Beijing Youth Daily: Dalian’s Home Field Advantage for National Team’s Match Schedule, with Consideration of Football Market and Ticket Sales

On July 4th, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) officially announced that Dalian would host China’s World Cup Qualifier match in September. The national team will face Saudi Arabia at Dalian Suoyuwan Football Stadium. ​​​The Beijing Youth Daily provided an explanation for choosing Dalian as the venue.

The CFA previously stated that the selection of the home venue was mainly based on factors such as travel convenience for the team, climatic conditions, and social benefits.

Firstly, the home ground should facilitate the national team’s travel, minimizing fatigue. The team hopes to return to China the day after their away game against Japan on September 6th to prepare for the September 10th home match against Saudi Arabia, ideally flying directly from Tokyo.

Secondly, considering the climate, the home venue should be beneficial for the team’s overall preparation. The national team believes that the weather in southern China in September will be hot and humid with frequent thunderstorms, suggesting a northern city with similar weather to Japan for better training and match conditions.

Furthermore, the Beijing Youth Daily emphasized that fan enthusiasm, football market, and potential ticket revenue were also crucial factors in selecting the national team’s home ground. Dalian, known as the “City of Football,” excels in these aspects.

For example, a recent Chinese League One match between Dalian Yifang and Yunnan Yunkun attracted over 45,000 spectators to Suoyuwan Stadium. Besides excellent field conditions and hospitality, Dalian’s extensive experience in hosting events also contributed to its selection.

The report mentioned that besides the nine cities bidding for the Saudi Arabia match, several others have applied to host the remaining four home matches of the national team’s World Cup Qualifiers.

The Beijing and Qingdao Football Associations, for instance, submitted bids for other home matches of the national team. Some cities, like Qingdao, proposed hosting multiple games, including matches against Indonesia on October 15th, Japan on November 19th, and Bahrain on June 10th next year. The final decision on the host cities will be announced by the CFA in due course.