On October 19th, the 29th Kunming Urban Weekend Cup Football Challenge and Spring City Football Carnival officially kicked off at Tuodong Stadium in Kunming. Running from now until the end of November, 48 amateur football teams from both within and outside the province will compete fiercely, providing the residents of Spring City with an exciting football experience.
As one of the most influential amateur football events in Yunnan, the Urban Weekend Cup has set the standard for amateur football competitions since its inception in 1994 and is recognized as one of the oldest amateur football tournaments in the country.
This year’s tournament features three categories: Honor Group, Public Group, and Entertainment Group, with 16 teams in each category. The teams will first compete in a round-robin format within their respective groups, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the knockout stage to ultimately determine the champions of each category.
During the opening ceremony, Gu Wenxiang, the Deputy General Manager of Yunnan Yukun Football Club, and Zhao Yuhao, the team captain of Yukun, engaged with fans on-site. “The Urban Weekend Cup ranks among the top five amateur football tournaments in the country. Over the past 30 years, it has fostered a great atmosphere for football,” Zhao stated. He expressed hope for more events like this in Yunnan, emphasizing the need for more youth competitions to further develop the sport.
Notably, this year’s event is held at Tuodong Stadium, a landmark in Yunnan that has created the “unbeaten plateau” myth in Chinese football. This choice not only pays tribute to the stadium’s illustrious history but also makes it convenient for fans to watch the matches.
In addition, to give back to the enthusiastic fans and athletes, various interactive activities, including prize-winning predictions, pot throwing, juggling, 9-grid shooting, and blind shooting, will take place both online and offline at Tuodong Stadium from October 19 to 20 as part of the Spring City Football Carnival.
In the opening match, the Guardian Team from Yunnan triumphed with a 2-0 victory over last year’s champion, Yinhua Panyu Team, marking a successful start to the tournament.
