Shanghai International Youth Football Invitational 2025
2. Time and Venue
Time: July 23-30, 2025
Venue: Shanghai Maritime University
3. Organizing institutions
3.1 Hosts:
Shanghai Municipal Education Commission
Shanghai Administration of Sports
3.2 Organizers:
Shanghai Student Event Management Center
Shanghai Youth Training Management Center
Shanghai School Sports Federation
Shanghai Campus Football Development Center
Shanghai Maritime University
4. Participating Teams
Youth campus football teams from different countries and regions
5. Player Qualifications
5.1 The participating team should register for the event as a youth campus football team of its own country or region, representing the winning team in its country or region.
5.2 An overseas football team shall have no more than 4 children of Chinese or overseas Chinese and no more than 3 foreign players.
5.3 Age: The players shall be under 18 years old (they should be born between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2009). For any player younger than the specified age, relevant document should be provided to the Organizing Committee, and they can only participate in the event upon the Committee’s approval. Players older than the specified age shall not take part in the event.
5.4 The passports, ID cards or residence permits of the participating team members shall bear the information of their nationality or permanent residence and age.
5.5 The players should be registered students. Official documents bearing the schools’ names of the players should be provided to certify their identity as students.
5.6 Where it is necessary to verify the eligibility of the players, the Organizing Committee has the right to check the identity certificates (such as passports) of all players at any time.
5.7 Any violation of the eligibility rules will be punished by the Disciplinary Committee of the event.
6. Registration of Players and Officials
6.1 Registration deadline and online registration
6.1.1 All participating teams should register with the organizer before June 23, 2025 (30 days before the event). The registration information should include the name and a brief introduction of the participating team (with relevant materials attached).
6.1.2 All teams should submit the registration information before June 23, 2025 (30 days before the event), including a name list of 30 players and 10 officials. Once submitted, the information shall be conceived as confirmed and shall not be changed.
6.1.3 All teams should confirm the final list of their participants before July 3, 2025 (20 days before the event), comprising up to 22 players and 4 officials (including 1 team captain, 2 coaches, and 1 doctor).
6.2 Registration guidelines
6.2.1 All teams shall conduct physical examinations on their participants to make sure that the participants are in good health, and buy relevant insurance for the players at their own expenses.
6.2.2 Requirements of registration information
All participants should provide their passport number, date of birth, and an ID photo (626×413 px) for online registration. Besides, different participants should provide the following information as required:
1) Players
The players need to provide the information on their height, weight, player number, and field position.
2) Officials
The officials need to specify their job or position in the team.
7. Awards and Certificates
7.1 The top three teams winning the competition will respectively be awarded with championship, runner-up and third-place trophies and gold, silver and bronze medals, as well as souvenirs.
7.2 All participating teams will be awarded with a certificate of participation, a certificate of event results, and souvenirs.
7.3 Awards of “Best Player”, “Best Scorer”, “Best Goalkeeper”, “Best Coach”, “Best Goal”, “Best Referee”, “Best Team Captain”, “Fair Play Team”, “Contribution”, and “Best Eleven” are set for the event. The awards will be presented by the Organizing Committee with certificates of honor and souvenirs as recognition.
8. Competition Rules
8.1 Competition Methods
There will be 12 football teams participating in the event.
1) Stage 1: The teams will be divided into four groups of A, B, C, and D, by lot. The group competition will adopt the single-game round-robin format;
2) Stage 2: A crossover knockout format will be adopted. Teams ranked first in each group will compete in single-elimination crossover matches to determine 1st - 4th places; teams ranked second in each group will compete in single-elimination crossover matches to determine 5th - 8th places; teams ranked third in each group will compete in single-elimination crossover matches to determine 9th - 12th places.
8.2 Scoring and ranking methods:
8.2.1 In the group competition stage, the teams will gain 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 point for a loss. The team gaining the most scores will rank on the top.
