Football was introduced in China in the early 1900s and since then the sport has been well supported by passionate Chinese fans.

The Chinese Football Association (CFA) was founded after 1949 and it is currently headquartered at Beijing. The CFA established "Jia A" (Jia means first or best), the first professional football league in China.

Chinese football at the international stage has enjoyed a certain measure of success. The national team qualified for the 2002 World Cup. However, the team lost 3 group matches and didn't make a single goal.

On the other hand, the Chinese Women's National Football team finished second at both the World Championships and the Olympic Games.

Football has always been one of the most popular amateur team sports for recreation in China. High schools often have football facilities, some of which are rented on weekends to local amateur teams to organize matches.

Football is one of the most popular spectator sports in China, with large international tournaments such as the World Cup and the European Championships, as well as major European leagues receiving widespread television viewership.

Chinese football fans, numbered in the hundreds of millions, often support teams in the English Premier League, the Italian Serie A and the German Bundesliga.

Chinese football players who play in European football leagues attract massive media attention and secure a large fan base. Notable examples include Sun Jihai, formerly of Manchester City F.C.; Zheng Zhi, of Glasgow Celtic, Shao Jiayi of Energie Cottbus; and Yang Chen, formerly of Eintracht Frankfurt.

As football continues its popularity in China, so is the interest in placing bets in football matches.

There are three basic types of football bets - first is the money line for a team to win, second is the money line for the draw, and third is the bet on the total score of the match.

When betting on the money line, the bettor is betting that the team will win straight up in order to win his bet. It does not matter when or how the chosen team wins, just that they are the official winner.

When betting on the draw, the game must be declared a Draw for the bettor's wager to be a winner. If a game goes to Penalty shots, Golden Goals, or there is a disqualification, the official winner will be declared and all Draw bets would be considered losing bets.

Lastly, the total listed on a football game represents the total number of goals scored. When betting on the total, the bettor must choose either OVER or UNDER. Regardless of the outcome, the combined score of the two teams will determine if he wins or loses his bet. Overtime will always count for the total of the game, but penalty shots will not.