On October 5, at noon, a spotlight - the 20th U17 2023
Asian cup (e.g. soccer)
In the first round of Group G, China faced Cambodia at the Shepperton Sports City Stadium in Australia. This tournament, undoubtedly, provides a stage for our young players to show themselves.
The 2023 U17 Asia Cup qualifiers brought together the best of 44 units from Asia. Notably, North Korea and Macau, China are not competing in the tournament, while the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) is absent due to a FIFA ban. The tournament has been divided into 10 groups, with Group G comprising our country, Australia, Cambodia and the Northern Mariana Islands, with hosts Australia dominating.
On May 24, AFC completed the group draw for this year's tournament. China, together with Australia, Cambodia and the Northern Mariana Islands, is in Group G. Our team will face a tough challenge in order to compete for a place in the group.
Originally, Bahrain was scheduled to host the final stage of the tournament, but in mid-June, the Bahrain Football Association (BFA) announced that it was giving up its bid to host the event. Currently, the AFC has not yet determined the final host. In the original plan, Timor-Leste was placed in Group H with Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Mongolia, but after Timor-Leste withdrew from the tournament, only three teams remain in Group H.
According to the rules of qualification, the 1st place of the 10 groups and the 2nd place of the 6 groups with the best results will advance to the main round. When comparing the 2nd place of groups, the 2nd place of ABCD will not be counted against the 4th and 5th place of the same group, and the 2nd place of the remaining 6 groups will not be counted against the 4th place of the same group.
For our team, it is quite difficult to qualify for the first place in the group to directly qualify for the main round. If we compete for the 2nd place in the group, the result of the first match against Cambodia, especially the goal difference, will be crucial. Northern Mariana Islands has been confirmed as the bottom of the group, and the result of the match with our country has almost no reference value.
In the pre-match press conference, Head Coach Yang Chen expressed his gratitude to the local organizing committee for their hospitality and said that the team is very happy to come to Australia to participate in the U-17 Asian Cup Qualifier. Talking about the preparation for the tournament, Yang Chen said, "We have made detailed preparations and targeted arrangements for each match, and we hope to present exciting matches for our fans." Regarding the goal of this tournament, Yang Chen said that the team will do their best to win the first place in the group to advance to the main round.
