The Chinese women's national football team returned home on Saturday after a group stage exit from the World Cup in Australia. Manager Shui Qingxia answered a series of questions about the team's long-term training camp ahead of the tournament and the development of women's football, among other topics.

Chinese players spent months training in a camp that began at the beginning of 2023 and ran until right before the World Cup. However, for the first time since they began to compete in the tournament in 1991, the team failed to make it out of the group. After that, some argued against the necessity of holding such long camps.

"It's not like we haven't had training camps this long before. It's more difficult for us to improve without going to camps like this," Shui told reporters. "Many may disagree with me. I don't think this is absolutely right or wrong. Many foreign teams have extended their camps as well. Maybe they think it's better for players to assemble for practice. Every country has its own conditions to consider. Players will surely feel tired after a long camp. They may feel better if they win. But I think the camp helps."

Many traditional powerhouses, including Brazil, Germany, Italy and Canada, were knocked out of the World Cup during the group stage this year. Shui believes it reflects a growing change in women's football.

"I think it broke the image of many strong teams from the old days," Shui said. "Both Germany and Brazil were out. Brazil put a lot of effort into the World Cup. They came for the final. I just want to say that football games are very unpredictable. There are dark horses this year, like Colombia and Jamaica. There were also teams exiting with regrets, like Portugal. The second- and third-class teams of Europe are catching up from the old days. So are teams from South America. The world pattern of women's football will continue to change along with the development of the sport."

Two Asian Football Confederation teams, Japan and Australia, both advanced to the Round of 16 in the World Cup this year. Shui praised the two teams and said they are performing so well today for good reasons.

"It's not an excuse, but the difference in football population is right there. We have a completely different proportion from them on this front," Shui told reporters. "Japan have kept a good system for many years. Their implementation of skills and style of play have been great. Australian players have good physiques and play in a very aggressive way. That's why they always win."

Despite the early elimination from the World Cup, Shui believes that China have made progress. The team just has more to work on before they can further improve their performance.