(Reuters) – The China women’s soccer team will be tested physically during a busy schedule, with the players due to participate in the Asian Games and Olympic qualifiers after the World Cup, captain Wang Shanshan said on Thursday.
China, runners-up at the 1999 World Cup, are in Group D with England, Haiti and Denmark at this year’s World Cup, which will be held in Australia and New Zealand from July 20 to Aug. 20.
After the World Cup, China are due to take part in the Asian Games at home, scheduled for Sept. 23 to Oct. 8 in Hangzhou, and then the qualifiers for the 2024 Paris Games from Oct. 23 to 31.
“This year’s three major events are really very difficult for us,” Wang told Xinhua news agency. “There may be more physical pressure.
“The three events are very close, so it is essential for us to build up our body conditions in the early stage.”
“I think everyone is in a highly positive state now, and our goal is very clear. We are all working hard to prepare for the events,” she added.
China, nicknamed the Steel Roses, have played seven times in the World Cup finals, finishing fourth in the 1995 edition and reaching the last 16 in France in 2019.
The team, who won a record-extending ninth Asian Cup title in February last year, played friendlies in Spain in the build-up to the World Cup, winning two games, losing one and earning a draw in the other.
“We want to simulate playing against opponents like England and Denmark through these games to discover our problems and weakness,” Wang said.
(Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru; Editing by Bradley Perrett)
