A friendly football match between east China's Xiamen City and Kinmen island of the country's Taiwan region took place on Sunday, marking the first time Taiwan compatriots have formed a team to participate in a grassroots football tournament of this kind.
The Kinmen team consisted of 22 players, with some of them having previously competed in the football premier league of Taiwan region.
Grassroots football leagues have become wildly popular on the Chinese mainland in recent years, and fans from Kinmen were elated to see their island represented on the field in the Fujian Football City League.
"My kid had asked me whether there would be a game between Xiamen and Kinmen. Today, we finally got to see the friendly match between Xiamen and Kinmen, making our trip from Kinmen worthwhile," said a spectator from Kinmen.
Xiamen is the top-ranked team in the league, but Kinmen fought hard and managed to score two goals in the game, becoming the first team to break through Xiamen's defense since the start of the tournament.
"I'm very excited. We finally scored a goal. It's been really hard, and everybody has given their best. They're doing great. I think the Fujian Football City League is quite thrilling and really worth watching," said a relative of a player on the Kinmen team.
In the end, Xiamen defeated Kinmen with a 5–2 victory.
As a forefront of cross-strait integration, Xiamen hosts more than 70 cross-strait sports events annually. Since 2025, over 3,000 participants from Taiwan have come to Xiamen to compete, providing a broad platform for fostering closer bonds between people on both sides of the Strait.
Taiwan compatriots take part in Fujian's amateur football tournament
