China U20s will play in Germany's fourth tier next season

In order to make sure the league has 20 teams in it, the Chinese youth team have been added to the division's fixture list in an agreement between the German Football Association (DFB) and Chinese Football Associaton (CFA).

The deal comes as part of a joint project forged back in November 2016 (pictured above) between the DFB, the German Football League (DFL) and both the German and Chinese governments, which involves the two countries agreeing to cooperate on footballing matters for the next five years.

"All 19 clubs in the league have signalled their approval that the Chinese are playing [in our league]," said Felix Weidemann, the league's managing director. "I see the project in a very good way."

Every German team will receive €15,000 each time they play the Chinese, and have agreed to host the national team for both fixtures in the calendar. 

All matches involving the U20s will be considered as friendlies, and the results won't contribute to the league's standings.

In Other News... on FourFourTwo.com