Chinese Youth Football Elite League (Division U-17)

Chinese Youth Football Elite League (U17)
Current season, competition or edition:
2025 season
ClassificationYouth development league
SportAssociation football
Founded2022 (predecessor tournaments)
FounderChinese Football Association
No. of teams31 (2025 season)
CountryChina
ConfederationAFC
Most recent
champion		Evergrande Football School U17 (2025)
Level on pyramidU17 Echelon

The Chinese Youth Football Elite League (U17 Division) (Chinese: 中国足球青少年精英联赛（U17组）), abbreviated as U17 League, is a professional youth football competition in China organized by the Chinese Professional Football League (CFL) for under-17 players. Established in 2025 through the merger and rebranding of previous tournaments, it represents the highest tier of professional club youth football for the U17 age category in China.[1]

History

Origins and rebranding

The tournament was officially renamed the Chinese Youth Football Elite League (U17 Division) on 30 April 2025, consolidating the former CFA Youth Football Championship (Professional Club U17 Division) and the China Professional Club U17 League.[2] This restructuring was part of broader reforms following the separation of management and operation between professional leagues and the Football Association in 2025.[3]

The predecessor tournaments date back to 2022, with the Evergrande Football School U17 team winning the championship in 2022 and 2023 under different competition formats.[4]

2025 inaugural season

The 2025 season marked the first edition under the new name and format, featuring 31 participating clubs—the highest number in the competition's history.[5] The tournament was conducted in multiple phases: preliminary rounds, and final stage divided into two phases.[6]

The preliminary phase was held across four venues: Yancheng Yufeng Football Training Base, Shandong Luneng Taishan Football School, Yuxi Plateau Football Training Base, and Rizhao International Football Center.[6] The first phase of finals took place from 18 July to 1 August 2025 in Weifang and Tangshan, comprising 7 rounds and 56 matches.[7] The second phase of finals was held from 17 to 31 December 2025 at the Zhuhai Suoka Football Training Base.[8]

2025 season

Participants

The 2025 season featured 31 clubs from China's professional league system, including teams from the Chinese Super League, China League One, and China League Two.[9] Notable participants included Shandong Taishan U17, Guangzhou Evergrande Football School U17, Shanghai Shenhua U17, Shanghai Port U17, Changchun Yatai U17, and Beijing Guoan U17.[10]

Final standings

Evergrande Football School U17 won the championship with a perfect record of six consecutive victories in the final phase, defeating Shandong Taishan U17 A team 2-1 in the decisive match on 29 December 2025 to secure the title one round early.[11][12] Changchun Yatai U17 finished as runners-up, while Shanghai Shenhua U17 secured third place.[13]

Top goal scorers included Huo Lutong (Changchun Yatai), Ma Xingbo (Liaoning Iron Man U17 B), and Tang Tianyu (Guangzhou U17), each scoring 5 goals.[13]

Player development

The U17 League serves as a critical developmental platform for players transitioning to professional football. Majority called up to the China U-17 national team training camps in 2025 came from clubs participating in this competition.[14]

The league also provides pathways to professional contracts. Following Guangzhou FC's dissolution, Evergrande Football School announced plans to form a professional team based on their U-17 championship squad, potentially entering the Chinese Champions League.[15][16][17]

Future plans

The Chinese Football League plans to expand the Elite League system to include U19, U14, and U13 divisions, building a comprehensive youth elite competition structure.[18][19] The CFL has also established bonus systems to reward clubs that develop players for the national team and professional leagues.[20][18][21]

Champions

Season Champions Runners-up Third place Notes
2022 Zhejiang Professional FC U17 A — — Former tournament format
2023 Zhejiang Professional FC U17 Green — — Former tournament format
2024 Shanghai Port U17[22] Langfang Glory City U17 Guangzhou FC U17 As CFA Youth Championship
2025 Evergrande Football School U17[23] Changchun Yatai U17 Shanghai Shenhua U17 First season as Elite League

