The 2026 “Pomegranate Blossoms Bloom, Youth Radiates” National Youth Girls’ Football Unity and Friendship Tournament kicked off in Aksu, Xinjiang on August 5.
Jointly hosted by the All-China Women’s Federation, the State Ethnic Affairs Commission and the General Administration of Sport of China, this tournament gathered 28 teams and over 400 young female football players aged 12-14 from across the country, using football as a bond to promote interaction, exchange and integration among youth of all ethnic groups. The Beijing team was selected through a competitive process led by the Haidian District Bureau of Sports, with many Haidian campus young female footballers stepping onto the national stage. In the opening match, Beijing faced the host team Xinjiang.
The Beijing team dispatched for this tournament comprised 16 players, jointly reviewed by the Municipal Women’s Federation and Municipal Bureau of Sports, with overall selection process coordinated by the Haidian District Bureau of Sports. The players came from 13 primary and secondary schools across the city, including key players from renowned Haidian schools such as the High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China and Beijing 101 Middle School. Fourteen Han and two Manchu young girls came together for their football dreams, marking Beijing team’s first participation in this national tournament. Traveling far to Xinjiang for an away game, and facing the opening match, the home atmosphere and live broadcast cameras posed considerable challenges for the girls. The coaching staff guided the players before the match to maintain a calm mindset, focusing on exchange and mutual learning, encouraging the children to dare to strive and enjoy the competition, displaying the spirit of unity and cooperation on the green field.
“This is a rare opportunity to test our training results and broaden our horizons. We will focus on running, coordinate well, and fully demonstrate the spirit of Beijing youth women’s football,” said team captain Sang Yuan. Being able to step onto the stage of a national tournament is a valuable experience for herself and her teammates. Regardless of the opponent’s strength, they must steadfastly complete every attack and defense.
Defender Fan Tianyu was deeply moved. In her view, the spirit of women’s football lies in the day-to-day sweat. “Gritting teeth and persevering on the training ground, encouraging and supporting each other on the field, never giving up easily even when trailing in score. We couldn’t have had the courage to travel thousands of miles to the competition without our coaches’ meticulous guidance and our parents’ silent support.”
Midfielder Wu Tianyi stated that facing strong teams from across the country, the entire team will shed mental burdens and boldly apply what they’ve learned in training. “The match result is not the top priority; growth and gains are more precious. Team members cheer each other on, cooperate with tacit understanding, and go all out in every match.”
As a strong district in youth sports, Haidian District continues to continuously invest in campus women’s football, relying on quality sports resources in its primary and secondary schools to identify and cultivate young football reserve talent, providing more ordinary schoolgirls with a platform to pursue their football dreams. Selecting players to participate in this National Unity and Friendship Tournament is both a showcase of Haidian’s campus football training achievements and an opportunity for Haidian youth to step out of Beijing, make friends with youth of all ethnic groups through football on the field, and deepen the bonds of ethnic unity.
The opening battle has commenced, and these wind-chasing girls from the capital, from Haidian, are running hard on the green field of Aksu, writing their youthful spirit with running and sweat!
