Marcello Lippi’s China take on Gareth Bale’s Wales to kick-off 2018 China Cup in March

The hosts play the Welsh on the evening of March 22 with the South Americans facing the Czechs the following day, after the schedule has now been confirmed for the second edition of the tournament.

The winners of those games will meet in the final on March 26, with the losers playing off for third-place in the afternoon before the showpiece. All of the games will take place in the Guangxi Sports Centre in Nanning.

The China Cup will give China a chance to test themselves against teams currently ranked in the top 50 of Fifa’s most recent world rankings in 19th-placed Wales, 21st-placed Uruguay and 48th-placed Czech Republic. China are currently ranked at 60. Neither Wales nor the Czech Republic have played China before.

Of the visitors only Uruguay have qualified for next summer’s Fifa World Cup in Russia and they will be expected to bring a full-strength side, including Barcelona striker Luis Suarez, as they prepare for a tournament that they have won twice before.

China manager Marcello Lippi has suggested that he will return to his experienced players after taking a youthful, experimental squad to the recent East Asia Championships where China finished third.