Hong Kong national football team

Before Hong Kong became a member of FIFA in 1954, Hong Kong began playing in the Hong Kong–Macau Interport tournament in 1937,[3] 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 was first held in 1908.[4] 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.[5][6] There was another Interport tournament against Saigon.[7] 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 football team that participated in 1936 and 1948 Summer Olympics, were mainly composed of ethnic Chinese players from Hong Kong, most famously Lee Wai Tong.[8][9]

After WWII, 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-recognized international match against other countries. HKFA also sent 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.[10][11]

Hong Kong qualified for three of 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.[12]

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 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 was hit by a match-fixing scandal that involved former Sing Tao attacker 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.[13]

The year 2009 was a turning point in the diminishing football standards of Hong Kong. On 12 December, Hong Kong defeated Japan and took their first East Asian Games football gold medal, the first major competition Hong Kong have won. This result raised the belief that the Hong Kong football team could perform in major competition. The Hong Kong football team also won the 2010 Long Teng Cup and 2011 Long Teng Cup.

A short football fever appeared during 2018 World Cup qualifying in Hong Kong, 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, under the guidance of English-born coach Gary White, Hong Kong qualified for their third appearance at the E-1 EAFF East Asia Cup finals. Shortly afterwards, White departed from the role.

In April 2019, the Hong Kong Football Association appointed Finnish-born Mixu Paatelainen as the new head coach of the national football team in time for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers and the E-1 EAFF East Asia Cup finals. However, after a poor run of performances, Mixu's contract was not renewed.

On 13 December, Norwegian Jørn Andersen who formerly guided the North Korea national football team was named as the new head coach succeeding Mixu Paatelainen in preparation for the third round of qualification of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.

Hong Kong qualified for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup by beating Afghanistan 2–1 and Cambodia 3–0, reaching the final tournament after a 55-year absence.

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 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 the Lunar New Year Cup was held in Mong Kok.[15] 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 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.[16] 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.[17][18][19]

The Hong Kong–Macau rivalry has been contested by Hong Kong Football Association and Macau Football Association since 1937.

Name	Coaching career	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Win %	Points per game[lower-alpha 1]
Eric Keen	1948
Tom Sneddon	1954–1956	6	1	4	1	16.7	1.17
Lai Shiu Wing	1958–1967	43	16	6	21	37.2	1.26
Fei Chun Wah[lower-alpha 2]	1964	5	0	1	4	0.0	0.20
Chu Wing Keung	1967	2	0	0	2	0.0	0.00
Tang Sum	1968	5	0	1	4	0.0	0.20
Lau Tim	1968	5	0	3	2	0.0	0.60
Hsu King Shing	1969–1970	3	0	1	2	0.0	0.33
Chan Fai Hung	1970–1972	23	7	3	13	30.4	1.04
Ho Ying Fun	1973–1975	23	9	6	8	39.1	1.43
Frans van Balkom	1976–1977	21	7	2	12	33.3	1.10
Chan Yong Chong	1978–1979	7	4	1	2	57.1	1.86
Peter McParland	1980	4	1	0	3	25.0	0.75
George Knobel	1980–1981	7	2	2	3	28.6	1.14
Kwok Ka Ming	1982–1990 1997	47	16	11	20	34.0	1.26
Wong Man Wai	1991–1992	3	0	3	0	0.0	1.00
Chan Hung Ping	1993	10	2	2	6	20.0	0.80
Koo Luam Khen	1994–1995	8	2	1	5	25.0	0.88
Tsang Wai Chung	1996 2010–2011	38	11	8	19	28.9	1.08
Sebastian Araujo	1998–2000	6	0	1	5	0.0	0.17
Arie van der Zouwen	2000–2002	13	3	2	8	23.1	0.85
Casemiro Mior	2002
Lai Sun Cheung	2003–2006 2007	45	15	9	21	33.3	1.20
Lee Kin Wo Chan Hiu Ming	2007	5	2	1	2	40.0	1.20
Dejan Antonić Goran Paulić[20]	2008–2009	4	2	0	2	50.0	1.50
Liu Chun Fai	2011–2012 2018	8	4	2	2	50.0	1.75
Ernie Merrick	2012	5	2	0	3	40.0	1.20
Kim Pan-gon	2009–2010 2012–2017	58	21	13	24	36.2	1.31
Gary White	2018	5	2	2	1	40.0	1.60
Mixu Paatelainen	2019–2021	12	1	2	9	8.3	0.42
Jørn Andersen	2021–	17	5	3	9	29.41	1.06

Last updated: Hong Kong 0–2 Bhutan , 17 October 2023. Statistics include international "A" matches only.

The following 23 players have been called up for the final squad for 2026 WCQ R1 against  Bhutan, to be held on 12 and 17 October 2023 respectively.[21]

