The 2017 World Youth Gothia Cup kicked off at Shenyang Olympic Sports Center in Shenyang City, Liaoning province on Aug 13, the second time the event has been held outside Europe.

The World Youth Gothia Cup, which is the largest and most influential football event for young people, was founded in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1975. Until now, the event has been hosted 43 times, with some 10,000 youth football organizations from more than 150 countries and regions taking part.

In 2007, FIFA, the sport’s global governing body, authorized the title of “World Youth Cup” for the competition.

It is the second time that the World Youth Gothia Cup has been held in Shenyang, with the previous event successfully held there in 2016.

According to the match committee, 303 teams from 31 countries and regions will take part in the event, of which, foreign teams will account for 75, with the rest coming from China.

The event consists of a grand opening ceremony and a seven-day competition with nearly 800 matches held on the largest football pitch in the world.

Sponsored by the Shenyang government and World Youth Football Union, the event is a good platform for young people around the world to share experiences and a good way to enhance cultural communication between China and other countries.

Dancers perform at the opening ceremony of the 2017 World Youth Gothia Cup at Shenyang Olympic Sports Center in Shenyang City, Liaoning province, on Aug 13. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

Dancers perform at the opening ceremony of the 2017 World Youth Gothia Cup at Shenyang Olympic Sports Center in Shenyang City, Liaoning province, on Aug 13. [Photo/Chinanews.com]