BEIJING, May 6 -- China shows its rising enthusiasm for soccer following the unveiling of a reform plan as 11 cities are fighting to host four home World Cup qualifiers.
The bidding cities are Beijing, Xi'an, Nanjing, Changsha, Wuhan, Shenyang, Shenzhen, Dalian, Qingdao, Chengdu and Baotou.
Beijing, Xi'an, Wuhan and Changsha, the four cities which have hosted most of China games in recent years, are favored for the hosting rights.
According to the draw, China will host Bhutan on June 16 and the Hong Kong side on September 3, visit the Maldives on September 8 and Qatar on October 8, visit Bhutan on November 12, visit Hong Kong on September 17, and host the Maldives on March 24, 2016 and Qatar on March 29.
China is investing heavily in the long-term development of soccer, recently unveiling a reform plan to expand soccer programs at schools across the country.
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