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46-707: Hong Kong Fourth Division League was a division of the Hong Kong Football Association in Hong Kong. It was the fourth overall tier of the Hong Kong football league system . Hong Kong Fourth Division League was originally introduced in 1955 and dissolved in 1956 but was reintroduced in 2012 again as a fourth tier league. It was folded again in 2014 after the establishment of the Hong Kong Premier League . Hong Kong Football Association The HKFA

92-660: A national training centre in Tseung Kwan O. The budget of construction will be fully supported by the Hong Kong Jockey Club . On 29 November 2015, Asian Football Confederation awarded the AFC Developing Member Association of the Year award to Hong Kong Football Association in recognition of its professional administration and governance as well its exceptional contribution to the development and promotion of

138-521: A scratch team for 1957 Merdeka Tournament , which was composed of players from Eastern due to their proximity, plus few players from other clubs. The club was having a pre-season tour in South Asia, thus the HKFA invited the club to represent Hong Kong. However, some of the players were in fact ineligible to play for Hong Kong, as they were ROC (Taiwan) international players. Hong Kong qualified for three of

184-449: A former coach of the women's team was arrested for alleged sexual harassment of two female players. The association received a report from one of the victims but declined to intervene as the coach was no longer a staff member, stating "We feel there is no authority to intervene in the case after careful consideration since the case did not involve the association's current staff or took place at an association-sponsored event." In May 2023,

230-557: A number of Shanghai-based players began representing Hong Kong, such as Chang King Hai and Hsu King Shing . Hong Kong played its first international match after World War II in 1949, against South Korea . Its first victory came in 1953, a 4–0 win against South Korea. The Hong Kong FA became a member of FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation in 1954. Since then Hong Kong played their first FIFA-recognised international match against other countries. HKFA also sent

276-572: Is Pui Kwan Kay SBS and its chairman is Eric Fok JP . The CEO post has been eliminated since Joaquin Tam Chau Long's resignation as CEO. Tam's tenure was reported by media to have been controversial, with some executives leaving the association on his first day in office, along with being involved in two separate lawsuits with employees later. Project Phoenix is a government-supported action plan to reform Hong Kong football from top to bottom. Former The FA executive director David Davies led

322-507: Is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.    Win    Draw    Loss Last updated: Hong Kong 1–0 Mauritius , 19 November 2024. Statistics include international "A" matches only. The following 30 players have been called up for the preliminary squad for preliminary round of 2025 EAFF E-1 Football Championship to be held from 8 to 17 December 2024. Caps and goals as of 19 November 2024 after

368-552: The 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. Cordeiro was also the first non-Chinese captain in the history of the Hong Kong team during the 2008 East Asia Cup preliminary stages. Despite having played for the national team during the 2009 edition of the Guangdong-Hong Kong Cup , Cameroonian-born Julius Akosah attempted to apply for a HKSAR passport, however his application was unsuccessful. During the mid 2010s, there had been an increase of naturalised players being used to represent

414-624: The EAFF E-1 Football Championship six times, in 1995, 1998, 2003, 2010, 2019 and 2022. Before Hong Kong became a member of FIFA in 1954, Hong Kong began playing in the Hong Kong–Macau Interport tournament in 1937, which was one of the oldest competitions co-held by Hong Kong as well as continuously played. There were other interport tournaments in the past, such as the Shanghai-Hong Kong Interport which

460-582: The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) arrested 23 people suspected of match fixing in lower divisions, including 1 coach and 11 players. Pui Kwan Kay, then-chairman of the HKFA, said that the scandal "would not have much effect on the holistic development of Hong Kong football" and that match fixing "is relatively hard to regulate." In June 2024, the ex-head coach of Hong Kong football team, Jorn Andersen, said that HKFA receiving millions of taxpayer dollars every year made

506-578: The Lunar New Year Cup was held in Mong Kok. The cup was a local tradition to celebrate Chinese New Year , which was held in Government Stadium in the past. The Jockey Club HKFA Football Training Centre is currently the main training ground for the Hong Kong national and youth teams. Hong Kong maintains a specific rivalry with China . The rivalry began in 1978 and for the first decades before

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552-523: The " Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China " to add "China" to the name of the association. As the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China warned to withhold government funding of HKFA, the HKFA eventually adopted the name change to "The Football Association of Hong Kong, China" during the annual meeting of the HKFA in March 2023. In February 2024, the HKFA withdrew

598-598: The 1982 World Cup qualifiers. There were at least a couple more naturalised players who went on to represent Hong Kong throughout the 90's which include Bosnian-born Anto Grabo along with fellow English-born players Mark Grainger, John Moore and most notably Dale Tempest . Sung Lin Yung became the first mainland born player to represent Hong Kong during the 1998 World Cup Asian qualifiers having resided for more than two years under FIFA eligibility rules unlike foreign born players that would usually require at least seven years. In

