China Football Sets Sights on Asian Games Breakthrough After Strong 2026 Start

During the opening six months of 2026, Chinese national teams delivered a series of encouraging results across age groups. The U23 and U17 men’s national teams both advanced to their respective Asian Cup finals to finish as runners-up, while the senior women’s national team alongside the U20 and U17 women’s squads all secured qualification for their respective World Cups. Carrying that momentum into the second half of the year, attention turns squarely to the upcoming fixtures in Japan.

Men’s Squad Faces Group B Test

Built primarily around the core of the U23 squad led by Wang Yudong, Xu Bin, and Li昊 (Li Hao), the team enters the tournament backed by their runner-up finish at the U23 Asian Cup. Head coach Antonio further strengthened key positions through the spine of the team by utilizing three over-age selections: Wu Xi, Zhang Yuning, and Zhu Chenjie.

Compared to the squad that reached the quarterfinals at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, this new iteration enters the competition with elevated expectations. However, that status brings a shift in opponent preparation. While the U23 Asian Cup saw the team compete primarily as challengers from the fourth seeding pot, the team now enters as a seeded side subject to intense tactical scrutiny from regional rivals.

The men’s competition features 15 teams divided into four groups, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the quarterfinals. China has been drawn into Group B alongside Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and North Korea. Iran enters with a revamped tactical setup following a coaching change after their U23 Asian Cup exit, bolstered by the addition of domestic league top scorer Hosseinnezhad as an over-age player alongside several core members from their senior FIFA World Cup campaign. The United Arab Emirates reinforced their U23 Asian Cup quarterfinal roster with three over-age players and four naturalized talents playing in European leagues including France and Turkey. North Korea completes the group as a formidable fourth-pot opponent, having drawn 1:1 with China’s U23 side in a March friendly match.

Because the runner-up of Group B will face the winner of Group A in the quarterfinals—where host nation Japan is heavily favored to finish top—securing the top spot in Group B becomes essential for any deep tournament run aiming to surpass China’s last appearance in the tournament’s top four back in 1998.

Women’s Squad Targets Semifinal Threshold

The women’s tournament features 12 teams split into three groups, with the top two sides and the two best third-placed finishers advancing to the quarterfinals. Unlike the men’s division, the women’s event operates without age restrictions, featuring full senior national teams. China is grouped alongside the Philippines, Uzbekistan, and Hong Kong, China.

With a favorable opening group schedule that offers opportunities for squad rotation, physical recovery, and tactical refinement, the squad is expected to navigate the group stage without major obstacles. Real challenges, however, are projected to begin in the semifinals against traditional regional contenders such as North Korea, Japan, and South Korea, after China fell to Japan in the semifinals of the Hangzhou Asian Games and again in the Women’s Asian Cup earlier in the year.

Head coach Ante Milicic retained the core of the Asian Cup roster, featuring veterans Wang Shuang, Zhang Linyan, and Wu Haiyan. A notable tactical adjustment arrived in the goalkeeping department, where all three goalkeepers from the Asian Cup—Chen Chen, Zhu Yu, and Peng Shimeng—were replaced by Pan Hongying, Xiao Zhitong, and Zhu Mengdi in the final roster. Despite the youth introduced to the position, Milicic expressed firm confidence in the team’s readiness, emphasizing that the squad aims for the gold medal and approaches the regional competition without fear of any opponent.