On April 22, the 2024 3rd China Youth Football League (Men's High School Age Group U17) Challenge Tournament was successfully held at the Happy Island International Football Training Base in Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province.
A total of 12 teams participated in this competition, and the participating teams were determined by the China Youth Football League Competition Office according to the results of the second competition, team strength, registration, etc., and the participating teams were the top 24 in the second China Youth Football League (men's high school age U17 group).
The competition is divided into two stages: group stage and qualifying. In the group stage, a single round-robin match is held, and each game is decided by a draw, and if there is a draw in regular time, the winner is determined by direct penalty kicks. The first team in each group will advance to the 1-4 place qualifying round, the second place team in each group will advance to the 5-8 place qualifying round, and the third team in each group will advance to the 9-12 place qualifying round. This was followed by qualifying, with 1-4, 5-8, and 9-12 places playing a single round-robin race to select the final 1-12 places. Qualifying is also decided on a case-by-case basis, with a draw in regulation time followed by 20 minutes of extra time, with 10 minutes each in each half. If there is still a draw, the winner will be decided by direct penalty kicks.
On the evening of April 21, the organizing committee of the competition area organized a joint meeting before the competition and completed the lottery grouping. The results of the group ballot are as follows:
Group A: Zhejiang Professional Football Club U17, Beijing Guoan U17, Wuhan Three Towns U17;
Group B: Shanghai Port U17, Shijiazhuang No. 2 Middle School Experimental School B, Sichuan U17;
Group C: Shanghai Shenhua U17, Changchun Yatai U17, Chengdu Tanghu Foreign Chinese School;
Group D: Shijiazhuang No. 2 Middle School Experimental School A, Shenzhen Luohu Sports Promotion Center Cuiyuan Middle School, Tsinghua University Affiliated High School.
In the group stage, Beijing Guoan U17, Shanghai Port U17, Shanghai Shenhua U17, and Shenzhen Luohu District Sports Promotion Center Cuiyuan Middle School all won the first place in each group with two consecutive wins, and will enter the 1-4 qualifying stage. Wuhan Three Towns U17, Sichuan U17, Changchun Yatai U17, and Tsinghua University High School all achieved a record of 1 win and 1 loss, winning the second place in each group, and will enter the 5-8 qualifying stage. Zhejiang Professional Football Club U17, Shijiazhuang No. 2 Middle School Experimental School A, Shijiazhuang No. 2 Middle School Experimental School B and Chengdu Tanghu Foreign Chinese School will enter the 9-12 qualifying stage.
Group Stage Results + Standings
The qualifying schedule is as follows:
Group stage highlights