Country facts:

Flag:
Area:	9,596,960 sq km
Population:	1,306,313,812
Languages:	Standard Chinese or Mandarin
Currency:	yuan (CNY)
Climate:	extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north

China

China soccer information

The fact that China qualified for the final competition of a FIFA World Cup™ for the first time in 2002 is testimony to the progress that Chinese football has made in recent years. They have an organised professional league that arouses keen interest among top foreign players and coaches too. Football has long been the most popular sport throughout the country.

China has been a powerhouse of women's football for many years. Their biggest triumphs so far have been silver medals at the Women's Olympic Football Tournament Atlanta 96 and at the FIFA Women's World Cup 1999 in the USA. In 1991, Sun Qingmei was voted the best player in the Women's World Cup and Sun Wen the female player of the century in the year 2000. After Korea/Japan 2002, many of their players left successfully for foreign shores.