Zhu Qin (left) and Stefán Skjaldarson during the draw ceremony Photo: Shi Haohong/GT

A total of 12 football teams will square off in the second Sino-Nordic Cup Football Tournament when it kicks off at the Beijing Language and Cultural University on May 28.

The announcement was made by officials during the tournament's draw ceremony at the Embassy of the Republic of Iceland in Beijing on May 6.

The Deputy Head of the Department of the European Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Zhu Qin and the Icelandic Ambassador to China Stefán Skjaldarson both gave a speech at the event.

Organized jointly by the Global Times and the MFA's Department of European Affairs, the Sino-Nordic Cup is an annual football tournament that aims to strengthen the friendly interaction and cooperation between China and the Nordic countries through sports.

During the ceremony, Zhu said that the Sino-Nordic Football Tournament not only adds a new element to the people-to-people interaction between China and Nordic countries but also provides a good chance and platform for the diplomats of the Nordic countries to understand their Chinese counterparts better.

"China enjoys profound cooperation with the Nordic countries in economics and trade, science and innovation, environmental protection, the polar region and the ocean, and people-to-people interaction," he said.

This year is the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Iceland.

Skjaldarson said that since the two countries established diplomatic relations, bilateral relations have seen a strong growth with pragmatic collaboration.

"Iceland is the first European country that signed a free-trade agreement with China. Both sides have great potential for the development of sectors such as tourism, the pole region, and electric vehicles," he said. "Through this tournament, people-to-people interaction will be boosted, and I wish the game a greater success."

The Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, and Icelandic embassies, the Department of European Affairs of MFA, Chinese Press United, the Chinese Football Association, Beijing Language and Culture University, Beijing Geely University, Beijing Sports University, and Beijing Old Boys Football Club will all compete for the cup in the 2016 staging of the event. 

This year's tournament will include female players for the first time.