China's Zhao Songyuan runs with the ball during a friendly game between China's U17 team and their Nigerian counterparts in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, on July 11, 2026. Photo: VCG

China's national football team has turned to a younger generation as the Asian Games reshapes the senior team, with 17-year-old high school student Zhao Songyuan among four players born after 2007 to receive their first call-ups.

The Chinese Football Association (CFA) announced a 30-man squad late on Tuesday for a training camp from September 12 to October 7, during which the team will play four friendlies against Palestine, New Zealand, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality.

The squad looks markedly different from the previous three camps under head coach Shao Jiayi, largely because a number of established internationals have been selected for China's Asian Games team instead. 

The Asian Games squad, built largely around the team that won silver at the U23 Asian Cup earlier this year, includes three over-age players in veteran midfielder Wu Xi, forward Zhang Yuning and defender Zhu Chenjie.

Among the players who would otherwise have been part of the senior-team pool, Wang Yudong, Hu Hetao, Yang Xi, Mao Weijie, Liu Haofan, Wu Mitijiang, Xu Bin, Kuai Jiwen and several other regulars will instead head to Japan for the Asian Games, where China will face North Korea, Iran and the United Arab Emirates in Group B.

That opened space for a group of players who had not previously been part of Shao's latest senior-team plans, including six more established domestic players as well as six younger players.

The latter group includes 21-year-olds Du Yuezheng and Zhang Aihui, 19-year-old Yang Mingrui, 18-year-olds Buniyamin Abudushalamu and Wang Gengrui, and 17-year-old Zhao.

Zhao's selection has attracted the most attention. The striker remains a student at Tsinghua University High School rather than a professional club player, making his inclusion an unusually early jump into the senior national-team environment. 

"Calling up Zhao, a high school student, is a highly exceptional move in the history of Chinese football," Beijing-based football commentator Sun Yuxuan said. "His performances for China's youth teams and Tsinghua High School have brought him increasing attention."

Zhao has already made an impression at youth level. He was part of China's U17 side that finished runners-up at the U17 Asian Cup in May, while also featuring for Tsinghua High School. He subsequently continued to attract attention at the Shanghai Future Star Cup in August.

His promotion also reflects a practical problem created by the Asian Games squad. 

As senior forwards Zhang and Baihelamu have been selected for the U23 Asian Games squad, creating room for new center-forwards in the senior squad. Du, 21, and Zhao, 17, therefore offer Shao an opportunity to assess different generations at the position.

Sports commentator Wang Dazhao said the changes are about more than simply filling vacancies.

"The large number of young players in this squad is directly related to the Asian Games team taking the core U23 players and several established internationals," Wang told the Global Times. 

"That shows the importance attached to the Asian Games, but it also gives the senior coaching staff a chance to assess and build a pool of the next generation."

Wang added that the process could also help China prepare for longer-term objectives, including the 2027 Asian Cup and the 2030 World Cup qualifying cycle.

"The national team needs to use this opportunity to look further ahead," he said.

The selection of teenagers for senior national teams is not unusual in football when a player is considered sufficiently advanced.

Spain's Lamine Yamal provides an extreme example. The Barcelona winger made his senior debut for Spain at the age of 16 in September 2023, becoming the youngest player to play for the national team.