BEIJING, March 31 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Football Association (CFA) will send its Under-23 team (U-23) to the Toulon Tournament to be held in the French city in June.
In the just-concluded qualifiers of 2020 AFC U-23 Championship, China topped the group with 2 wins and 1 draw, gaining a berth in the 2020 finals.
With only 10 months left for preparation, it is crucial for the team to improve their international competitiveness in high-level games. Guus Hiddink, the manager of China's U-23, said that the Toulon Tournament is just the right game. Previously, Hiddink had showed concern for this inexperienced squad.
Taking part in the Toulon Tournament also means that most U-23 members will miss the 12th and the 13th rounds of Chinese Super League and the second division league.
The AFC U-23 Championship finals will be held in Thailand from January 8-26, 2020. The championship also serves as qualifying tournament for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games with the top three teams winning the tickets to the Olympics.
