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Stephy Zhang

A “lone warrior” watched on as China’s football team started their 2026 U20 Women’s World Cup with an emphatic 5-0 victory over New Caledonia in Poland.
Li Zijian was the sole Chinese fan in attendance at Sosnowiec Arena, his solitary cheers spurring on the team during the match.
And his presence did not go unnoticed. At the end of the match, captain Liu Chen led her team hand in hand towards an almost empty stand, bowing deeply to the 23-year-old earlier in the week.
Li was also in attendance to watch China play out a 0-0 draw against Nigeria in Poland on Friday, leaving them second in the group.
According to Chinese media reports, Li, a former member of the military from Beijing currently studying Spanish as an exchange student in Navarra, Spain, travelled more than 7,000 kilometres to fulfil a promise he made in April.

🇨🇳 Zhou Xinyi
China 3-0 New Caledonia pic.twitter.com/9VzocIDj6T
— CHINEMEREMMA ACTIVE 🦅 (@CHINEMEREMMA993) September 7, 2026

After China secured their World Cup berth with a 2-1 comeback victory against Uzbekistan in Thailand at the U20 Women’s Asian Cup, Li shouted “See you in Poland” alongside fellow supporters.
Four months later, Li made the journey alone. Flying from Beijing with the U20 team to Frankfurt, he travelled to Barcelona, took a train to Navarra to handle university affairs, returned by train to Barcelona and finally flew to Poland.
He funded the trip using part of his military retirement pay, spending around 20,000 yuan (about US$2,900) on flights and hotels after previously spending over 10,000 yuan to watch the team in Thailand.
“After the World Cup ends, this under-20 team will belong to history,” Li said. “I wanted to watch them complete their final matches.”
Arriving three hours before the 3pm kick-off on matchday, Li found himself sitting alone in the stands, confirming he was indeed the only Chinese fan at the game.
During the opening match, when Huang Jiaxin scored her first goal, Li shouted her name from the stands, and she waved back. Other spectators occasionally turned to give him a thumbs-up or record him on their phones.
When the team approached the stands after the match, Li broke down in tears, thinking of players who were cut at the last minute after taking part in intensive training and the Asian Cup.

五球大胜开门红！U20女足世界杯开幕，中国球迷“一个人的远征”获“铿锵玫瑰”集体谢场，看台唯一中国球迷李子剑激动落泪。
在波兰工作生活的中国人这么少吗？下一场多去几个。虽然这一个球迷也挺有气势的，但还是多点更有氛围😁 pic.twitter.com/NOfvuLTq5N
— 田字格 (@tianzige4) September 10, 2026

“They worked so hard for so long, only to stop at the final step right before standing on the World Cup stage,” he said.
With a voice already hoarse from shouting throughout the match, Li called out to the players, “Great job!”
“I was deeply, deeply moved, and tears of excitement fell,” Li said. “Actually, our women’s players have it very, very hard. They deserve more support and attention.”
Photos and videos of Li went viral on Chinese social media after the match, with netizens dubbing him the “Lone Warrior.”
Li deflected the praise, stating: “I shouldn’t be the protagonist, the players are.”
When asked if the arduous journey was worth it, Li remained firm. “When the players entered the pitch and ran to the centre to warm up, I felt it was all worth it,” he said. “I just wanted to see our under-20 players at the World Cup.”
Writing on social media, Li added: “This U20 women’s team is a team I love to my core, so I don’t care about whatever I gave up for them. I just want to do my best to give them more support.”
Li began watching football in 2014, but shifted his focus heavily to women’s football in May 2025, after watching Wuhan Jiangda ACF win the Asian Champions League final in a penalty shoot-out, where substitute goalkeeper Chen Chen saved consecutive penalties.
Following that match, he started devoting more time to the Chinese Women’s Super League as well as the U20 and U17 national teams.
“The atmosphere within the domestic women’s football community is actually very good. Fans of different teams have almost no disagreements or barriers, and we mostly encourage each other,” Li said.

He noted, however, that the sport lacks a dedicated fanbase.
“Whether it is Women’s Super League clubs or the national team, there is a severe lack of diehard fans compared to the Chinese men’s national team or Super League teams.”
Li recalled travelling to Guangxi to support Beijing Women’s FC, where only three travelling fans were present, with similar tiny turnouts for Zhejiang and Guangdong away matches.
“For a men’s match with 50,000 spectators, having one more or one fewer fan makes no difference, but women’s away matches are different,” Li said. “I want to give them a little more motivation so they know someone is always in the stands cheering for them.”
At the end of Friday’s match against Nigeria, the players once again ran towards Li’s section of the stadium. This time, however, he was joined by three fellow Chinese supporters waving the national flag.


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Li Zijian was the sole Chinese fan in attendance to watch China start their 2026 U20 Women’s World Cup with an emphatic 5-0 victory over New Caledonia in Poland. Photo: handout

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Sport

Football

‘When the players entered the pitch and ran to the centre to warm up, I felt it was all worth it,’ 23-year-old football fan Li Zijian says


‘When the players entered the pitch and ran to the centre to warm up, I felt it was all worth it,’ 23-year-old football fan Li Zijian says.


‘Lone warrior’ travels to Poland to fulfil promise to watch China at U20 Women’s World Cup

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}‘When the players entered the pitch and ran to the centre to warm up, I felt it was all worth it,’ 23-year-old football fan Li Zijian says

‘When the players entered the pitch and ran to the centre to warm up, I felt it was all worth it,’ 23-year-old football fan Li Zijian says