Could it be a 4th title tonight? China’s men’s team has won the Asian crown three times before—Gao Hongbo claimed the Golden Boot, while Wang Dalei took MVP.

At 11:00 PM (Beijing time) on January 24, China’s U23 men’s national team will take on Japan, launching a full-scale push for the U23 Asian Cup title. If they make it all the way, it would add to a proud—if rarely repeated—legacy: across different age groups, China’s men’s national teams have lifted an Asian championship trophy three times before.

The first breakthrough came in 1985, when China’s youth side, led by head coach Zhang Zhicheng, travelled to the UAE to compete in the AFC Youth Championship. The format was straightforward, with only four teams in the tournament. A 19-year-old Gao Hongbo spearheaded the attack, alongside familiar names such as Li Hui and Gong Lei.

China opened with a 1–0 win over the UAE, followed by a 2–2 draw with Saudi Arabia, and then a 2–1 victory against Thailand. The unbeaten run—two wins and one draw—secured the title and a ticket to the World Youth Championship. It was China’s first-ever Asian champion at any level, and Gao Hongbo was the headline act: he scored all five of China’s goals to claim the Golden Boot.

The second title arrived in 1992 at the AFC U16 Championship in Saudi Arabia. That China U16 squad featured several future senior internationals, including Qu Shengqing, Li Xiaopeng, and Yu Genwei—the latter two would later appear on the World Cup stage. China topped their group after edging Thailand 1–0, defeating Qatar 1–0, and drawing 1–1 with the UAE, with Li Xiaopeng scoring the match-winner in each of the first two games.

Momentum carried into the knockout rounds. In the semi-finals, China produced a statement performance with a 4–1 win over Saudi Arabia, highlighted by a brace from Yu Genwei. The final brought a rematch with Qatar, and Li Xiaopeng found the net again. After a dramatic 2–2 draw over 120 minutes, China prevailed 6–5 on penalties to capture their first U16 continental crown and qualify for the U16 World Championship.

China’s third Asian title came in 2004, when the AFC U16 Championship was hosted in Japan. That generation included a string of players who would go on to become well-known names at senior level—Wang Dalei, Yang Xu, Yu Dabao, Deng Zhuoxiang, and Li Xuepeng among them. In the group stage, China beat Thailand 2–1 and North Korea 2–1, then fell 1–3 to Japan, yet still advanced as group winners.

In the quarter-finals, a goal from Zhu Yifan sealed a hard-fought 1–0 win over Oman. The semi-final was even more convincing: China swept aside Iran 3–0, with Yang Xu opening the scoring and Huang Jie striking twice. In the final, China edged North Korea 1–0 to clinch the trophy and secure qualification for the U16 World Championship. Wang Weilong scored the only goal of the match, while goalkeeper Wang Dalei was named the tournament’s MVP.

That same year, 2004, China also chased an unprecedented treble across competitions—but fell just short. In the AFC Asian Cup final, a controversial handball decision preceded a 1–3 loss to Japan. In the AFC Youth Championship final, China were beaten 0–2 by South Korea, settling for runner-up finishes in both tournaments.

Now, 22 years on, Chinese men’s football is once again chasing a fourth Asian championship—this time with the U23 squad stepping into the spotlight. Can they make history tonight against Japan? All eyes will be on the pitch.