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Echo Xie

China will bid to host the 2031 Fifa Women’s World Cup and aim to finish in the top three in the competition as well as at the 2032 Olympics, according to Chinese authorities.
The goals were part of a plan released on Monday designed to turn the women’s football team in a force to lead the rejuvenation of the game in the country.
The plan, called the Chinese Women’s Football Reform and Development Programme, was released by the Chinese Football Association, the ministries of education and finance, and the General Administration of Sport of China.
While the national men’s team is ranked 79 in the world, the Chinese women are 15th.
Under the plan, the Chinese authorities aim to have the women’s team rank in the top tier in Asia by 2025 and make the top eight at the 2023 World Cup and the 2024 Olympic Games.
US$4.8m payday for Chinese women’s football team after AFC success
The team will aim to go one step better and finish in the top four by the following World Cup and Olympic Games, according to the plan.
By 2030, the women’s national team will return to the ranks of the world’s leading teams, if all goes to plan.
“By 2035, the level of participation and popularity of women’s football will have increased significantly, and football will be a universal sport among women,” the plan said.
“The organisation and level of competition in women’s football leagues will reach world-class level.”
Meanwhile, the authorities are set to build 30 youth training centres for women’s football and have 50 teams competing in the three-tier Chinese women’s football league by 2025.
The reform plan comes just eight months after China won the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, beating South Korea 3-2 and winning the championship for the first time in 16 years.
But the Asian champions are expected to face a tough start at next year’s World Cup, as they meet England and Denmark in the group stage. That contest will be jointly held by Australia and New Zealand from mid-July to August.
Coach Chan says China must ‘step up’ to match women’s football powerhouses
Football has become a focus for sports development for the Chinese authorities since President Xi Jinping took office in 2012.
In 2014, the State Council released a guideline on how to accelerate the development of the sports industry to promote “consumption” of sport, aiming for the value of the industry to surpass US$800 billion by 2025.
Two more reform plans for Chinese football were introduced in 2015 and 2016. In the development plan for Chinese football (2016-2050) released in 2016, China aimed to be one of the world’s powerful football nations by 2030 and became one of the world’s leading football powers by 2050.
Fans have often used the success of China’s women’s squad to highlight the lacklustre results of the men’s team, which has performed miserably in recent years in almost all international matches.
The Chinese men’s national team suffered a heavy loss to Vietnam in this year’s World Cup qualifiers in Hanoi in February, which effectively knocked China out of the competition.
Chinese team coach Li Xiaopeng apologised for the Chinese team’s “humiliating” defeat, saying strategy was the main reason for the loss.
“The … players tried their best, but may have been super-nervous due to being over-motivated,” Li said. “[But] the score was unacceptable.”


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Fifa Women's World Cup

China to bid for 2031 Fifa Women’s World Cup in push for top-ranking team

The national plan comes in the same year that China’s women won the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Mumbai, India, in February. Photo: AP

Fifa Women’s World Cup 2023: China drawn with European champions England in Group D

Former Brazil player Gilberto Silva displays the country China during the football draw ceremony for the Australia and New Zealand 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup at the Aotea Centre in Auckland on October 22, 2022. Photo: AFP

China’s coach Shui Qingxia arrives for the draw ceremony. Photo: AFP

China going to 2023 World Cup after beating Vietnam in quarter-finals of AFC Women’s Asian Cup

China’s Wang Shuang celebrates after scoring against Vietnam. Photo: AP

Vietnam’s NTT Dung celebrates giving her side the lead against China in their quarter-final in Navi Mumbai. Photo: AP

China’s Wang Xiaoxue battles for the ball during her side’s AFC Women’s Asian Cup quarter-final against Vietnam. Photo: AP

Tokyo Olympics: China fans congratulate Wang Shuang and women’s football team – then stick boot into men

China’s Wang Shuang celebrates after the second leg of Tokyo 2020 Olympic Asian qualification play-offs win over  South Korea in Suzhou. Photo: Xinhua

News

Sport

China

First step in national plan is to make the final 8 at next year’s World Cup and the 2024 Olympics
If all goes well, the women will return to the ranks of the world’s best by 2030


First step in national plan is to make the final 8 at next year’s World Cup and the 2024 Olympics.


Chinese Football Association (CFA)

Li Xi

China to bid for 2031 Fifa Women’s World Cup in push for top-ranking team

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}First step in national plan is to make the final 8 at next year’s World Cup and the 2024 Olympics If all goes well, the women will return to the ranks of the world’s best by 2030

First step in national plan is to make the final 8 at next year’s World Cup and the 2024 Olympics

If all goes well, the women will return to the ranks of the world’s best by 2030