China is planning to bid for the AFC Asian Cup 2023, according to a report posted on December 19th by the Chinese Football Association (CFA).

As reported in the post, the tournament will commence in June or July 2023, when 51 matches will be held within 30 days. There will be 24 competing teams divided into 6 groups. The winners and runners-up of each group and the 4 best third-place finishers will qualify for the knockout stage. At least 6 cities and 8 stadia will be needed for the tournament. 

From April 2016 the CFA will study all the applications, in line with the Asian Football Confederation rules. All applications for hosting games must be submitted before March 20, 2016. 

China has previously staged the AFC Asian Cup in 2004. On March 15, 2013, the CFA applied to host the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, but withdrew its bid as it decided to concentrate resources on the development of young players.

Source: Global Times

Proofread by John Devlin.