The Qiang Rose must first not fear strong opponents and approach the Women's World Cup: 1 to 10 "numerical solutions" 2023 Women's World Cup | Women's Football | Qiang Rose

Editor's note: On July 20th, 2023, the FIFA Women's World Cup will be held in Australia and New Zealand. The Chinese women's football team will debut against Denmark in the group stage on the 22nd, followed by matches against Haiti and England. This Chinese women's football team has a strong "Shanghai color": head coach Shui Qingxia has long coached the Shanghai women's football team, and five international players including Zhang Xin, Zhu Yu, Wang Linlin, Tang Jiali, and Xiao Yuyi are from the Shanghai Rural Commercial Bank women's football team. In addition, overseas Chinese players Yang Lina and Shen Mengyu are also trained by Shanghai.

On the occasion of the "Steel Rose" competing in the World Cup, the Liberation Daily's Shangguan News City Channel and the School of Journalism and Communication at Shanghai Sport University jointly launched the "Approaching the Women's Football World Cup" column, approaching the women's football World Cup with 32 participating teams for the first time, exploring the strength of Shanghai in the "Steel Rose", witnessing the spirit of women's football soldiers facing world strong teams, and experiencing the development trends and latest trends of global women's football.

The 2023 Women's World Cup is approaching, and the Chinese women's football team, which has been working hard in Adelaide, Australia, is determined to achieve good results. Since hosting the first Women's World Cup in 1991, Chinese women's football has left many beautiful memories in the World Cup. These 10 numbers provide a quick understanding of the past, present, and future of Chinese women's football.

1 objective

The Chinese women's national football team was the first to break out of Asia and enter the world. In 1984, the officially established national women's football team won the 1986 Asian Cup and also dominated the 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, and 1999 Asian Cups, setting an epic record of seven consecutive championships.

In the 15 Asian Cup journeys of the Chinese women's football team, they have reached the podium 14 times, including 9 championships, 2 runner ups, and 3 third place finishes. Since the 1990 Beijing Asian Games, the Chinese women's football team has won three consecutive championships at the Asian Games. The 1990s were the best time for Chinese women's football in Asia. In addition to the Asian Cup and Asian Games, the Chinese women's football team reached the finals at the 1996 Olympics and the 1999 World Cup.

After a long period of sedimentation, the Chinese women's football team won their 9th Asian Cup championship in the 2022 India Women's Asian Cup. The goal of the women's football girls in this year's World Cup is to strive to advance to the group stage and achieve good results.

2 host countries

This year's Women's World Cup is jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand, marking the first time in history that two countries have jointly hosted this event. On the one hand, due to the expansion of the women's football World Cup, the number of participating teams has increased from 24 to 32, resulting in an increase in the number of matches; On the other hand, Australia and New Zealand are geographically close and have convenient transportation.

The Chinese team's three group stage matches are all played in Australia, with the first match in Perth and the remaining two group stage matches in Adelaide. The headquarters of the Chinese team is located in Adelaide.

3 opponents

The number of participating teams in this year's Women's World Cup has increased to 32, with 4 teams in each group. Only the top 2 teams can advance, making it more difficult to advance in the group stage. The three opponents of the Chinese women's football team are England, Denmark, and Haiti.

The first opponent of the Chinese team, the Danish women's football team, ranked 13th in the world, slightly higher than the 14th place of the Chinese team. This is undoubtedly an encounter. The Chinese team will face the Haitian team who broke through from the playoffs in the next match. Although the opponent's ranking is not impressive, this young team has outstanding physical fitness and many players play in European leagues.

The strongest opponent in the group, England, ranks 4th in the world and was the winner of last year's European Championship. They are also one of the favorites to win this year's World Cup, and their strength far surpasses that of the Chinese women's football team.

A regret of 4-5

When it comes to Chinese women's football, many people think of their nickname "Iron Rose", which dates back to the World Cup in the United States 24 years ago. The final of that World Cup was played between the Chinese team and the American team.

The Chinese women's football team drew with their opponents in the regular 90 minutes, and in extra time, they were evenly matched. In the penalty shootout, the Chinese team ultimately lost 4-5 to the host country, the United States, and missed out on the championship. However, the indomitable spirit of the Chinese women's football team has become an indelible memory for fans.

6 overseas study team members

On July 5th, the Chinese women's football team announced a list of 23 players to compete in the World Cup, including six overseas players: Wang Shuang, Zhang Linyan, Li Mengwen, Wu Chengshu, Yang Lina, and Shen Mengyu.

Studying abroad is undoubtedly a good way for players to improve themselves. In recent years, 13 Chinese women's football players have gone abroad, covering 10 countries and regions across 3 continents. Exercising in a higher-level football environment can bring faster growth to women's football girls. Their quality of studying abroad will also be tested in this World Cup.

The competition starts in July

The 2023 Women's World Cup will open on July 20th. On July 22nd at 20:00 Beijing time, the Chinese women's football team will have their first match, with the following two matches scheduled for July 28th and August 1st at 19:00 respectively. Australia and Beijing only have a 2-hour time difference, and this World Cup is relatively friendly to Chinese audiences. July is the winter season in the southern hemisphere, and the competition temperature is also conducive to the performance of women's football players.

8 marches

This year marks the 8th time that the Chinese women's football team has advanced to the World Cup. Since its establishment in 1991, the Chinese women's football team has only missed the 5th Women's World Cup in 2011. In the past 32 years, China has hosted the Women's World Cup in 1991 and 2007. Based on the analysis of the past 7 World Cups, the Chinese team can at least advance from the group stage.

The Chinese women's football team was eliminated from the round of 8 in the 1991 World Cup, finished fourth in the 1995 World Cup, finished second in the 1999 World Cup, eliminated from the round of 8 in the 2003, 2007, and 2015 World Cups, and eliminated from the round of 16 in the 2019 World Cup. It must be acknowledged that the Chinese women's football team is a well-established team.

9 veteran generals

In the announced roster, there are a total of 9 Chinese women's football players who have participated in one or more World Cups, including Wang Shanshan, Wu Haiyan, Wang Shuang, Lou Jiahui, Gu Yasha, Zhang Rui, Yao Wei, Tang Jiali, and Xu Huan. Most of the other young players without World Cup experience participated in the 2022 Asian Cup. The combination of veteran experience and rookie momentum will ensure that the Chinese women's football team goes further.

Full of confidence

The honing of the Tokyo Olympics, winning the Asian Cup in India, and successfully reaching the World Cup are commendations for the hard work and dedication of the Chinese women's football team. Of course, competitive sports are like sailing against the current, either advancing or retreating. On the battlefield of the 2023 World Cup, facing numerous strong teams, the Chinese women's football team must first have the confidence to face difficulties and challenge strong opponents.