China announces 26-man roster for 2023 AFC Asian Cup

BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese men's football team has unveiled a 26-player roster on Tuesday for the upcoming 2023 Qatar AFC Asian Cup.

The Chinese head coach Aleksandar Jankovic has called up a full-strength team, including Wu Lei, Wu Xi and Wei Shihao, while naturalized forward Ai Kesen was not in the list. Twenty-two-year-old goalkeeper Jian Tao from Chengdu Rongcheng is the only newcomer for the team.

According to the Chinese Football Association (CFA), Jankovic and his players will assemble on December 17 for a training camp in Shanghai.

The Chinese team, who has been allocated into group A with host Qatar, Tajikistan and Lebanon, is set to play its opening match on January 13, 2024.

The 26-man roster is as follows:

Goalkeepers: Liu Dianzuo, Yan Junling, Wang Dalei, Jian Tao;

Defenders: Jiang Guangtai, Zhang Linpeng, Zhu Chenjie, Jiang Shenglong, Liu Yang, Li Lei, Wu Shaocong, Xu Haofeng;

Midfielder: Wu Xi, Xie Pengfei, Liu Binbin, Wang Shangyuan, Gao Tianyi, Li Ke, Dai Weijun, Lin Liangming, Wang Qiuming;

Forwards: Wu Lei, Wei Shihao, Chen Pu, Tan Long, Zhang Yuning.