February 22 – The third edition of the China Cup from March 21-25 in Nanning will kick off with a rerun of the January Asian Cup last-16 encounter between China and Thailand.
China won that match 2-1 before losing to Iran in the semi-finals. This time round they will face Thailand without head coach Marcello Lippi whose contract finished at the end of the Asian Cup. No new manager has yet been appointed.
This is the third edition of the four-team China Cup International Championship and will feature Uruguay, the reigning champions, and Uzbekistan.
The tournament is jointly organised by the Chinese Football Association, the Guangxi Sports Bureau and the Wanda Group. It is seen as an important preparation for China for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers that begin in September.
After China open the tournament against Thailand, Uruguay and Uzbekistan will play the following day. The two winners will compete in a final with the losers playing off for third place.
China have never made the final of the tournament which was first won by Chile in 2017 who beat Iceland in the final. That year China beat World Cup 2018 finalists Croatia to third position.
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