644-625: The 2000s, a couple of African and Brazilian-born players were introduced went through the naturalisation process having met the residential criteria. Nigerian-born Lawrence Akandu obtained his Hong Kong citizenship in which he played for the national team during the 2003 East Asia Cup finals where he scored a goal in a loss against South Korea. He was soon followed by Cameroon-born Guy Gerard Ambassa who obtained his permanent residential status in 2005 along with another fellow Nigerian-born player named Colly Ezeh and Brazilian-born Cristiano Cordeiro in which both of whom earned international caps during

690-555: The Arts and Sport Development Fund (ASDF). Hong Kong national football team The Hong Kong national football team ( Chinese : 香港足球代表隊 ; Cantonese Yale : Hēunggóng jūkkàuh doihbíu deuih ; recognised as Hong Kong, China by FIFA ) represents Hong Kong in international football and is controlled by the Football Association of Hong Kong, China , the governing body for football in Hong Kong . Hong Kong hosted

736-582: The CEO of HKFA. On 7 February 2013, the Hong Kong Football Association stated that the new Premier League would get under way in Autumn 2014, where it was suggested that the 2013–14 season would be a transition year. On 28 May 2013, HKFA promoted Korean coach Kim Pan-Gon to replace Ernie Merrick as the head coach of Hong Kong national team . In June 2015, The Government turned green light to build

782-454: The HKFA have no motivation to improve, and said that the HKFA needed to be "more professional, from top to bottom," and did "not do enough" to improve the sport. He also named Eric Fok as not taking enough action for the sport. After the handover of Hong Kong in 1997, the HKFA has used the founding name - the "Hong Kong Football Association" until 2023. In early 2023, the HKFA and other Hong Kong national sports associations were required by

828-461: The association's use of taxpayer funding, was not active between 2015 and 2019, despite receiving HK$ 34 million in funding for the 2017-18 year. Members of the Legislative Council also questioned if that taxpayer money was justified and well spent. After HKFA's governance was criticized, the Legislative Council wanted to appoint board members to improve HKFA's governance, but the HKFA rejected

874-597: The campaign at the bottom of their group after losses against Iran (1–0) and Palestine (3–0). On 29 May 2024, Jørn Andersen announced his resignation as head coach of the Hong Kong national football team after almost over 2 years in charge. On 28 August 2024, English manager Ashley Westwood was appointed as the new head coach of the Hong Kong national football team, succeeding Jørn Andersen. In September 2024, Hong Kong travelled to Fiji and played two friendly matches against Oceania countries, Solomon Islands and Fiji . The team also travelled to Europe on November for

920-533: The early development of Asian football, and was given the honour of hosting the first Asian Cup competition in 1956 , in which Hong Kong finished third in the tournament. Hong Kong fields a separate FIFA-recognised representative team instead of the China PR national team. HKFA is also responsible for operating the Hong Kong national football team ( Chinese : 香港足球代表隊 ), which represents Hong Kong and competes in international football events. HKFA's president

966-590: The esports team from AFC eAsian Cup 2023 just because the AFC and KONAMI did not use "Hong Kong, China" instead of "Hong Kong" (previous name of the HKFA) in the display name for the team. In terms of government funding, the HKFA has been one of the top receivers of taxpayer money out of all National Sports Associations in Hong Kong. Excluding one-time grants, it receives money from the Sports Subvention Scheme (SSS) and

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1012-432: The final match of the first qualifying round, where Hong Kong needed a win to advance while China needed only a draw. Hong Kong, led by coach Kwok Ka Ming , produced a 2–1 upset win , with goals from Cheung Chi Tak and Ku Kam Fai , thereby winning the group and advancing to the knockout stage where it subsequently lost to Japan . The 1998 World Cup Asian qualifiers was considered one of Hong Kong's darkest moments as it

1058-516: The first AFC Asian Cup in 1956 and won third place, also reaching the semifinals in 1964. Hong Kong did not qualify for another AFC tournament until 2023 . They had never qualified for the FIFA World Cup and their biggest celebrated victory was the 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC) where Hong Kong produced a 2–1 upset win against China which resulted in Hong Kong qualifying for the second rounds of qualification. Hong Kong has qualified for

1104-699: The first four editions of the Asian Cup , including a third-place finish in the 1956 edition as host. At that time, most Hong Kong players represented Republic of China (Taiwan) ; they finished third in the Asian Cup in the 1960 edition , leaving more inferior players to the proper Hong Kong team. Hong Kong has never qualified for the World Cup . However, its most celebrated victory happened during 1986 World Cup qualifying . On 19 May 1985, in Beijing, Hong Kong faced China in

