The list of opponents for the Chinese women's soccer team has been revealed as the women's World Cup qualifiers are in full swing.
On Feb. 22, the Haitian women's soccer team beat the Chilean women's soccer team 2-1 in a playoff match, thus placing them in the same Group D as the Chinese women's soccer team.
The Haitian women's soccer team managed to reach the World Cup final round.
Prior to that, the draw showed that the Chinese women's soccer team will be grouped with the British and Danish women's soccer teams. Facing these two European powerhouses, the Chinese team's priority is to advance to the group stage.
The 2023 Women's World Cup has expanded to 32 teams, but the rules for advancement have also changed, and instead of the previous third-place finishers also advancing, the top two teams in the group must secure advancement, which will be a tough test for China.
England, as the newly crowned champions of the European Championships, is undoubtedly one of the favorites to win the title, and its strength far exceeds that of the Chinese team. Although the Danish team is not considered the top in Europe, it also has a certain depth against European teams, so the Chinese women's soccer team can't be taken lightly.
Shui Qingxia, head coach of the Chinese women's soccer team, admitted: "Compared with these two European teams, we have a gap in strength and tactical level."
Especially against the England women's soccer team, "Honestly, we are still a long way off from them, but there is no way that fate has brought us together. We have all sorts of possibilities and worry about being outplayed by the other team, but soccer is about going through tough tests."
In order to qualify for the group, the Chinese women's soccer team will not only have to compete with England and Denmark, but also face the Haitian women's soccer team, a strong opponent.
In the latest FIFA rankings, the Chinese women's soccer team is ranked 14th, England and Denmark are ranked 4th and 18th respectively, while the Haitian women's soccer team is the lowest ranked team in the group with 55th place.
For the Haitian women's soccer team, this will be the first time ever on the World Cup stage, and despite being new to the World Cup, their desire to win should not be underestimated.
It's worth noting that Haiti also has players who play in Ligue 1 such as Dimonay and Bojeira, and the team is known for its strong offense.
In order to get the win, the Chinese women's soccer team will have to be careful to avoid a repeat of the 4-4 draw with the Zambian women's soccer team at the Tokyo Olympics.
