China’s U17 national team secured a spot in the U17 Asian Cup knockout stage as group runners-up after a 2-0 victory over Qatar, ending a 21-year drought for a place in the FIFA U-17 World Cup.
The last time China’s U17s competed in the World Cup was in 2005. They earned their place by winning the 2004 AFC U-17 Championship with a squad featuring Wang Dalei, Deng Zhuoxiang, and Yang Xu. In the 2005 World Cup, they drew with Costa Rica, beat hosts Peru 1-0 thanks to a stunning free kick from Deng, and drew with Ghana. They were eliminated in the quarterfinals after a 5-1 loss to Turkey, but their seventh-place finish remains the best in the country’s history.
In the 2006 AFC U-17 Championship, China went unbeaten in the group stage but lost 2-1 to North Korea in the quarterfinals despite taking an early lead through Gao Di and playing against ten men. That defeat denied them a World Cup spot.
From 2008 onward, China failed to advance past the group stage for six consecutive editions of the AFC U-17 Championship, and missed the finals altogether in 2016 and 2018.
In the 2025 AFC U-17 Asian Cup, China lost 2-1 to both Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan before beating Thailand 2-0 in their final group match, finishing 11th overall and extending their World Cup absence to 20 years.
A year later, the team avoided a repeat of that disappointment. Despite defeats to Indonesia and Japan in their first two group matches, they bounced back with a decisive 2-0 win over Qatar, securing second place in the group and a ticket to the World Cup.
In 2026, China’s U23 team reached the AFC U-23 Asian Cup final, while the women’s senior team, U20 women’s team, and U17 women’s team all qualified for their respective World Cups. With the U17 men’s team also booking their place in the World Cup, the Chinese Football Association has already achieved all five of its major goals for the year.