Cup, to regain the title of the Asian Championship, which I am afraid that is the focus of attention of the fans.
In addition to the Women's Asian Cup at the beginning of the year, the Hangzhou Asian Games women's football tournament, which will be held on home soil from September 6 to 24, will be another opportunity for the Chinese women's football team to regain the top of Asia. If because of the short takeover time, out of the Women's Asian Cup is a bit of a rush, to take advantage of the advantages of playing at home, the impact of the women's gold medal is more likely, after all, China's women's soccer team four years ago to get a silver medal. Since the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games, China's women's soccer team has never been the Asian Games women's soccer gold medal, the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, also at home, China's women's soccer team even failed to win a medal, only ranked fourth.
Before the Asian Games, the East Asia Cup Women's Football Tournament, which will be held on home soil from July 19 to 27, is a good opportunity to practice, and the Japanese women's football team, the North Korean women's football team and the South Korean women's football team will be the object of China's women's football team's practice, and it is also the best outpost before the Asian Games.
The 10th U20 Women's Asian Cup Final Stage (02 age group) was supposed to be played in Uzbekistan and the 11th U17 Women's Asian Cup Final Stage (05 age group) was supposed to be played in Indonesia in 2022, but the AFC decided to cancel both tournaments due to the epidemic in July last year, and instead decided to continue the tournaments in Uzbekistan and Indonesia in 2024 respectively. Instead, the AFC decided to continue the tournaments in Uzbekistan and Indonesia in 2024, and of course, the age of the participating players has changed accordingly. Therefore, China Women's Youth Football Team and China Women's Junior Football Team will not have any more intercontinental tournaments this year, the original two women's youth football teams have been disbanded, and the women's department of the Football Association has already begun to set up the 04-age U20 Women's Youth Football Team and 07-age U17 Women's Junior Football Team and started training to prepare for the next tournament qualifiers in 2023.
VIII. How clubs respond to the AFC Championship is the focus
In terms of foreign war, in addition to the men's and women's national teams at all levels, I'm afraid the most striking thing is the clubs playing in the annual AFC Champions League. In men's soccer, due to the impact of the epidemic and other objective factors in the last two years, the Chinese Super League clubs have had a disappointing performance in the AFC Champions League for two consecutive years, and the Chinese Super League has slipped from the first place at the end of 2019 to the seventh place at the end of 2021 in the AFC Technical Points Ranking. If no changes are made in the 2022 AFC Champions League, the Chinese Super League may not even be able to secure enough seats.
The four teams representing China in this year's AFC Champions League have been confirmed, namely Shandong Taishan, Shanghai Harbour, Guangzhou and Changchun Yatai, and the group draw will be held on January 17th. However, whether the top four teams can ultimately participate in the competition as desired is yet to be determined by the AFC's independent auditing body after the qualification review. According to the AFC's competition schedule, this year's AFC Champions League group stage before the play-offs in East Asia on March 15, the group stage is scheduled to start between April 15 and May 1 in a tournament system, every three days a round. Whether the Chinese Super League clubs will be able to participate in the tournament under the epidemic is still unknown.
For the Women's AFC Champions League, there is also no clear indication as to whether the AFC will conduct another tournament of a similar experimental nature this year in preparation for the inaugural official tournament in 2023, after two previous editions of the tournament of an experimental nature. But if it is hosted, last year's Women's Super League champions Wuhan Jiangda Women's Football Team, representing China, will face the same situation as the Chinese Super League's top four.
Despite the fact that we are already in 2022, the situation and difficulties faced by Chinese soccer are almost the same as the past two years, the biggest problem is that national teams at all levels simply can not arrange normal international warm-up matches, and even going abroad to participate in the game is very restricted. It will be another challenging year for Chinese soccer.
