Hong_Kong_national_football_team

Hong Kong national football team

Hong Kong national football team

Men's national association football team representing Hong Kong

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Hong Kong women's national football team.

The Hong Kong national football team (Chinese: 香港足球代表隊; Cantonese Yale: Hēunggóng jūkkàuh doihbíu deuih; recognised as Hong Kong, China by FIFA) represents Hong Kong in international football and is controlled by the Football Association of Hong Kong, China, the governing body for football in Hong Kong.

Quick Facts Nickname(s), Association ...

Hong Kong hosted the first AFC Asian Cup in 1956 and won third place, also reaching the semifinals in 1964. Hong Kong did not qualify for another AFC tournament until 2023. They had never qualified for the FIFA World Cup and their biggest celebrated victory was the 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC) where Hong Kong produced a 2–1 upset win against China which resulted in Hong Kong qualifying for the second rounds of qualification. Hong Kong has qualified for the EAFF E-1 Football Championship six times, in 1995, 1998, 2003, 2010, 2019 and 2022.

History

Establishment and pre-WWII era

Before Hong Kong became a member of FIFA in 1954, Hong Kong began playing in the Hong Kong–Macau Interport tournament in 1937,[3] which was one of the oldest competitions co-held by Hong Kong as well as continuously played. There were other interport tournaments in the past, such as the Shanghai-Hong Kong Interport which was first held in 1908.[4] At that time the team was composed of ethnic Chinese as well as western expatriates, as in the 1935 and 1937 edition of Shanghai-Hong Kong Interport.[5][6] There was another Interport tournament against Saigon.[7] The aforementioned Macau, Shanghai and Saigon were not a member of FIFA nor a sovereign nation at that time, with Hong Kong and Macau only having joined FIFA in 1954 and 1978 respectively. The China national team that participated in 1936 and 1948 Summer Olympics, were mainly composed of ethnic Chinese players from Hong Kong, most famously Lee Wai Tong.[8][9]

After WWII, a number of Shanghai-based players began representing Hong Kong, such as Chang King Hai and Hsu King Shing. Hong Kong played its first international match after World War II in 1949,[citation needed] against South Korea. Its first victory came in 1953, a 4–0 win against South Korea.[citation needed]

FIFA member (1954–present)

The Hong Kong FA became a member of FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation in 1954. Since then Hong Kong played their first FIFA-recognised international match against other countries. HKFA also sent a scratch team for 1957 Merdeka Tournament, which was composed of players from Eastern due to their proximity, plus few players from other clubs. The club was having a pre-season tour in South Asia, thus the HKFA invited the club to represent Hong Kong. However, some of the players were in fact ineligible to play for Hong Kong, as they were ROC (Taiwan) international players.[10][11]

Hong Kong qualified for three of the first four editions of the Asian Cup, including a third-place finish in the 1956 edition as host. At that time, most Hong Kong players represented Republic of China (Taiwan); they finished third in the Asian Cup in the 1960 edition, leaving more inferior players to the proper Hong Kong team.[12]

Hong Kong has never qualified for the World Cup. However, its most celebrated victory happened during 1986 World Cup qualifying. On 19 May 1985, in Beijing, Hong Kong faced China in the final match of the first qualifying round, where Hong Kong needed a win to advance while China needed only a draw. Hong Kong, led by coach Kwok Ka Ming, produced a 2–1 upset win, with goals from Cheung Chi Tak and Ku Kam Fai, thereby winning the group and advancing to the knockout stage where it subsequently lost to Japan.

The 1998 World Cup Asian qualifiers was considered one of Hong Kong's darkest moments as it was hit by a match-fixing scandal that involved former Sing Tao striker Chan Tsz-Kong who was found guilty and jailed for a year after he bribed players to throw and lose a match against Thailand. Others who were involved include goalkeeper Kevin Lok Kar-Win, defenders Chan Chi-Keung and Lau Chi Yuen and striker Wai Kwan-Lung.[13]

Football fever in 2015

A short football fever appeared during 2018 World Cup qualifying in Hong Kong, as Hong Kong had drawn into the same group with their fierce rival, China. Due to the tensions built up from Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict, many local citizens became interested in this year's campaign; all four home matches were recorded as a sellout. Hong Kong ended the campaign with 4 victories against Bhutan and Maldives, 2 scoreless draws against China, and 2 losses against Qatar.

In late 2018, under the guidance of English-born coach Gary White, Hong Kong qualified for their third appearance at the EAFF E-1 Football Championship finals. Shortly afterwards, White departed from the role.

