Xinjiang Football in the Heated Winter Season — Those Xinjiang Footballers Returning Home

Reporter Chen Yong reports In November, as temperatures across Xinjiang fell below freezing, football competitions heated up, marking perhaps the most thrilling period of the year. Between mid-November and early December, the "Atushi Cup" and "Kashgar Cup" football invitationals kicked off in Xinjiang.

The enthusiasm stems from the people's deep passion for football in Xinjiang; it is further fueled by Xinjiang players competing in professional leagues who have returned home after the season. Not only did they come back, but many also brought along teammates and friends from professional leagues to participate, leading renowned referee Maimaitijiang to admit: "The 'Atushi Cup' matches are at least at the level of China League Two."

The vibrant winter football competitions in Xinjiang are also a result of collaboration between the eastern regions and Xinjiang football. The organization of these events relies heavily on the support of aid-command centers from various provinces and cities. For example, the "Atushi Cup" is supported by the Jiangsu aid-command center, while the "Kashgar Cup" receives backing from the Taian aid-command center. Football acts as a bond, blending emotions and connections.

On November 15th, the 2025 Xinjiang "Atushi Cup" Football Invitational grandly opened at Atushi City Football Park. As a highly anticipated football festival across the region, the 13-day event featured 16 teams from 10 prefectures (cities) competing in 32 intense matches, delivering a spectacular display of skill and effort for fans.

"We carefully selected the participating teams to ensure a generally high and closely matched level of play, which results in a very competitive tournament. The 'Atushi Cup' has gradually evolved to this point, with enthusiasm and quality rising hand in hand," said Miao Fei, member of the Atushi Municipal Party Committee and head of the publicity department, in an interview.

The total prize pool for the event is 2.1 million yuan. Participants include amateur players, current players from China League One and the Chinese Super League, and for the first time, 25 foreign players from countries along the Belt and Road. For instance, the Kashgar Kuklan team features many professional players; their team leader and head coach are well-known to fans — the leader is Abduhaimit, a player for Changchun Yatai, and the coach is Aifieldin, currently on loan to Changchun Yatai from Shanghai Port.

Yao Zhiyu of the Atushi Abusahei team hails from Kunming Chengxing. This season, he played 28 matches in China League Two, starting 26 times, scoring 2 goals and assisting once. He was invited to participate by his good friend Xiao Kaitijiang, a former Chinese Super League champion (Wuhan Three Towns), now playing for Nanjing City, and a member of the runner-up U20 men's team at the 14th National Games.

The technology used in this year's "Atushi Cup" is impressive: VAR assists referees in decision-making, wearable devices collect match data to support tactical optimization, and 5G combined with 8K ultra-high-definition technology enables global live broadcasts, allowing viewers everywhere to experience the excitement immersively. While the competition level matches China League Two, the broadcast quality surpasses that standard.

During the "Atushi Cup," renowned referee Maimaitijiang was present on site. In an interview, he said: "Compared to the previous two editions, this 'Atushi Cup' is completely renewed and has reached a higher level. Some players come from professional leagues, so the competition is at least at China League Two level." He also shared: "I prefer playing football to refereeing. I have played since childhood up to university, represented Xinjiang Normal University in the Universiade, and participated in national competitions before becoming a referee by chance."

The final outcome of the "Atushi Cup" was somewhat surprising: Kashgar Kuklan was stopped in the semifinals by the Hotan Universe Carpet team, who went on to win the championship. However, understanding Hotan Universe Carpet’s situation makes this less unexpected—they invest heavily, have formed a high-standard coaching and player squad, and their captain, Abduwahap, is from Moyu County and currently plays for Shaanxi United in China League One. Many other players are also professionals from China League One and Two clubs.

Chen Guanyu, Party Secretary and Deputy Director of Atushi City’s Culture, Sports, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau, stated that the average ticket sales per match exceeded 5,000, attracting over 250,000 visitors and boosting cultural tourism consumption by more than 92 million yuan. The online viewership for the opening ceremony alone surpassed 20 million.

On November 29th, the 2025 Xinjiang "Kashgar Cup" Football Super Invitational opened at the Kashgar Yuepuhu County Sports Activity Center. Unlike the "Atushi Cup," which is a regional event with teams from across Xinjiang, the "Kashgar Cup" invited several teams from outside Xinjiang, such as Guangzhou Malik Football Club, Taian Tianguang Football Club, and Lanzhou Maige Football Team. Kashgar Kuklan, which missed the "Atushi Cup" finals, continued to compete in the "Kashgar Cup." After officiating at the "Atushi Cup," Maimaitijiang also served as a referee at the "Kashgar Cup."

