The U-series competition system is being restructured, moving towards weekend home-and-away matches.

Reported by Chen Yong. In the U15 segment of the China Youth Football Elite League that ended on November 8, the Evergrande Football School U15 team secured the title by winning all seven matches, scoring 14 goals and allowing only 3. The U21 and U17 leagues will take place in late November and early December.

For the 2026 season, the professional youth team competition system will undergo significant reform, with the U21 league and the men's U19 group in the China Youth Championship likely merging into a premier youth elite competition featuring weekend home-and-away matches.

Currently, for youth competitions beyond age 18, the main events are the China Youth Football League’s men’s U19 group (U19 Youth Championship) and the China Youth Football Elite League’s U21 group (U21 league). Both have a high competitive level but share the drawback of being held in a centralized tournament format.

Another notable issue is the overlap of players participating in both competitions. With overall investment from professional clubs shrinking, maintaining two separate professional youth teams for players over 18 is challenging. Many clubs essentially field one team with some player changes to compete in both events.

From the perspective of football development trends, youth is the global direction in the sport today. The Premier League’s summer 2025 transfer window shows that transfer fees for 18-year-old players totaled £148 million, for 21-year-olds soared to £332 million, peaked at £495 million for 23-year-olds, then dropped to £68 million for 28-year-olds, and further declined to only £4 million for 29-year-olds.

In the context of Chinese football, an age-group team typically produces only two or three elite players. Therefore, only one top-level competition is needed for youth players aged 18 and above. In Europe, UEFA’s highest youth club competition is the U19 European Club Youth League, while in Brazil, the highest level is the U20 league organized by the Brazilian Football Association.

Given these circumstances, the Chinese Football Association and the Chinese Football Federation have preliminarily decided to merge the U21 league and the U19 Youth Championship into a single top-tier youth competition, jointly supported by both organizations to ensure weekend home-and-away matches. The age group may be based on U20, and considering varied player development stages and the needs of young first-team players, teams may be allowed a certain quota of overage players.

It should be noted that to ensure the smooth running of this premier youth competition, it is recommended that the National Games no longer include a U20 category. According to youth development principles, players over 18 should enter the professional system directly, supplemented by national team development, making it less necessary for provincial and municipal football associations to organize teams for players over 18. Future National Games football events should be integrated into the three major ball sports events, featuring U18 and newly added U16 categories annually. This aligns with the construction needs of China’s five-level youth training centers, where provincial and municipal associations form single-age teams to participate in these events.

Currently, China’s youth training system follows a dual approach, emphasizing the active role of the sports system as a key strategy. However, worldwide elite youth training is primarily led by professional clubs, which have established comprehensive youth club pyramids and competition hierarchies.

The development of China’s professional youth training system faces challenges mainly due to reduced investment from professional clubs. Nevertheless, in the long term, professional youth training remains central because it addresses the critical issue of elite player development and future professional league employment.

Considering the current complexity of the youth competition system, besides this new top-level event, professional clubs also need to focus on developing the U17 and U15 professional youth team systems, supported by corresponding competitions. These competitions should not be overly complicated but rather concentrate on the highest level of play.

Logically, youth training institutions should include school football, community training organizations, and professional clubs, supplemented by some sports schools. Local sports bureaus and football associations should primarily handle team selection, training support, and competition organization. Youth training centers at all levels are not training units but support units focused on enhancing elite youth training.