In April 2019, Hong Kong FA appointed Finnish-born Mixu Paatelainen as the new head coach of the national football team in time for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers and the 2019 EAFF E-1 Football Championship tournament. However, after a poor run of performances, Mixu's contract was not renewed.

Qualification to the 2023 AFC Asian Cup finals

Hong Kong's 2023 Asian Cup team.

On 13 December 2021, Norwegian Jørn Andersen who formerly guided North Korea was named as the new head coach succeeding Mixu Paatelainen in preparation for the third round of qualification of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.[14] He guided Hong Kong to qualified for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup by beating Afghanistan 2–1 and Cambodia 3–0, reaching the final tournament after a 55-year absence.[15] In preparation for the tournament itself, on 2 January 2024, Hong Kong pulled a shocking 2–1 victory over arch-enemy China beating them for the first time in 29 years during the friendly match held in Abu Dhabi.[16]

On 15 January 2024, Hong Kong then kicked off their 2023 Asian Cup campaign against UAE in which they lost 3–1 in the opening match where Chan Siu Kwan scored the 1,000th goal in the AFC Asian Cup history.[17]

Team image

Kits and crest

The national team's home kit has always been a red shirt, red shorts, and red or white socks. The away colours are white shirts, white shorts and red or white socks.

Kit suppliers

More information Kit supplier, Period ...

Kit deals

More information Kit supplier, Period ...

Crest

The crest of the Hong Kong national football team has a Chinese dragon from the crest of the HKFA, which were logo has been always used as the team emblem.

Nevertheless, the HKFA emblem was not used on jerseys until 31 May 2011, HKFA debuted current emblem for the national team.

Home Stadium

The team's primary stadium is Hong Kong Stadium. For some friendly matches and minor qualification matches, the Hong Kong team plays most often at the Mong Kok Stadium in Kowloon, which was re-opened in 2011 after a renovation. Moreover, the 2018 edition of the Lunar New Year Cup was held in Mong Kok.[19] The cup was a local tradition to celebrate Chinese New Year, which was held in Government Stadium in the past.

The Jockey Club HKFA Football Training Centre is currently the main training ground for the Hong Kong national and youth teams.

Rivalries

China

See also: China–Hong Kong football rivalry

Hong Kong maintains a specific rivalry with China. The rivalry began in 1978 and for the first decades before the return of Hong Kong to China, Hong Kong produced a shock 2–1 upset in Beijing, and this led to unrest by Chinese supporters.[20] Since then, China never lost to Hong Kong, and has achieved more successes, but the rivalry continues to have some influence on Hong Kong society.[21][22][23]

On 1 January 2024, Hong Kong defeated China in a closed door international friendly, marking their first victory in 29 years.[24]

Macau

The Hong Kong–Macau rivalry has been contested by Hong Kong Football Association and Macau Football Association since 1937.

Results and fixtures

Main article: Hong Kong national football team results (2020–present)
See also: 2023–24 in Hong Kong football

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss

2023

15 June Friendly Vietnam  1–0  Hong Kong Hai Phong, Vietnam
19:30 UTC+7
Stadium: Lạch Tray Stadium
Attendance: 19,689
Referee: Suhaizi Shukri (Malaysia)
19 June Friendly Hong Kong  0–1  Thailand So Kon Po, Hong Kong
20:00 UTC+8
Stadium: Hong Kong Stadium
Attendance: 13,434
Referee: Jansen Foo (Singapore)
7 September Friendly Cambodia  1–1  Hong Kong Phnom Penh, Cambodia
19:00 UTC+7
Stadium: National Olympic Stadium
11 September Friendly Hong Kong  10–0  Brunei So Kon Po, Hong Kong
20:00 UTC+8
Stadium: Hong Kong Stadium
Attendance: 6,097
Referee: Warintorn Sassadee (Thailand)
12 October 2026 World Cup qualification Hong Kong  4–0  Bhutan So Kon Po, Hong Kong
20:00 UTC+8
Report Stadium: Hong Kong Stadium
Attendance: 10,259
Referee: Razlan Joffri Ali (Malaysia)
17 October 2026 World Cup qualification Bhutan  2–0
(2–4 agg.)		  Hong Kong Thimphu, Bhutan
18:00 UTC+6
Report Stadium: Changlimithang Stadium
Attendance: 5,300
Referee: Thoriq Alkatiri (Indonesia)
16 November 2026 World Cup qualification Iran  4–0  Hong Kong Tehran, Iran
18:00 UTC+3:30
Report Stadium: Azadi Stadium
Attendance: 6,191
Referee: Nazmi Nasaruddin (Malaysia)
21 November 2026 World Cup qualification Hong Kong  2–2  Turkmenistan So Kon Po, Hong Kong
20:00 UTC+8
Report
Stadium: Hong Kong Stadium
Attendance: 6,601
Referee: Adel Al-Naqbi (United Arab Emirates)