8.2.2 If two or more teams are tied on points in the group competition, their rankings shall be determined in the following order:
1) The team with more points in matches between tied teams ranks higher;
2) The team with more goal differences in matches between tied teams ranks higher;
3) The team with more goals in matches between tied teams ranks higher;
4) The team having more goal differences and goals in all matches of the same round ranks higher;
5) The team holding fewer red and yellow cards in all matches of the same round ranks higher;
6) If there is still a tie, the rankings should be determined by lot.
8.2.3 In Stage 2, the winner must be determined in each match. If there is a tie after the 90-minute match, the winner will be determined by a penalty shootout.
9. Competition Rules and Relevant Regulations
9.1 The matches will implement the latest Laws of the Game approved by the Chinese Football Association.
9.2 Venues: Shanghai Maritime University
9.3 The ball: Size 5 football will be used in the matches.
The organizer will provide 10 official training balls to every participating team before each match.
9.4 The players’ equipment:
All participating teams shall be dressed in football uniforms. Each team should prepare two suits of uniforms in two different colors. The goalkeeper’s uniform should be clearly different from other team members’ in color and the team captain must wear the captain’s armband.
The color of the uniform of each team in each match will be decided in the joint captain meetings.
9.5 The duration of the match:
A whole match lasts for 90 minutes (including two equal halves of 45 minutes), with an interval at half-time not exceeding 15 minutes.
9.6 Number of players to be reported:
Each team may report a maximum of 22 players, including 11 substitutes. However, only 5 substitutes can be used in each match and the player who leaves the field cannot join the match again. Each team has a maximum of three substitution opportunities in each match and may additionally make substitutions at half-time.
9.7 There should be no more than 11 substitutes, 4 team officials, 1 Chinese team captain, and 1 volunteer at the substitute bench.
9.8 Disciplines and penalties
9.8.1 Where a player is shown 2 yellow cards or directly shown 1 red card by the referee in a match or is accumulatively shown 2 yellow cards in two matches in the same stage, the player will be forbidden from participating in the next match. If the Disciplinary Committee of the event does not impose extra penalties, the player shall be forbidden from participating in the following match.
9.8.2 Where a player is shown by 1 red card out of 2 yellow cards in a match, the yellow cards will not be counted in accumulation.
9.8.3 Where a player is shown by 1 direct red card after 1 yellow card in a match, the yellow card will be counted in accumulation.
9.8.4 Where a player has been forbidden from participating or is under other disciplinary penalties which are not yet executed or fully executed by the end of a stage, such penalties will be continued in the next stage.
9.8.5 The red and yellow cards in the group competition stage will not be accumulated into the next stage.
9.9 Withdrawal, forfeit and abandonment:
9.9.1 All participating teams should complete all the matches in their groups as well as the matches to come.
9.9.2 Where a representative team withdraws from the event (except for force majeure) after its confirmation on participation, the team will be removed from the series competitions in the following two years.
9.9.3 Where a representative team fails to participate in the matches during the event for whatever reasons, the team will be removed from the series competitions in the following two years.
9.9.4 Where a player in the following conditions participates in a match, the team to which the player belongs will be considered as forfeiting the match:
1) The player is not registered;
2) The player is forbidden from participating;
3) The player is in the process of arbitration and has not been allowed to participate.
9.9.5 A team will be considered as abandoning a match in the following conditions:
1) Without the approval from the organizers, the team fails to participate in a match as required by the competition schedule for non-force majeure reasons;
2) The team refuses to participate in make-up or rescheduled matches;
3) The team refuses to resume an interrupted match in 5 minutes as requested by the referee;
4) The team quits in the middle of a match.
9.9.6 Handling of withdrawal, forfeit and abandonment
1) If a team forfeits or abandons a match, the other team of the match will be deemed as the winner and the score of the match will be recorded as 3:0. If the actual goal difference of the match exceeds 3:0, the actual result shall prevail;
2) If both teams of a match forfeit or abandon the match, the score of the match will be recorded as 0:0 and both teams will gain no point for that match;
3) If a team quits in the middle of a match, the scores of all matches in which the team has participated, is participating, or will participate will be recorded as 3:0 with the other teams being the winners. Where the actual goal differences exceed 3:0, the actual results shall prevail.