1150-448: The first naturalised player to represent the Hong Kong national football team who was then followed by another fellow Portuguese-born player named JH Toleido. In the 1960s, there were a couple more foreign players who had represented the Hong Kong national football team whilst some were working within the national service at the time. These include British players from T. Watson, Evans, Ken Wallis who went on to represent Hong Kong during

1196-472: The first time other than Asian soil where they played against the Liechtenstein national football team . The national team's home kit has always been a red shirt, red shorts, and red or white socks. The away colours are white shirts, white shorts and red or white socks. The crest of the Hong Kong national football team has a Chinese dragon from the crest of the HKFA, which were logo has been always used as

1242-411: The game at all levels within the country. On 4 December 2019, Asian Football Confederation awarded the AFC Developing Member Association of the Year award to the Hong Kong Football Association in recognition of excellent work in football development, women and girls football, community and district football, referee development, sports science, charitable projects and the expansion of facilities with

1288-455: The guidance of Kim Pan Gon , as Hong Kong had drawn into the same group with their fierce rival, China . Due to the tensions built up from Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict , many local citizens became interested in this year's campaign; all four home matches were recorded as a sellout. Hong Kong ended the campaign with 4 victories against Bhutan and Maldives , 2 scoreless draws against China, and 2 losses against Qatar . In late 2018, after

1334-431: The idea and claimed candidates should go through proper election procedures. In 2020, the government's Audit Commission criticized HKFA, stating that the government had given HK$ 160,000,000 of taxpayer money to the HKFA but there was little improvement, and that Project Phoenix had a "lack of progress". The report stated that some performance metrics had even declined since 2009, rather than improving. In August 2022,

1380-415: The lawn bowls event during the 1990 and 1994 Commonwealth Games as well as Australian-born Pete McClaren and Scottish-born Charlie Wright . In the late 1970s, Scottish-born players Derek Currie , Dave Anderson and Hugh McCrory all became eligible to represent the Hong Kong national football team in which Currie and Anderson took part during the 1979 Asian Cup qualifiers whilst McCrory took part during

1426-448: The match against [REDACTED]   Mauritius . The following players have been called up for the team within the previous 12 months. Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury Preliminary squad Player withdrawn from the squad. Player retired from international football During the 1950s, Arthur Santos who is of British-Portuguese nationality (whose son Leslie was a former Hong Kong international footballer) became

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1472-522: The national head coach of Hong Kong Football Team. Merrick told to media that he felt honor to have an opportunity to participate the development and growing of Hong Kong football. Merrick won two titles in six season for Melbourne Victory . He started his new role on 9 January 2012. On 23 December 2011, Kim Pan-Gon named national academy coach. Coach Kim will be wholly responsible for the identification, development and coaching of all players aged 18 and below. On 17 April 2012, Australian Steve O'Connor

1518-1170: The national team in which former head coach Kim Pan-gon stated that he needed to pick his best players regardless of their origin in preparation during the 2018 World Cup qualifiers. These include the likes of European-born players Dani Cancela , Jaimes McKee , Fernando Recio , Andy Russell , Jack Sealy , Jordi Tarrés and Sean Tse , Brazilian-born players Everton Camargo , Paulo César , Clayton , Diego Eli , Fernando , Giovane , Helio , Itaparica , Juninho , Roberto Júnior , Tomas Maronesi , Paulinho , Stefan Pereira , and Sandro , Asian-born players Jahangir Khan and Yuto Nakamura , and African born players from Wisdom Fofo Agbo , Alex Akande , Christian Annan , Mahama Awal , Festus Baise , Godfred Karikari , Jean-Jacques Kilama , and Paul Ngue . In addition to Sung Lin Yung , several other mainland born players went on to represent Hong Kong from past to present which include Bai He , Chao Pengfei , Deng Jinghuang , Feng Jizhi, Gao Wen , Li Haiqiang , Liu Quankun , Huang Yang , Ju Yingzhi , Wang Zhenpeng , Wei Zhao , Xiao Guoji, Xu Deshuai , Ye Jia , and Zhang Chunhui . This list only records

1564-494: The new head coach of the national football team in time for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers and the 2019 EAFF E-1 Football Championship tournament. His first game in charge ended in a disappointing and surprising loss at home during friendly international against Chinese Taipei. However, after a run of poor performances throughout the World Cup qualifiers and the 2019 EAFF E-1 Football Championship, Mixu Paatelainen's contract

1610-416: The opening on the long-awaited Football Training Centre. In March 2023, the football association changed its name from "The Hong Kong Football Association" ( Chinese : 香港足球總會 ) to " The Football Association of Hong Kong, China " ( Chinese : 中國香港足球總會 ) as a result of the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China threatening to withdraw government funding for the HKFA. The rebrand

