On the morning of May 23rd, the Chinese U17 team lost to the Japanese U17 team 2-3 in the final of the 2026 AFC U17 Championship. This marks the second time this year that Chinese football has finished second in the continental tournament (both times losing to Japan in the finals of the U17 and U23 championships). Despite not winning the championship, the General Administration of Sport and the Chinese Football Association still sent congratulatory letters to the team.
The General Administration of Sport of China praised the young players for their "unity, tenacious performance, and striving for excellence." The agency stated that the U17 Chinese team's runner-up finish at the Asian Championship "provides strong morale boost to the revitalization and development of Chinese football."
China's U17 team finished second at the Asian Championship.
China's U17 team started the tournament with a 0-1 defeat against Indonesia's U17 team in their opening match. They then lost 1-2 to Japan's U17 team. However, the results of their two rivals, Qatar's U17 and Indonesia's U17 teams, were also unfavorable, giving China's U17 team hope.
In the final match, they beat U17 Qatar 2-0 to advance to the quarterfinals (and secure a spot in the U17 World Cup) thanks to goal difference. U17 China eliminated host nation U17 Saudi Arabia in the quarterfinals (winning 3-1), and defeated U17 Australia (who beat U17 Vietnam 3-0) in the semifinals.
Facing Japan U17 again in the final, the young Chinese players were completely outplayed in the first half. They failed to register a single shot and were trailing Japan U17 0-3. Efforts in the second half only helped China U17 narrow the gap to one goal. Nevertheless, finishing as runners-up is still a commendable milestone for Chinese football.
The General Administration of Sport of China reminded the national team to "avoid arrogance and impatience, continue to strive, improve their skills, cultivate good conduct, and build a team capable of performing well, with excellent conduct, and achieving outstanding results." The agency emphasized the task of "revitalizing football," after years of decline for Chinese football at all national team levels.
Source: https://vtcnews.vn/thua-u17-nhat-ban-u17-trung-quoc-van-duoc-khen-ar1019550.html
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