See also

References

  1. ^ "2025中国足球青少年精英联赛U17组赛前联席会（珠海赛区）召开". www.gdfa.gd.cn (in Chinese). 17 December 2025. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  2. ^ "2025年中国足球职业俱乐部U21联赛（04）_前门稻草人_新浪博客". blog.sina.com.cn. Retrieved 2026-02-08.
  3. ^ 腾讯网 (2025-04-30). "足球速览_腾讯新闻". news.qq.com (in Chinese (China)). Retrieved 2026-02-08.
  4. ^ "中国青少年足球联赛(男子U17组)2025赛季联赛详情_网易彩票". sports.163.com. Retrieved 2026-02-08.
  5. ^ 中国体育报 (2025-07-25). "中国足球崛起 从U系列看起". finance.sina.com.cn. Retrieved 2026-02-08.
  6. ^ a b "中足联官方：2025赛季U21、U17与U15联赛承办赛区确定_凤凰网". i.ifeng.com. Retrieved 2026-02-08.
  7. ^ "2025青少年精英联赛U17组决赛第二阶段竞赛日程公布！珠海12月17日至31日即将开赛！". www.sohu.com. Retrieved 2026-02-08.
  8. ^ "2025中国足球青少年精英联赛U17组赛前联席会（珠海赛区）召开". www.gdfa.gd.cn (in Chinese). 17 December 2025. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  9. ^ "中足联数据：U21球员出场大幅提升，U17联赛队伍创历史新高|北京国安|天津津门虎|上海申花|山东泰山|长春亚泰|河南|浙江|上海海港|青岛海牛|梅州客家|上海嘉定汇龙|南通支云|定南赣联|辽宁铁人|苏州东吴|深圳新鹏城|成都蓉城|武汉三镇|青岛红狮|广西平果|南京城市|青岛西海岸|佛山南狮|延边龙鼎|石家庄功夫|云南玉昆|大连英博|重庆铜梁龙|大连鲲城|广东广州豹|陕西联合|深圳青年人|中足联|懂球帝". m.dongqiudi.com. Retrieved 2026-02-08.
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  14. ^ "U17国足集训名单：艾比布拉领衔大名单 共有27名球员入选". live.qq.com. Retrieved 2026-02-08.
  15. ^ "广州队落幕：被选中、被掌控、被写定的结局|广州|广州城|懂球帝". m.dongqiudi.com. Retrieved 2026-02-08.
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  17. ^ 网易 (2025-12-31). "恒大足校U17提前一轮问鼎全国冠军，混血新星张洪福闪耀赛场". www.163.com. Retrieved 2026-02-08.
  18. ^ a b "中足联召开2025赛季中期通气会，通报本赛季三级联赛运营情况|北京国安|天津津门虎|上海申花|山东泰山|长春亚泰|河南|浙江|上海海港|青岛海牛|北京理工|江西庐山|梅州客家|上海嘉定汇龙|南通支云|定南赣联|辽宁铁人|苏州东吴|湖北青年星|深圳新鹏城|成都蓉城|武汉三镇|青岛红狮|广西平果|南京城市|青岛西海岸|佛山南狮|温州|延边龙鼎|石家庄功夫|无锡吴钩|泉州亚新|泰安天贶|南通海门珂缔缘|昆明城星|赣州瑞狮|云南玉昆|山西崇德荣海|大连英博|广西恒宸|重庆铜梁龙|大连鲲城|广西蓝航|兰州陇原竞技|长春喜都|山东泰山B队|成都蓉城B队|上海海港B队|广东广州豹|武汉三镇B队|杭州临平吴越|陕西联合|深圳青年人|广州蒲公英|贵州筑城竞技|广东铭途|深圳二零二八|中足联|懂球帝". m.dongqiudi.com. Retrieved 2026-02-08.
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  20. ^ "中国足球协会关于进一步推进足球改革发展的若干措施-中国足球协会官方网站". www.thecfa.cn. Retrieved 2026-02-08.
  21. ^ 国内足球综合 (2025-06-16). "足球报：中国青少年足球 如何深度梳理和深化改革？". 手机新浪网 (in Chinese (China)). Retrieved 2026-02-08.
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