Big gains forecast from FIFA, AFC events

With China set to host an expanded FIFA Club World Cup in 2021 and the AFC Asian Cup in 2023, authorities are confident the events will improve the country's soccer infrastructure and ultimately the level of the national team.

The 2021 FIFA Club World Cup will for the first time feature 24 teams, with matches to be played in Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Shenyang, Jinan, Hangzhou and Dalian in June and July.

The 2023 Asian Cup will also feature 24 teams, but this time of the national variety. Matches will be staged in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Chongqing, Xi'an, Dalian, Qingdao, Xiamen and Suzhou, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) revealed on Saturday.

"Hosting the Club World Cup and the Asian Cup will be a major boost to China's soccer industry and infrastructure," a CFA spokesman told Xinhua.

China has already featured at the Club World Cup, with Guangzhou Evergrande qualifying for soccer's global club showcase in 2013 and 2015, finishing fourth on both occasions.

"It is a huge event for Chinese soccer, sport and the whole country as well. The CFA will work together with FIFA and the host cities to present a successful, wonderful and perfect event," the spokesman added.

Hosting major international events is one of the main elements of the Chinese government's 2015 plan for soccer reform and development, which aims to transform China into a soccer powerhouse by 2050.

Team China is currently 76th in FIFA's men's world rankings, with its chances of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar looking faint.

Italian Marcello Lippi resigned as the squad's head coach in November following a damaging 2-1 defeat to Syria in Dubai.

China sits second in Group A, eight points behind leader Syria and level on points with the Philippines, with four games to play. The top two teams in each group will progress to a second stage of qualifying.

The CFA is reportedly set to install caretaker coach Li Tie on a permanent basis. China resumes its campaign at home to the Maldives in March.

The growth of Chinese soccer, though, is not just reliant on success on the pitch. With more and more Chinese brands going global, the soccer industry is increasingly focused on the world's most populous nation.

Seven Chinese companies sponsored the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and China has already announced its intention to bid to host a future edition of the tournament.