Wanda to organize China Cup in bid to improve national team

Posted July 13, 2016 7:00 am

The Associated Press

BEIJING (AP) - Chinese real estate, entertainment and sports conglomerate Wanda says it will host an annual "China Cup" tournament which will begin next year and feature four national teams.

Wanda on Wednesday said it had reached agreement with FIFA, soccer's world governing body, for the China Cup to be an officially recognized tournament - meaning results would count toward the FIFA rankings. Wanda said it would invite "first-class national teams from Europe and the Americas," so that the Chinese team would learn from playing against high-quality opposition.

Under President Xi Jinping's direction, China's entrepreneurs and public sector have been investing heavily in the domestic league in a bid to strengthen the national team, which is currently 81st in FIFA rankings and widely derided by the soccer-loving public.

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