International youth football competition to take place next month

The China (Shanghai) International Youth Football Invitational 2018 will take place from July 8 to 14 in Shanghai, gathering 16 youth teams from 10 countries and regions.

The opening game will be held at the High School affiliated to Fudan University, Qingpu Campus, while the 32 group games and knockout rounds will take place in the city’s Yangpu, Putuo, Qingpu and Minhang districts.

The competition comprises 10 overseas teams and six local ones. The overseas teams are from: the United States, the UK, France, Slovakia, Belgium, Cote d'Ivoire, Mexico, Fiji and Hong Kong. The local teams are from the provinces of Fujian, Guangdong and Henan, as well as Inner Mongolia autonomous region, Shanghai municipality, and a high school league.

A total of 416 athletes and coaches and 889 volunteers will participate in the event that is expected to draw a crowd of 10,000 students.

According to Ding Li, an official from the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, the tournament committee was set up by the government in strict accordance with the international requirements.