China face Japan in East Asian Cup opener

BEIJING, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Defending champions China will play Japan in their opening match of the East Asian Cup as the fixtures for this summer's tournament in South Korea were released by the East Asian Football Federation on Wednesday.

The Chinese team take on Alberto Zaccheroni's side on July 21 in the four-team round-robin tournament that also includes hosts South Korea and qualifiers Australia.

China will face South Korea on July 25 and play Australia in the final match on July 28.

The winners of the men's tournament will take 250,000 U.S. dollars, while victory in the women's competition is worth 50,000 dollars.

China won the men's tournament last time when it was held in Feb. 2010 in Japan.

China, South Korea and Japan have the right to automatically enter the competition, while other participants have to go through a qualifying round.

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