Saudi club Al-Nassr abruptly canceled a two-game tour in China after star player Cristiano Ronaldo suffered a calf injury. Reporters spotted Ronaldo wearing tape around his lower leg, however, the decision to suspend the trip to China is a serious one. Al-Nassr was already in Shenzhen taking part in its usual training. Yet, Al-Nassr's two […]

Argentina will have a lot riding in 2024 since they are the current regional and world champions. Another major championship would put them in a better position to defend their other crown in the future. With each game that Lionel Messi plays, Argentina reaches new heights. That being said, the 36-year-old also adds more trophies […]

Inter Miami's upcoming tour of China has hit multiple snags just days before the squad is set to travel. The Major League Soccer side previously announced that they would play two friendlies in the Asian nation in November. Nevertheless, one of venues for the matchups has been changed, while the other is cancelled. Miami is […]

What does the China, the World Cup and George Orwell have in common? Quite a lot, actually. If you're China, how do you avoid drawing attention to the billions of people outside your country who are no longer wearing COVID masks? Jim Morrison, lead singer of The Doors, summed it up best: Whoever controls the […]

China will be planning an official bid to host the 2031 Women's World Cup. The Chinese Football Association and Chinese sports, education and finance ministies put together the strategy. If selected, it would be the country's third time hosting the tournament. Previously, China hosted the 1991 and 2007 tournaments. The Asian country is attempting to […]

Beijing (AFP) – Gleaming football stadiums built for the Asian Cup may turn into "white elephants" after China withdrew as hosts, experts say, with President Xi Jinping's World Cup dreams more remote than ever. Ten cities across China have sunk billions of dollars to build eight new stadiums and renovate two others for the Asian […]

Kuala Lumpur (AFP) – China has withdrawn as the 2023 Asian Cup host due to the coronavirus, football officials said Saturday, with Beijing's strict zero-Covid strategy dealing another blow to the country's sporting ambitions. Authorities in China are pursuing a strategy of stamping out the virus entirely, which includes rapid lockdowns and mass testing, and […]

Beijing (AFP) – After staging both a Summer and now a Winter Olympics, there is one major international sports event left for China to host — the football World Cup. Football fan President Xi Jinping has said he wants China to stage and even win the men's World Cup one day, and the country has […]

Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) (AFP) – China are on the brink of suffering more World Cup heartache despite clinching an impressive 1-1 draw with Australia on Tuesday in qualifying for next year's football showpiece in Qatar. A 38th-minute strike by Mitchell Duke appeared to have condemned the global Olympic and economic powerhouse to their fourth […]

Doha (AFP) – Australia convincingly beat China 3-0 on Thursday as the final stage of Asian qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup kicked off on Thursday. The Socceroos' emphatic win in Doha came hours after Oman had caused a major upset edging past Japan 1-0 in Suita while South Korea were held to a […]

Shanghai (AFP) – China's football chief and state media hailed FIFA's decision to expand the World Cup to 48 teams from 2026, saying it could help realise the country's "dream" of returning to the sport's grandest stage. Chinese Football Association President Cai Zhenhua called the expansion an opportunity for China, who currently languish at 82nd […]

Beijing (AFP) – Beijing's dream of making China a football powerhouse depends on millions of children taking up the sport, but even coaches say tradition-minded parents view the game as a wasteful distraction from school. China's President Xi Jinping, an avowed fan of the game, has declared three goals for the country: to host, qualify, […]

Hong Kong (AFP) – China is hoping to produce a generation of top footballers by building thousands of academies, but experts question the project and warn it may be a waste of time. New academies are springing up around the world's most populous nation as China, under the orders of President Xi Jinping, sets about […]

Doha (AFP) – A Chinese state-owned construction company will build the Qatar 2022 World Cup final stadium in a joint venture, Qatar's World Cup organisers said Monday. The China Railway Construction Corporation Limited and Qatari contractor HBK Contracting Co. W.L.L. have won the bidding process to build the stadium designed by award-winning British architect Norman […]

Berlin (AFP) – China and Germany signed a deal Friday to boost cooperation in football, as the Asian giant sets its sights on becoming a superpower in the sport. The five-year deal comes after football talks between Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese President Xi Jinping, both fans of the game. "The cooperation will be targeted […]