National Team Overseas Match Schedule Accelerated: National Football Team to Face Cameroon, National Youth Team Returns to Toulon Tournament, National Junior Team Revisits Montaigu Tournament

Reporter Chen Yong reports While Chinese players embark on a new wave of overseas transfers, the national team's plans for international matches abroad are also being expedited.

Previously, national teams predominantly organized international matches domestically, which was more convenient. However, official matches for national teams are often held overseas. For instance, the national team's competitions follow a home-and-away format, and the U17 Asian Cup will be held in Saudi Arabia for four consecutive years from 2025 to 2028. Against this backdrop, for the 2026 season, almost all national teams have overseas match plans. Examples include the national team traveling to Australia for matches in March, the '09 National Junior Team previously going to Indonesia for two warm-up matches, the '10 National Junior Team traveling to France for the Montaigu Tournament in March, and the '07 National Youth Team heading to France for the Toulon Tournament in May.

The aim of the national teams' overseas match schedule is to actively seek higher-level opponents, further familiarize themselves with the intensity and pace of mainstream international competitions, and enhance the teams' capabilities in away matches. In fact, regarding professional clubs, during the 2026 preseason winter training, 14 out of 16 Chinese Super League teams conducted training camps abroad.

As early as January 21st, the Chinese Football Association announced the national team's warm-up plan for March: traveling to Australia to participate in two 2026 FIFA Series matches. The schedule for the Chinese team's two matches is as follows: March 27th, 14:00, China vs. Curaçao; March 31st, 14:00, China vs. Cameroon.

These two matches also mark the debut of national team head coach Shao Jiayi. Previously, the national team conducted winter training and warm-up matches in Zhaoqing, Guangdong, and Dubai, UAE. For Shao Jiayi, another task in the 2026 season is to further integrate outstanding young players to rejuvenate the squad. However, the U23 national team also has the Asian Games competition this year, which may impact the rejuvenation of the senior national team.

The U19 national team, i.e., the '07 National Youth Team, has its key focus on the 2027 U20 Asian Cup, making the preparation work in 2026 crucial.

The highlight of the '07 National Youth Team's preparation this year is the Toulon Tournament, marking the team's return after a six-year absence, with the last Chinese participation being in 2019. The Toulon Tournament features a very high level of competition. This return is partly related to the national teams' overseas match schedule and also signifies the Chinese Football Association's increased confidence in the youth national teams.

The U17 national team, i.e., the '09 National Junior Team, has its competition task this year as the U17 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia in May, which is a key event for national teams this year. The U17 team's goal is naturally to advance from the group stage to qualify for the U17 World Cup.

To adapt to the pace of overseas matches, the U17 national team traveled to Indonesia in February for two matches against the Indonesian U17 national team. They won the first match 7-0 and the second 3-2. The varying performance across the two matches is an area the U17 team needs to focus on improving.

Unlike the National Youth Team's prolonged absence from the Toulon Tournament, the Chinese National Junior Team has consistently participated in the Montaigu Tournament. In the 2025 Montaigu Tournament, the '09 National Junior Team performed exceptionally well, finishing second in their group with 2 wins and 1 draw (0-0 draw against France U16, 1-0 win against Cameroon U16, 2-1 win against France Vendée U17). They eventually placed fourth after a 0-2 loss to Mexico in the third-place playoff, yet this still represented a historic breakthrough for China in the tournament.

Given the realities of Chinese football, achieving a breakthrough with the senior national team is more challenging. However, youth football in China has shown a notable rebound in recent years. Pursuing breakthroughs through the younger national teams aligns with normal football development patterns. Consequently, the Chinese Football Association places high importance on the preparation of youth national teams. According to plan, the U16 national team will train in Auxerre for a week before proceeding to compete in the Montaigu Tournament.

At the men's national team level, the U23 national team will continue to be maintained this year, targeting the Asian Games. They are expected to have corresponding preparation plans during the international match windows in March and June.

The U15 national team, led by Zhou Haibin, has been formally established. A selection training camp was held in January, divided into two phases for player assessment. This team will participate in the U17 Asian Cup to be held in Saudi Arabia in 2028. Their preparation task is relatively less urgent, but they will also participate in international matches this year, including overseas tours.

Furthermore, within the five-tier youth training center development plan, one criterion for establishing regional youth training centers is participation in high-level international competitions. This essentially serves as a precursor to the national teams' overseas match schedule.