2024

1 January Friendly China  1–2  Hong Kong Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
17:30 UTC+4
Report
Stadium: Baniyas Stadium
Attendance: 0
Referee: Yahya Mohammed Ali Hassan Al-Mulla (United Arab Emirates)
14 January 2023 AFC Asian Cup GS United Arab Emirates  3–1  Hong Kong Al Rayyan, Qatar
17:30 UTC+3
Report
Stadium: Khalifa International Stadium
Attendance: 15,586
Referee: Muhammad Taqi (Singapore)
19 January 2023 AFC Asian Cup GS Hong Kong  0–1  Iran Al Rayyan, Qatar
20:30 UTC+3 Report
Stadium: Khalifa International Stadium
Attendance: 36,412
Referee: Hanna Hattab (Syria)
23 January 2023 AFC Asian Cup GS Hong Kong  0–3  Palestine Doha, Qatar
18:00 UTC+3
Stadium: Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium
Attendance: 6,568
Referee: Shaun Evans (Australia)
21 March 2026 World Cup qualification Hong Kong  0–2  Uzbekistan Mong Kok, Hong Kong
20:00 UTC+8 Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Stadium: Mong Kok Stadium
Attendance: 6,263
Referee: Kim Woo-sung (South Korea)
26 March 2026 World Cup qualification Uzbekistan  3–0  Hong Kong Tashkent, Uzbekistan
19:30 UTC+5
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)		 Stadium: Milliy Stadium
Referee: Ahmed Faisal Al-Ali (Jordan)
5 June 2026 World Cup qualification Hong Kong  v  Iran So Kon Po, Hong Kong
20:00 UTC+8 Stadium: Hong Kong Stadium
10 June 2026 World Cup qualification Turkmenistan  v  Hong Kong Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
--:-- UTC+5 Stadium: Ashgabat Stadium
November or December 2025 EAFF E-1 Preliminary TBC v  Hong Kong Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Stadium: National Stadium
November or December 2025 EAFF E-1 Preliminary Hong Kong  v TBC Kaohsiung, Taiwan
--:-- UTC+8 Stadium: National Stadium
November or December 2025 EAFF E-1 Preliminary TBC v  Hong Kong Kaohsiung, Taiwan
--:-- UTC+8 Stadium: National Stadium

Coaching staff

More information Position, Name ...

Coaching history

More information Name, Coaching career ...

Last updated: Hong Kong 0–3 Uzbekistan, 26 March 2024. Statistics include international "A" matches only.

Players

Current squad

The following 22 players have been called up for the final squad for 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers matches against  Uzbekistan on 21 and 26 March 2024 respectively.

Caps and goals as of 26 March 2024 after the match against  Uzbekistan.

More information No., Pos. ...

Recent call–ups

The following players have been called up for the team within the previous 12 months.

More information Pos., Player ...

History of naturalised players

During the 1950s, Arthur Santos who is of British-Portuguese nationality (whose son Leslie was a former Hong Kong international footballer) became the first naturalised player to represent the Hong Kong national football team who was then followed by another fellow Portuguese-born player named JH Toleido.[26]

In the 1960's, there were a couple more foreign players who had represented the Hong Kong national football team whilst some were working within the national service at the time. These include British players from T. Watson, Evans, Ken Wallis who went on to represent Hong Kong during the lawn bowls event during the 1990 and 1994 Commonwealth Games as well as Australian-born Pete McClaren and Scottish-born Charlie Wright.[26]

In the late 1970's, Scottish-born players Derek Currie, Dave Anderson and Hugh McCrory all became eligible to represent the Hong Kong national football team in which Currie and Anderson took part during the 1979 Asian Cup qualifiers whilst McCrory took part during the 1982 World Cup qualifiers.

There were at least a couple more naturalised players who went on to represent Hong Kong throughout the 90's which include Bosnian-born Anto Grabo along with fellow English-born players Mark Grainger, John Moore and most notably Dale Tempest. Sung Lin Yung became the first mainland born player to represent Hong Kong during the 1998 World Cup Asian qualifiers having resided for more than two years under FIFA eligibility rules unlike foreign born players that would usually require at least seven years.

