Football is the most popular sport in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Football Association is the national governing body. There is a league system, with the first division league, and the winner of the first division league is crowned the Hong Kong football champion. Addionally, there are national cup competitions, most notably the Hong Kong Senior Challenge Shield and the Hong Kong FA Cup.
On the international level, the Hong Kong national football team represents Hong Kong in international football events. The team competed their first international match in 1947 against South Korea during the colonial period. Even after 1997 the transfer of sovereignty to China, it continues to represent Hong Kong separately from the People's Republic of China as its own national team in international competitions due to the "One country, two systems" principle. The team has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup, the closing time was during the 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification, which is also marked as their most successful period between 1970s and 1980s.