Like the "Atushi Cup," the "Kashgar Cup" offers substantial prize money, with a total of 2.26 million yuan. The champion receives 1 million yuan, the runner-up 500,000 yuan, third place 200,000 yuan, fourth to eighth places 50,000 yuan each, and ninth to sixteenth places 35,000 yuan each.

The "Atushi Cup" is a regional event for all Xinjiang, while the "Kashgar Cup" is a sequential competition. This summer, the "Kashgar Cup" International Youth Football Invitational featured six foreign and six Chinese teams competing together. Now, in winter, the "Kashgar Cup" football invitational is held as a domestic event. Looking toward long-term, orderly development, the two cups may evolve with differentiation: the former focusing on all Xinjiang teams, the latter serving as an exchange tournament with the top eight teams from "Atushi Cup" plus eight teams from other provinces and cities.

The development of Xinjiang football relies heavily on the full support from aid-command centers of various provinces and cities. For example, during the "Kashgar Cup," besides sending reporters for coverage, four members of the Taian Football Fans Association traveled thousands of kilometers to Kashgar to cheer for the Taian team. "This is our longest trip ever, not only to support the team but also to strengthen Shandong-Xinjiang friendship," said Jiang Peiguo, president of the Taian Fans Association and Shandong Taishan Orange Wave Fans Association.

During the "Kashgar Cup," the Taian Tianguang team also visited Yuepuhu County Third Primary School, a Shandong aid-to-Xinjiang project school officially opened in 2021. There, Taian Tianguang players held a unique friendly match with the school's football team, observed by over 2,000 students. Such exchanges and interactions carry significance beyond competition.

On the afternoon of December 3rd, during the match between Kashgar Kuklan and Aksu Jinlong Driving School team, 30 Kashgar youths watched the live broadcast from Shandong Normal University, 4,000 kilometers away. These young footballers are the first students of the Shandong aid Xinjiang "Football Taishan Class," who started their dual-track academic and football training journey in Jinan this September. In the recent Jinan City High School Boys’ Football League, the "Football Taishan Class" won the championship undefeated in eight matches, advancing to the Super League, adding a bright new chapter to Jinan’s campus football and promising more diverse styles and integration.

Earlier in the year, the 2025 "Green Field Dream Chase · Lu-Xinjiang Youth Football Integration Training Camp" successfully concluded at Taishan Football School. This camp deeply relied on the highly integrated core system of Taishan youth training, blending professional youth training standards with the Lu-Xinjiang integration mission. Over 100 young footballers from Xinjiang’s Kashgar region experienced immersive professional football training during the 20-day camp, forging ethnic bonds across seas and mountains and making a significant contribution to joint football talent development between Lu and Xinjiang.

The growth of Xinjiang football also stems from the passion of the local people. Yiminjiang Wubulikasimu, chairman of Hotan Universe Trading Co., Ltd., the title sponsor of the "Atushi Cup," began investing half of his company’s income into grassroots football back in 2010 when the company was still small, cumulatively investing nearly 3 million yuan over more than a decade. "Paridio" has sponsored the "Atushi Cup" for two consecutive years. Xiao Kaititi Teliwar, sponsor of the Yining City team and a person with disabilities, has sponsored twice, contributing over 400,000 yuan in total.

Many Xinjiang football fans traveled to Atushi City and Yuepuhu County to watch matches, with fans from Ili even chartering planes to support their team in Atushi. Hotan fans brought eight sets of Nagula drums and large suonas to cheer on the games. According to local reports, hotel bookings in Atushi surged 280% compared to the previous year during the event, with core area hotels fully booked a week in advance. Several restaurants achieved their highest annual revenues.

Why do the "Atushi Cup" and "Kashgar Cup" attract so many professional players? Why can these tournaments rival professional leagues? The reasons are simple: support from eastern provinces and cities combined with the passionate football spirit of the Xinjiang people jointly sustain this winter football feast in Xinjiang.

In recent years, the national government has placed great emphasis on developing Xinjiang football. Exchanges between Xinjiang and eastern regions have grown tighter. Footballers returning home fully embody this close relationship. Using Xinjiang as a link, China-Central Asia football exchanges have made great strides, with football becoming a "cultural railway" for the China-Central Asia Community of Shared Future, contributing youthful energy to its cultural development.

During the "Kashgar Cup" Youth Football International Invitational in June this year, Abdujapar, deputy secretary and director of the Kashgar Sports Bureau Party Committee, said: "Youth football carries a big mission, gathering wisdom and building consensus." This perhaps best explains the vibrant momentum of Xinjiang football.