The 2026 Changsha Youth Football League finals and the Changsha qualifying tournament for the Chinese Youth Football League concluded after a seven-day schedule held at the Moon Island Changsha Youth Football Training Center during the National Day holiday.
Seventy-Six Teams Contest Two Hundred Fifty-Six Matches Across Seven Age Divisions
The tournament drew 76 representative teams from nine districts, counties, and cities across Changsha. Competitors participated in 256 matches over the seven-day event. Organizers structured the competition into seven age and gender categories: U8, U9, U10, U11, U12, U13, and U16 divisions, which included separate brackets for boys and girls in the older age groups to accommodate players from early childhood introduction through middle school.
Technical Skill Tests Integrated Into Lower Age Brackets
To emphasize fundamental skill development over match outcomes, organizers implemented technical evaluations for teams in the U8 through U12 age brackets. Dribbling, passing, and shooting scores were factored into each team’s overall evaluation alongside match results. The format combined direct match play with fundamental testing to encourage youth training programs to prioritize technical mastery and comprehensive player evaluation.
Division Champions Decided After Weeklong Competition
Following group stages and knockout rounds, championship titles were awarded across all age groups. Yuhua District Tianma Dexinyuan captured the U8 crown, while Yuhua District Dexinyuan Primary School won the U9 division. Yuhua District Tianma Dexinyuan earned the U10 title, and the Xiangjiang New Area Football Youth Training Center took the U11 championship. High-Tech Zone Lugu Primary School finished first in the U12 bracket.
Integration of School Football and Youth Training Programs
The Changsha Youth Football League serves as a key regional tournament and functions as the local qualifying pathway for the Chinese Youth Football League. The event operates under a sports-education integration model designed to link school football programs with external youth training systems to identify and develop local talent reservoirs for the sport.
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