In the early hours of May 13, Beijing time, the U17 Asian Cup continued in Saudi Arabia. Goals from He Sifan and Zhang Bolin propelled China’s U17 squad to a 2-0 victory over Qatar, booking their place in the FIFA U-17 World Cup for the first time in 21 years. This will be China’s seventh appearance at the tournament, having qualified six times previously.
China’s best results came in 1985 and 2005, both reaching the quarterfinals. The 1985 tournament was China’s debut, featuring talents like Guo Zhuang, Cao Xiandong, Sun Bowei, and Xie Yuxin. The team topped their group before falling 2-4 to West Germany in the quarterfinals.
In 2005, China’s last appearance before this year, the team again reached the quarterfinals, topping a group that included Ghana and Peru. They were eliminated by Turkey, ending their run in the last eight. Notable players included Deng Zhuoxiang, Yang Xu, Wang Dalei, Wang Gang, Yu Dabao, and Li Zhuangfei. That same year, China’s U20 team also advanced to the round of 16 at the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
China’s complete U-17 World Cup record:
1985: Quarterfinals
1989: Group stage
1991: Group stage
1993: Group stage
2003: Group stage
2005: Quarterfinals