From March 9th to 11th, the Women's World Cup Gold Cup, which symbolizes the highest honor in women's football in the world, came to China again to meet Chinese fans.
It was the largest ever trip to the FIFA Women's World Cup Gold Cup.
Before the opening of the World Cup, the Women's Football Championship Gold Cup will be brought to all 32 participating countries, and China is the fifth stop of the tour.
The World Cup trophy unveiled in Shanghai, courtesy of the Chinese Football Association
For the Chinese audience, last year the Chinese women's football team won the Asian Cup for the first time in 16 years and won the promotion tickets for the World Cup women's football team, which is very exciting.
The new generation of "Clanging Roses" has once again become the focus of China's sports scene.
The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup will be held in Australia and New Zealand from July 20 to August 20. The Chinese women's football team will also embark on the World Cup journey for the eighth time in team history.
The Chinese women's football team reversed the Korean women's football team 3:2 to win the Asian Cup.
The picture shows the Chinese women's football team holding the cup.
At present, the three group matches of the Chinese team have been confirmed. They will play against Denmark in Perth on July 22, Haiti and England in Adelaide on July 28 and August 1 respectively.
The group stage will face two European teams. The primary goal of the Chinese women's football team is to win the top two teams in the group.
The Women's World Cup trophy was unveiled in Shanghai.
Photo courtesy of the Chinese Football Association
In addition to the two European opponents, the Chinese women's football team is also making all-round preparations for the Haiti team, which is participating in the World Cup for the first time. Zhang Xin, a player of the Chinese women's football team, said, "I watched a lot of videos, and they have many players who play in Ligue 1. , but we are more familiar with this (style), I think we should be fine."
China's opponents in the Women's World Cup group stage.
Image source: Chinese Women's Football Team
For the current Chinese women's football team, it is very difficult to win the World Cup trophy, but the girls will still do their best.
Chinese women's football coach Shui Qingxia also said frankly in an interview before, "Winning the Asian Cup gave us confidence, but it does not mean that we are at the top level in the world. To have a correct positioning, we have made progress, and we must continue to catch up. , This process must pay more than others. It’s not that we are the Asian champions, we are not here.”
"The development speed of European and American women's football is far beyond our imagination. Through the European Cup, we can clearly feel the strength and speed of this kind of confrontation. This transformation speed is not only from the body, but more from the mind When asked about the development trend of women's football in the world, Ma Xiaoxu, a member of the coaching staff of the Chinese women's football team, said, "If the Chinese women's football team wants to be close to the world's first-class, it must first get out of its comfort zone, accept this change in thinking, and truly realize that we Where is the gap with the world level?"
Photo courtesy of Ma Xiaoxu, a member of the current Chinese women's football coaching staff, and the Chinese Football Association
Catching up with the world's high level is exactly what the Chinese women's football team is striving for.
Not long ago, the Chinese women's football team just finished its overseas training in Spain, during which the team played warm-up matches with strong European teams such as Sweden.
The reason why the Chinese women's football team chose to warm up with the Swedish team and the Irish team is that these two teams are similar in style or technical characteristics to the team's opponents Denmark and England in the World Cup.
Before the Women's World Cup, the Chinese women's football team will have two warm-up opportunities for international competitions.
For more people, a world-class sports event brings more than just the event itself.
"What excites me most is the potential of this World Cup to inspire a new generation of young boys and girls to follow their football dreams, play football and make a lifelong connection with football," said former Australia national team player Grace Gill. "Look around the world , each participating country has its own development history, dreams, role models and stories, and such inspiration can make life better."
Data map: Fans cheer for the Chinese women's football team.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Yang Bo
For the Chinese women's football team, winning the Asian Cup last year also made more people pay attention to this group of Chinese girls.
Their unity and spirit of never giving up on the field deeply inspired everyone.
How to train more young talents to participate in football has also become the focus of attention.
Data map: Children playing football in school.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Zhai Yujia
When Shui Qingxia was interviewed as a representative of the National People's Congress, she also mentioned the development of Chinese football youth training, "This (youth training development) will still have a great impact on Chinese football in the future. The school football here is doing better, at least in Shanghai, where there are many children playing football. But after junior high school, the number of children playing football gradually decreases, and even fewer children play football in high school.”
Data map: Girls doing football training on the green field.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Zhai Yujia
In addition, she also called on people to change their prejudice against football: "There are still many parents who think that children play football? The pressure of learning is so great. I think parents should not obliterate their children's athletic talent. If the child is really special I like it, and the athletic talent is very good, and I can give more support."
Author: Li Qiuying