Recently returned from their tour of Australia, Taiwanese women’s team are back on the road again. In a move announced today by the CTFA, Team Mulan will be flying out to Spain to compete in the Pintar Cup.

The yearly tournament is held during the last week of February and hosts four sides. Besides the Taiwanese, the other invited nations are Canada, China and Mexico.

Whilst they are comfortably the underdog in this series, as ‘stay busy’ opportunities go, this is great for Taiwan.

Canada (ranked 6th in the world by FIFA) will be an extremely strong test. It will be interesting to see if Chan Hiu Ming and his coaching staff set up defensively or let the team try to compete with a powerhouse and not worry about the scoreline.

China (ranked 17th by FIFA) is obviously a mouth-watering game. Indeed, if this was baseball or basketball, there might be a lot of nationalist rhetoric attached. Instead, this will be a competitive game on neutral territory that Taiwan could spring an upset in. China only played four times in 2024 and their inactivity will get exploited by someone during the tournament.

Mexico (ranked 31st by FIFA) are far more dangerous than their rating suggests. A series of strong performances in 2024, including a shock 2-0 win over the USA, is proof that they could even top the standings.

All in all, this visit to Spain will be a good thing for the women’s team. With competitive games difficult to find within the region, Taiwan will get pushed hard at a time when other Asian national teams are languishing at home. Regardless of results in a few weeks, this is a positive way for the Taiwanese women’s side to start 2025.

Game Dates

Feb 19th: Taiwan vs. Mexico

Feb 22nd: Taiwan vs. China

Feb 25th: Taiwan vs. Canada

Photo Credit: Taipei Times