Taking the database of China Knowledge Network (CNKI) as a sample, this paper shows the research
hot spots and development frontiers of five-a-side football in China. Research findings (1) the number of literature
on five-a-side football in China has shown an obvious upward trend since 2004, reached the peak in 2015, and then
showed a downward trend. (2) The development of China’s Five-man football field can be divided into three stages.
The first stage is from 2000 to 2005, which is the cognitive stage of China’s Five-man football. The research at this
stage focuses on the feasibility and significance of the Five-man football project. The second stage is 2005-2015.
This stage is the high-speed development stage of China’s five-a-side football, and it is also the time when new
keywords appear most. The research in this stage shows diversified development and has achieved more research
results. The third stage is from 2015 to now. In this stage, offensive tactics, world cup and other research aimed at
serving sports competitions have emerged. (3) In the past two decades, the frontier issues of the research on five-aside
football mainly include: the value and significance of development, competitive sports and campus football. In
recent years, the research mainly focuses on serving sports competitions. It is believed that future research can attract
more disciplines to participate, quote more advanced theories and richer research methods, and think and study fivea-
side football from a more creative perspective. (4) Affected by the epidemic, futsal research in China has decreased
significantly in recent years.