The have been perennial contenders for the
Asian Cup , most recently finishing second in
2004 . The side failed to score a goal in their maiden
World Cup appearance in
Korea/Japan 2002 . The Chinese national team was founded in
1924 and joined
FIFA in
1931 -
58 and in
1979 .
After the transfer of sovereignty of
Hong Kong from the
United Kingdom in 1997, and
Macau from
Portugal in 1999, they have continued to have their own teams, which play as "
Hong Kong, China " and "
Macau, China ". The team playing as "China" represents
Mainland China only.
As
Football is widely followed in the
People's Republic Of China , any triumph by the national team is considered to be a source of national pride. Around 300 million people tuned in to broadcasts of China's World Cup 2002 matches, and there were possibly even more viewers for the Asian Cup 2004 finals.
One interesting thing about Chinese football is related to their neighbor, South Korea. China have played about 30 matches against them since
1950 but they have never won against South Korea at all, in spite of finishing higher in a number of tournaments. Chinese football journalists call it "
Koreaphobia ."
Team China is currently sponsored by
Adidas
;Goalkeepers
;Defenders
;Midfielders
;Strikers
