According to the authoritative media outlet Kitakyushu, FIFA rules state that major clubs can refuse to have their players called up by their national teams during the non-international playing cycle, and even if the players are called up, the clubs can still not release them. Unless the clubs are unwilling to release their players unless they walk out en masse on national team match days, then the core players of the Japanese women's soccer team will not be able to participate in the national team's matches.
The reason today's Japanese women's soccer team is so strong in the World Cup is because they have nine superstars at top clubs in Europe or North America. If those clubs don't release them, Japan will likely have to send a second team to the tournament, and now the Japanese Football Association has confirmed that it will only be able to send a second mixed women's soccer team to the Asian Games in Hangzhou.
While the Japanese women's soccer team will be playing against a second team, the Chinese women's soccer team's national team is a different story. It is likely to be the main team for this Asian Games. If Shui Qingxia is willing to change the position, the players studying abroad will also take the field one by one to show their skills and fighting power, and winning the championship is no longer a dream. Therefore, if FIFA sticks to this rule this time, this is definitely good news.
Also, in the World Cup, Shui Qingxia didn't rely much on the use of Liu Yang players. They preferred to use domestic veteran players rather than overseas superstars such as Shen Mengyu and Tang Jiali. Wang Frost has been a substitute many times, which has little effect on the strength of the women's soccer team.
But for Japan, then nine study abroad superstars can't show up, and their core axis is essentially abolished, unlikely to win the Asian Cup. We have a good chance of winning this heavyweight title at the Asian Games, which is being held on our home doorstep. If we can win this gold medal, the humiliating experience of going out 1-6 in the previous World Cup fiasco can be wiped away, and Shui Qingxia will be able to remain firmly in charge of the women's soccer team.