In the 2000's, a couple of African and Brazilian-born players were introduced went through the naturalisation process having met the residential criteria. Nigerian-born Lawrence Akandu obtained his Hong Kong citizenship in which he played for the national team during the 2003 East Asia Cup finals where he scored a goal in a loss against South Korea. He was soon followed by Cameroon-born Guy Gerard Ambassa who obtained his permanent residential status in 2005 along with another fellow Nigerian-born player named Colly Ezeh and Brazilian-born Cristiano Cordeiro in which both of whom earned international caps during the 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. Cordeiro was also the first non-Chinese captain in the history of the Hong Kong team during the 2008 East Asia Cup preliminary stages. Despite having played for the national team during the 2009 edition of the Guangdong-Hong Kong Cup, Cameroonian-born Julius Akosah attempted to apply for a HKSAR passport, however his application was unsuccessful.

During the mid 2010s, there had been an increase of naturalised players being used to represent the national team in which former head coach Kim Pan-gon stated that he needed to pick his best players regardless of their origin in preparation during the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.[27]

These include the likes of European-born players Dani Cancela, Jaimes McKee, Fernando Recio, Andy Russell, Jack Sealy, Jordi Tarrés and Sean Tse, Brazilian-born Everton Camargo, Paulo César, Clayton, Diego Eli, Fernando, Giovane, Helio, Itaparica, Juninho, Roberto Júnior, Tomas Maronesi, Paulinho, Stefan Pereira, and Sandro, Asian-born players Jahangir Khan and Yuto Nakamura, and African born players from Wisdom Fofo Agbo, Alex Akande, Christian Annan, Mahama Awal, Festus Baise, Godfred Karikari, Jean-Jacques Kilama, and Paul Ngue.

In addition to Sung Lin Yung, several other mainland born players went on to represent Hong Kong from past to present which include Bai He, Chao Pengfei, Deng Jinghuang, Feng Jizhi, Gao Wen, Li Haiqiang, Liu Quankun, Huang Yang, Ju Yingzhi, Wang Zhenpeng, Wei Zhao, Xiao Guoji, Xu Deshuai, Ye Jia, and Zhang Chunhui.[28]

Records

As of 26 March 2024[29]
Players in bold are still active with Hong Kong.

Most appearances

Yapp Hung Fai is the most capped player for Hong Kong with 92 appearances.
More information Rank, Player ...

Top goalscorers

Chan Siu Ki is the all-time top goalscorer for Hong Kong with 40 goals.
More information Rank, Player ...

Captains

This list only records the players who were named as Hong Kong captain in official international competitions. First-choice captains always go first.

Huang Yang was the captain of Hong Kong from 2018 to 2023.[30]
More information Year, Tournament ...

Competitive record

See comprehensive article: Hong Kong national football team – record in qualifying and major tournaments
Denotes draws includes knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

All time results

Main article: Hong Kong national football team results

FIFA World Cup

More information FIFA World Cup finals, FIFA World Cup qualification ...

AFC Asian Cup

More information AFC Asian Cup finals record, AFC Asian Cup qualification ...

Dynasty Cup and East Asian Football Championship

More information East Asian Football Championship Finals, East Asian Football Championship qualification ...

Asian Games

More information Asian Games, Year ...

Minor tournaments

More information Minor tournaments, Competition ...

Guangdong–Hong Kong Cup

The competition is played every year. It is a two-leg competition where each team plays a home match once. The champion is decided by combining the results of both games. Hong Kong team won the competition 17 times.

Honours

Continental

Third place (1): 1956

Regional

Third place (1): 1995

Exhibition Game

Champions: 17 times
Champions: 8 times
Third place (1): 1974
  • Beijing invited Tournament
Runner-up: (1) 1977
Champions (1): 2011

See also

References

Notes

  1. Calculated by multiplying wins by 3, plus draws, divided by games.
  2. Fei Chun Wah was appointed as the coach of Hong Kong team during the team's Asian Cup Final journey and the journey in Europe and Singapore afterwards as the official coach Lai Shiu Wing was not allowed to leave from his working place.

