Chinese university teams prepare for football tournament qualification

FUZHOU - Twelve Chinese teams will compete for three qualifying berths for the 2018 Asian University Sports Federation (AUSF) Football Cup, kicking off in Jinjiang on August 17.

China will send one men's team and two women's teams to the AUSF Football Cup which will take place from Oct. 29 to Nov. 11.

In the upcoming qualifying rounds in Jinjiang in August, eight men's teams will fight for the only ticket to the Cup tournament and the top two out of the four women's teams will secure the positions for the main event in October.

According to the schedule, 16 men's teams and seven women's teams representing the universities from Asian countries will gather for the AUSF event.

The Chinese men's team has been drawn in Group D, encountering teams from Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan. The two women's teams from China will begin the matches in two different groups.

The 2018 AUSF Football Cup will also serve as the qualifying round for the 2019 International University Sports Federation (FISU) World Cup.

Jinjiang is the host city of the four consecutive AUSF Football Cups in 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2024, as well as the biennial FISU World Cups in 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2025.