9.9.7 Procedures for match cancellation and suspension
If the referee deems that the match cannot be started normally due to any force majeure or any other reasons, including but not limited to inappropriate field, bad weather, or accidents such as lighting failure, or if the referee suspends the match before its normal end, the following measures should be taken:
1) The match will automatically be delayed or suspended for 30 minutes and shall be resumed or restarted after the delay or suspension when the situation is effectively improved, unless the referee decides that the match can be resumed or restarted earlier.
2) After the match has been delayed or suspended for 30 minutes, it can be delayed or suspended for another 30 minutes if the referee believes that the match can be resumed or restarted after a longer delay or suspension. If the match cannot be resumed or restarted after another 30 minutes, the referee shall announce the match to be stopped.
3) An announcement on the delay or suspension should be made to the spectators, and both teams of the match should leave the field.
After consulting the opinions of related parties, the supervisor of the match shall decide the time and venue of the rescheduled or make-up match which shall be completed within 24 hours.
4) The suspended match shall be resumed from the time when it is interrupted. The score and other relevant situation of the interrupted match shall still prevail. When the organizer decides to resume the suspended matches, the following rules should be followed:
(1) The match shall be resumed from the time point when it is suspended, and all players and substitute players on the field should be the same as when the match is suspended;
(2) The players on the substitute list shall not be added or changed;
(3) The opportunities for substitution shall not be increased;
(4) The yellow and red cards shown in the match shall still be valid. The players who have been sent off shall not participate in the match again, and the team officials who have been sent off shall not enter the substitute bench or the technical areas;
(5) Other penalties relating to the match shall still prevail;
(6) The time (at a later foreseeable time) and the venue of the resumed match shall be decided by the organizer;
(7) All issues resulting from such suspension shall be decided by the organizer.
9.9.8 If a delayed or suspended match cannot be resumed or restarted within 24 hours, the following measures should be taken:
1) The competition supervisor shall report to the organizer and the organizer shall make the decision;
2) The decision made by the organizer shall be deemed as the final decision;
3) If there is any violation of the competition rules, the competition supervisor shall submit relevant report to the Disciplinary Committee of the event, and the Disciplinary Committee shall make the decision on penalties.
9.9.9 No appeals shall be lodged against this provision of the competition rules.
10. Competition Supervision and Referees
10.1 The competition supervisors shall be selected and delegated by the Organizing Committee of Shanghai International Youth Football Invitational 2025.
10.2 The referee supervisors and the referees shall be selected and delegated by the Organizing Committee of Shanghai International Youth Football Invitational 2025.
10.3 No protest shall be lodged against the referee’s decision regarding facts connected with play on the field.
11. Reception and Fund
11.1 The international travel expenses, medical expenses, and related insurance (such as international travel insurance and accidental injury insurance) of each team shall be borne by the teams themselves.
11.2 The Organizing Committee of the event will bear the related expenses on food, accommodation and transportation of the registered team members during their stay in Shanghai (during the specified dates of the event). Overstaffed personnel shall bear all the incurred expenses by themselves.
12. Event Management and Advertising
12.1 The Organizing Committee shall have the right of TV broadcasting, the right of transfer, and the right of management of the event.
12.2 The Organizing Committee shall have the right to permanently use all audio-visual materials of the participating teams and participants of the event for free, including but not limited to photos, videos, and audio recordings, without obtaining prior consent of the participating teams and participants, or notifying them for using such materials.
12.3 If the uniforms of the participating teams are provided by the Organizing Committee, all the uniforms or clothing of the players shall not be printed with any commercial elements (such as logos not designated by the Organizing Committee), and the players shall not wear other clothing or accessories with any other commercial elements during the event. No participant shall expose or try to expose any part of the body to display or attempt to display any commercial elements.
13. Other Matters
13.1 Matters not included in this Competition Rules will be notified separately.
13.2 The right to interpret this Competition Rules belongs to the Organizing Committee of Shanghai International Youth Football Invitational 2025.
Organizing Committee of Shanghai International Youth Football Invitational 2025