1656-554: The return of Hong Kong to China, Hong Kong produced a shock 2–1 upset in Beijing, and this led to unrest by Chinese supporters. Since then, China never lost to Hong Kong, and has achieved more successes, but the rivalry continues to have some influence on Hong Kong society. On 1 January 2024, Hong Kong defeated China in a closed door international friendly, marking their first victory in 29 years. The Hong Kong–Macau rivalry has been contested by Hong Kong Football Association and Macau Football Association since 1937. The following

1702-546: The sudden departure of Kim Pan Gon , English-born coach Gary White was hired as the new head coach in which under his guidance, he helped Hong Kong secure qualification for their third appearance at the EAFF E-1 Football Championship finals after a narrow win against Chinese Taipei, a draw against North Korea and a heavy win against Mongolia. Shortly afterwards, White departed from the role. In April 2019, Hong Kong FA appointed Finnish-born Mixu Paatelainen as

1748-514: The team emblem. Nevertheless, the HKFA emblem was not used on jerseys until 31 May 2011, HKFA debuted current emblem for the national team. The team's primary stadium is Hong Kong Stadium . For some friendly matches and minor qualification matches, the Hong Kong team plays most often at the Mong Kok Stadium in Kowloon, which was re-opened in 2011 after a renovation. Moreover, the 2018 edition of

1794-616: The team of change agent - Scott Wilson Group , which was appointed by Hong Kong Football Association in September 2010 to carry out the reform and restructuring of football in Hong Kong. On 21 November 2011, HKFA named Gordon McKie as its first chief executive officer (CEO). Gordon, the former chairman of the Scottish Rugby Union , had served HKFA for only ten months and resign from his post in September 2012 with personal reasons. On 17 December 2011, HKFA appointed Ernie Merrick as

1840-542: The tournament itself, on 2 January 2024, Hong Kong pulled a shocking 2–1 victory over arch-enemy China beating them for the first time in 29 years during the friendly match held in Abu Dhabi . On 15 January 2024, Hong Kong then kicked off their 2023 Asian Cup campaign against UAE in which they lost 3–1 in the opening match where Chan Siu Kwan scored the 1,000th goal in the AFC Asian Cup history. They eventually finished

1886-525: Was accompanied by a new emblem and a new emblem for the Hong Kong national football team . Timothy Fok has served as president of the Hong Kong Football Association since 1997, after his father held the position for almost 30 years. In July 2020, the Legislative Council's Public Accounts Committee criticized the HKFA under Timothy Fok, stating its governance was "appalling and inexcusable". It noted that an internal audit committee, designed to review

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1932-581: Was appointed as the new technical director. The former head coach of the football program at the Australian Institute of Sport will take up his new post in will be responsible to improve the standards of local coaching, referee development, community and youth football activities and women's football. He will also oversee the implementation of elite player development pathways from grassroots football to senior international level. On 17 September 2012, HKFA appointed Mark Sutcliffe to replace Gordon Mckie as

1978-449: Was established in 1914. It is one of the oldest football federations in Asia and is responsible for organising various football competitions including professional and amateur leagues, football development and promoting football in Hong Kong. In 1954, HKFA joined FIFA , and was also one of twelve founding associations of the Asian Football Confederation . Hong Kong played an important role in

2024-612: Was first held in 1908. At that time the team was composed of ethnic Chinese as well as western expatriates, as in the 1935 and 1937 edition of Shanghai-Hong Kong Interport. There was another Interport tournament against Saigon. The aforementioned Macau, Shanghai and Saigon were not a member of FIFA nor a sovereign nation at that time, with Hong Kong and Macau only having joined FIFA in 1954 and 1978 respectively. The China national team that participated in 1936 and 1948 Summer Olympics , were mainly composed of ethnic Chinese players from Hong Kong, most famously Lee Wai Tong . After WWII,

2070-471: Was hit by a match-fixing scandal that involved former Sing Tao striker Chan Tsz-Kong who was found guilty and jailed for a year after he bribed players to throw and lose a match against Thailand. Others who were involved include goalkeeper Kevin Lok Kar-Win, defenders Chan Chi-Keung and Lau Chi Yuen and striker Wai Kwan-Lung. A short football fever appeared during 2018 World Cup qualifying in Hong Kong under

2116-427: Was not renewed. On 13 December 2021, Norwegian Jørn Andersen who formerly guided North Korea was named as the new head coach succeeding Mixu Paatelainen in preparation for the third round of qualification of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup . He guided Hong Kong to qualify for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup by beating Afghanistan 2–1 and Cambodia 3–0, reaching the final tournament after a 55-year absence. In preparation for

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