Beijing, Oct 29 (IANS) The Chinese Football Association (CFA) announced a 25-man squad here on Tuesday to prepare for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

In the roster, six players from Chinese Super League powerhouse Guangzhou Evergrande have been called up to the national team, including 38-year-old captain Zheng Zhi, who was appointed the executive head coach of the club over Fabio Cannavaro last Sunday, and Brazilian-born naturalized striker Ai Kesen.

Star forward Wu Lei, who plays for La Liga's Espanyol, was also listed in the national squad, reports Xinhua news agency.

Head coach Marcello Lippi and his players will assemble on November 3 in Guangzhou to prepare for the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. China will challenge the group front runners Syria in an away game on November 14.

Squad:
Goalkeepers: Yan Junling, Wang Dalei, Zeng Cheng

Defenders: Zhang Linpeng, Zheng Zheng, Liu Yang, Wang Gang, Li Lei, Ji Xiang, Zhu Chenji, Fang Fan

Midfielders: Zheng Zhi, Xu Xin, Hao Junmin, Chi Zhongguo, Liu Binbin, Zhang Xizhe, Li Ke, Wu Xi, Mirahmetjan Muzepper

Forwards: Ai Kesen, Wei Shihao, Wang Ziming, Yang Xu, Wu Lei

--IANS kk/bg