Citations

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    "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 4 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  2. [2]
    "Hong Kong matches, ratings and points exchanged". World Football Elo Ratings: Hong Kong. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
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    "maan6 taam4 gong2 ou3 fau6 zai3 coi3" 漫談港澳埠際賽 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). HKFA. 15 June 2008. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2008.
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    "wu6 gong2 bui1 wui4 gu3 (jat1)" 滬港盃回顧 (一) (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). HKFA. 8 November 2010. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
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    "gong2 wu6 fau6 zai3 zuk1 kau4 coi3" 港滬埠際足球賽. The Kung Sheung Evening News (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Hong Kong. 28 January 1935 – via Hong Kong Public Libraries MMIS.
  6. [6]
    "Colony soccer team favoured, but Shanghai are dangerous. Fung King Cheong must succeed, will Wilson find form?". The China Mail. Hong Kong. 10 February 1937 – via Hong Kong Public Libraries MMIS.
  7. [7]
    "san1 ceon1 gaai1 zit3 zuk1 kau4 daai6 coi3 hoeng1 gong2 deoi3 kong3 sai1 gung3" 新春佳節足球大賽香港對抗西貢. The Kung Sheung Evening News (in Chinese). Hong Kong. 29 January 1949 – via Hong Kong Public Libraries.
  8. [8]
    "NewspaperSG – Terms and Conditions" 我國參加世運足球隊遴選前後內幕六月上旬經星將作戰兩場. Nanyang Siang Pau. Singapore. 12 April 1948. Retrieved 9 September 2017 – via Singapore National Library.
  9. [9]
    "NewspaperSG – Terms and Conditions" 世運足球隊一行十九人昨日下午殺抵本土容領隊發表出國戰况及出席世運日期並謂馮景祥張金海日內動程來星集隊. Nanyang Siang Pau. Singapore. 18 May 1948. Retrieved 9 September 2017 – via Singapore National Library.
  10. [10]
    Lee, John C.W. (2015). 足球王國：戰後初期的香港足球 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Hong Kong: Joint Publishing. p. 72. ISBN 9789620437823. Retrieved 18 December 2017 – via Google Books preview.
  11. [11]
    足總首次執委會議 渣甸東華均獲陞甲組 足聯抗議另開會研討 參加馬來亞獨立賽擬請東方代表. Wah Kiu Yat Po (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 14 August 1957. p. 8.
  12. [12]
    "The Influence of Hong Kong South China" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  13. [13]
    "Football: Eight charged over betting scam". The Independent. 23 October 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  14. [14]
    Standard, The. "Former North Korea coach Andersen takes over Hong Kong national football team". The Standard. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  15. [15]
    "Hong Kong can dare to dream after reaching Asian Cup for first time since 1968". South China Morning Post. 14 June 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  16. [16]
    Hawkins, Amy (2 January 2024). "Hong Kong beat China at football for first time in 29 years". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  17. [17]
    "Philip Chan scores 1000th goal of AFC Asian Cup". the-AFC. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  18. [18]
    "香港足球隊9．1換上新球衣主場迎戰柬埔寨". 24 August 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  19. [19]
    旺角場今午雙喜臨門 港隊港聯同球迷賀歲. Oriental Daily (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Hong Kong. 19 February 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  20. [20]
    "The 'May 19 Incident': When Hong Kong football sparked a riot in Beijing". 26 August 2020.
  21. [21]
    "Hong Kong and China to meet in one group". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 8 October 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2016 – via HighBeam.
  22. [22]
    "Against all odds, Hong Kong hold China to 0-0 draw in World Cup qualifier". South China Morning Post. 3 September 2015. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  23. [23]
    "EAFF: China beat Hong Kong as fans boo Chinese anthem amid protest flags in South Korea". South China Morning Post. 18 December 2019. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  24. [24]
    "Andersen hails Hong Kong's 'aggression' in historic win over China". South China Morning Post. 2 January 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  25. [25]
    "Hong Kong Representative Team Training Squad". Hkfa.com. 21 January 2009. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
  26. [26]
    "歸化交叉點——歸化香港，請居滿七年". FanPiece (in Chinese). Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  27. [27]
    Chan, Lester (29 September 2022). "Obsession with naturalized players overlooks impending crisis – offside.hk". Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  28. [28]
    "歸化交叉點——國援上馬又如何？". FanPiece (in Chinese). Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  29. [29]
    Mamrud, Roberto. "Hongkong – Record International Players". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.
  30. [30]
    "mou4 geoi6 ciu4 sin1 paai4 ming4 gou1 zyu2 gaau3 lin6 wai4 dak6: jau5 seon3 sam1 ceoi2 sing3" 毋懼朝鮮排名高 主教練韋特：有信心取勝 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). HKFA Facebook. 12 November 2018. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  31. [31]
    "East Asian Football Championship 2010 Semi-Final Competition" (PDF). eaff.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 September 2009. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  32. [32]
    "East Asian Football Championship 2010 Semi-Final Competition" (PDF). eaff.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 September 2009. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  33. [33]
    "East Asian Football Championship 2010 Semi-Final Competition" (PDF). eaff.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 September 2009. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
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