Caps and goals as of 17 October 2023 after the match against  Bhutan.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Yapp Hung Fai	(1990-03-21) 21 March 1990	87	0	Eastern
18	1GK	Paulo César	(1986-03-27) 27 March 1986	4	0	Kitchee
19	1GK	Tse Ka Wing	(1999-09-04) 4 September 1999	3	0	Tai Po
2	2DF	Andy Russell	(1987-11-21) 21 November 1987	22	0	Kitchee
3	2DF	Oliver Gerbig	(1998-12-12) 12 December 1998	0	0	Kitchee
5	2DF	Hélio	(1986-01-31) 31 January 1986	33	1	Kitchee
12	2DF	Fernando	(1986-11-14) 14 November 1986	7	1	Kitchee
13	2DF	Li Ngai Hoi	(1994-10-15) 15 October 1994	7	0	Rangers
17	2DF	Shinichi Chan	(2002-09-05) 5 September 2002	8	1	Kitchee
21	2DF	Yue Tze Nam	(1998-05-12) 12 May 1998	14	0	Meizhou Hakka
11	2DF	Wong Tsz Ho	(1994-03-07) 7 March 1994	13	0	Eastern
6	3MF	Wu Chun Ming	(1997-11-21) 21 November 1997	15	0	Lee Man
8	3MF	Tan Chun Lok	(1996-01-15) 15 January 1996	39	3	Kitchee
10	3MF	Wong Wai	(1992-09-17) 17 September 1992	42	3	Lee Man
16	3MF	Chan Siu Kwan	(1992-08-01) 1 August 1992	15	3	Tai Po
23	3MF	Ju Yingzhi	(1987-07-24) 24 July 1987	44	4	Southern
4	3MF	Yu Joy Yin	(2001-10-08) 8 October 2001	2	0	Eastern
7	4FW	Law Tsz Chun	(1997-03-02) 2 March 1997	23	1	Kitchee
9	4FW	Matt Orr	(1997-01-01) 1 January 1997	16	3	Guangxi Pingguo Haliao
14	4FW	Poon Pui Hin	(2000-10-03) 3 October 2000	4	2	Kitchee
15	4FW	Mahama Awal	(1991-06-10) 10 June 1991	6	0	Southern
20	4FW	Michael Udebuluzor	(2004-04-01) 1 April 2004	3	2	FC Ingolstadt 04 II
22	4FW	Sun Ming Him	(2000-06-19) 19 June 2000	23	2	Eastern

The following players have been called up for the team within the previous 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Leung Hing Kit	(1989-10-22) 22 October 1989	1	0	Rangers	2026 WCQ R1 v.  Bhutan , 12-17 October 2023PRE
DF	Vas Nuñez	(1995-11-22) 22 November 1995	6	0	Dalian Pro	2026 WCQ R1 v.  Bhutan , 12-17 October 2023WD
DF	Leung Nok Hang	(1994-11-14) 14 November 1994	11	0	Zhejiang Pro	2026 WCQ R1 v.  Bhutan , 12-17 October 2023PRE
DF	Tsui Wang Kit	(1997-01-05) 5 January 1997	21	0	Lee Man	2026 WCQ R1 v.  Bhutan , 12-17 October 2023PRE
DF	Yu Wai Lim	(1998-09-20) 20 September 1998	7	0	Lee Man	2026 WCQ R1 v.  Bhutan , 12-17 October 2023PRE
DF	Leung Kwun Chung	(1992-04-01) 1 April 1992	11	0	Eastern	v.  Cambodia  Brunei, 7–11 September 2023PRE
DF	Fung Hing Wa	(1992-12-12) 12 December 1992	9	0	Lee Man	v.  Vietnam  Thailand, 15–19 June 2023PRE
DF	Leon Jones	(1998-02-28) 28 February 1998	0	0	Eastern	v.  Vietnam  Thailand, 15–19 June 2023PRE
DF	Alexander Jojo	(1999-02-11) 11 February 1999	0	0	Tai Po	v.  Vietnam  Thailand, 15–19 June 2023PRE
MF	Huang Yang (captain)	(1983-10-19) 19 October 1983	71	1	Kitchee	2026 WCQ R1 v.  Bhutan , 12-17 October 2023PRE
MF	Lam Hin Ting	(1999-12-09) 9 December 1999	0	0	Rangers	2026 WCQ R1 v.  Bhutan , 12-17 October 2023PRE
MF	Ngan Lok Fung	(1993-01-26) 26 January 1993	6	0	Lee Man	2026 WCQ R1 v.  Bhutan , 12-17 October 2023PRE
MF	Ngan Cheuk Pan	(1998-01-22) 22 January 1998	2	0	Sham Shui Po	2026 WCQ R1 v.  Bhutan , 12-17 October 2023PRE
MF	Diego Eli	(1988-09-04) 4 September 1988	4	0	Lee Man	v.  Singapore  Malaysia, 23–28 March 2023PRE
FW	Everton Camargo	(1991-05-25) 25 May 1991	3	3	Lee Man	2026 WCQ R1 v.  Bhutan , 12-17 October 2023INJ
FW	Chang Hei Yin	(2000-04-06) 6 April 2000	3	0	Lee Man	2026 WCQ R1 v.  Bhutan , 12-17 October 2023PRE
FW	Wong Ho Chun	(2002-04-02) 2 April 2002	1	0	Eastern	2026 WCQ R1 v.  Bhutan , 12-17 October 2023PRE
FW	Lau Chi Lok	(1993-10-15) 15 October 1993	0	0	Rangers	2026 WCQ R1 v.  Bhutan , 12-17 October 2023PRE
FW	Lau Ka Kiu	(2002-02-10) 10 February 2002	0	0	HK U23	v.  Singapore  Malaysia, 23–28 March 2023PRE
FW	Jahangir Khan	(2000-10-03) 3 October 2000	9	0	HKFC	v.  Singapore  Malaysia, 23–28 March 2023PRE
INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury PRE Preliminary squad WD Player withdrawn from the squad. RET Player retired from international football

Hong Kong team won the competition 17 times.

[27]

• AFC Asian Cup

Third place (1): 1956

• Dynasty Cup

Third place (1): 1995

• Guangdong–Hong Kong Cup

Champions: 17 times

• Lunar New Year Cup

Champions: 8 times

• Merdeka Tournament

Third place (1): 1974

• Beijing invited Tournament

Runner-up: (1) 1977

• Long Teng Cup

Champions (1): 2011