BEIJING, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- The International University Sports Federation (FISU) has announced here that China's southeast city of Jinjiang will host four consecutive FISU University World Cup.
Jinjiang was awarded the 2019, 2021, 2023, 2025 FISU World Cup and also won the priority to bid for the events from 2027 to 2031.
The biennial event is composed of qualifications and global finals. The first edition of the FISU University World Cup is set to kick off in October 2019 in Jinjiang, where more than 800 footballers from 16 men's teams and eight women's teams will take part in the finals.
"We are experiencing the beginning of something that I know will be very special for university sports and that I believe [it] will be very special for Jinjiang," said Oleg Matytsin, President of the FISU on Friday.
"Unlike many other top-level events, the FISU University World Cup implies that qualification events will be held on all five continents throughout 2018, which means that hundreds of universities and thousands of students will be part of this global project, and the finals in Jinjiang will bring together the very best university football teams in the world," the FISU president said.
"China has very realistic ambitions to host the FIFA World Cup in the future. And hosting the FISU World Cup is a logical step towards this ambition," Matytsin added.
As part of the bid, Jinjiang is scheduled to prepare four venues for the tournament.
