China National Team Announces New Squad! Six Players Born After 2005 Selected as Youth Trial Begins

To prepare for the international football invitational tournament to be held in Chongqing from September 24 to October 6, the national team recently announced its latest 30-player training squad. The tournament is scheduled during a FIFA-recognized international match window, and head coach Shao Jiayi hopes to use the Chinese Super League break to bring in more young players and prepare for the Asian Cup to be held next January.

However, the Nagoya Asian Games taking place this month led Antonio to first select a 23-player squad for the competition, consisting of U23 players and three overage players, which limited Shao Jiayi's options for selecting younger players to some extent. Fortunately, many Chinese Super League clubs have used young players as regular starters this season, and a number of promising newcomers have emerged in the league.

With many U23 national team players participating in the Asian Games, Shao Jiayi had to focus his selections on even younger players. In this training squad, six players born after 2005, including Tsinghua Affiliated High School striker Zhao Songyuan, as well as Wang Gengrui, Yang Mingrui, Du Yuezheng, Zhao Songyuan and Zhang Aihui, received their first national team call-ups. Among them, 17-year-old Zhao Songyuan is 1.94 meters tall. Although he is still a student and has no professional league experience, his outstanding performances for the U17 youth team successfully attracted Shao Jiayi's attention.

Wang Gengrui, who is the same age as Zhao Songyuan, has made 23 appearances for Qingdao West Coast this season and became a key player for the team with his consistent performances. Meanwhile, Bunyamin, born in 2008, moved from Evergrande Football School to Yunnan Yukun this season and has impressed in the Chinese Super League. As a right winger, he possesses excellent speed, strong ability to break through on the flank, and a good sense of finishing chances. This season, he has scored five goals and provided four assists in 20 matches, making him a strong contender for the Chinese Super League's Best Young Player award.

In addition, Yang Mingrui and Du Yuezheng have also shown considerable potential in attack. These energetic young players have injected new momentum into the national team through their league performances. Although this group of youngsters lacks international tournament experience, they will be able to gain valuable competitive experience and develop faster through high-level international invitational matches.

Furthermore, in the upcoming Chongqing International Football Invitational Tournament, China will play four warm-up matches at Chongqing Longxing Football Stadium from September 24 to October 6, facing Palestine, New Zealand, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan respectively. Among them, Oceania champions New Zealand have participated in the 2026 World Cup and are stronger than China; Palestine and Tajikistan are also participants in next year's Asian Cup, and both teams should not be underestimated. This will undoubtedly be a valuable opportunity for China to gain experience. The addition of fresh young talent is expected to bring a new look to the national team and help them show a passionate style of play.