Soccer Feast
A New Era Begins
On December 16th, the Doha Conference Hall witnessed the 21st gathering of the FIFA Council. The event saw a number of innovations proposed for the future layout of women's soccer, such as the creation of an additional quota for the Olympic women's soccer team and preparations for the first women's soccer World Cup event. This will not only accelerate the flourishing of women's soccer globally, but also bring an opportunity for our women's soccer team to leap forward.
Bidding to host the World Cup can't be delayed
The Council made it clear that the women's national soccer team's schedule will continue until 2025, meaning that it will be difficult for our women's soccer team to rely on the "magic weapon" of the past - long-term training. With the increase in overseas players, the only way for the national team to assemble the strongest lineup is to rely on the FIFA match days. Otherwise, it is difficult for overseas clubs to send players to participate in other periods of training. This has forced our women's soccer team to adjust its strategy and use the national team's match day as a window to schedule intensive international matches. If the league arbitrarily adjusted, the national team training "to make way", fear of following in the footsteps of men's football!
In addition, the hosting rights for the 2027 and 2031 Women's World Cups will be revealed in 2024 and 2025. The country's football federation needs to complete the formalities within two years if it wants to bid to host the 2031 World Cup, which requires the federation to seek the government's support and act quickly.
Asian Women's Soccer Sees Opportunity with Olympic Expansion
The Council announced that the number of women's soccer teams in the Olympic Games will increase from 12 to 16. This is undoubtedly good news for our women's soccer team. In the era of 12 teams, Asia can only get two seats. Facing Japan, Australia, North Korea, South Korea and other four strong, China's women's soccer promotion road is quite rugged. From the London Olympics to the Rio de Janeiro Olympics to the Tokyo Olympics qualifiers, China's women's soccer team has gone through trials and tribulations and had a close call. Now, the team increased to 16, the Asian seats are expected to increase, China's women's soccer competitiveness will be enhanced.
It is worth mentioning that the Council also decided to establish the Women's Football Club World Cup and to implement a licensing system for women's soccer clubs. This will not only promote the development of women's soccer clubs and professional leagues around the world, but also provide new opportunities for women's soccer in China. Compared with men's clubs, women's clubs are expected to participate more in the World Cup. Our women's soccer team needs to grasp this opportunity.
FIFA will also organize the Women's Indoor Futsal World Cup, which is expected to promote the overall development of futsal in China. The new resolution of the Council has brought new opportunities for our women's soccer. The key lies in whether our women's soccer team can grasp this opportunity and promote the development and progress of domestic women's soccer.
