The Chinese team bravely won the runner-up in the U23 Men's Asian Cup, and the General Administration of Sport of China sent a congratulatory message.

U23 National Men's Football Team: In the just-concluded 2026 AFC U23 Men's Asian Cup final, you bravely won the runner-up, achieving our country's best-ever result in this event. It has been 22 years since a Chinese men's national team has advanced to the final of an intercontinental tournament, with valuable experience and commendable style, igniting new hope for the revival of Chinese football. Here, warm congratulations and heartfelt greetings are extended to all athletes, coaches, and staff! In this tournament, you showed unity, courage, and determination to win, making historical breakthroughs and achieving both athletic and spiritual success. From a steady performance in the group stage to defeating strong opponents in the knockout stage, you maintained high spirits, demonstrating a tenacious fighting spirit and a firm belief in bringing honor to the country, showcasing a fearless and never-give-up fighting style, interpreting the spirit of shouldering the mission and striving for it with hard work. Your outstanding performance has boosted the morale of Chinese football, injecting confidence and determination for further revitalization and development, consolidating the spirit of progress, and providing spiritual power for the advancement of revitalizing the three major sports and building a sports power. I hope that you will take this event as a new starting point and motivation, remember the mission of bringing honor to the country, continue to embody the spirit of tenacity and perseverance, further enhance the sense of mission, responsibility, and honor, guard against arrogance and rashness, strive harder, build a team that is capable and disciplined, and make new and greater contributions to the advancement of football revitalization and development with excellent results! State Sports Administration, January 25, 2026