World Cup in Chinese – The Quick Vocabulary Guide
World Cup in Chinese – The Quick Vocabulary Guide
Every four years, millions of people across China, like the rest of the world, gather in front of TV screens to watch the FIFA World Cup – the biggest sporting event on the planet!
If you want to talk about the World Cup with the locals and put your Mandarin Chinese skills to the test, you’ve come to the right place!
Whether you’re a die-hard football (soccer) fan, or you’re a newbie to the sport, you’ll feel so much more involved if you’re well-versed in World Cup lingo, no matter which team you root for! In this post, we’ve compiled a list of the most essential Chinese words and phrases regarding the World Cup, followed by example sentences to help you talk about the tournament in Chinese.
Let’s kick things off!
“World Cup” in Chinese
First and foremost, let’s learn how to say “World Cup” in Chinese.
The word for “World Cup” in Mandarin Chinese is 世界杯 (shìjiè bēi). It’s a combination of two very basic Chinese words: 世界 (shìjiè), which means “world”, and 杯 (bēi), which means “cup”.
Pay attention to its corresponding measure word. The measure word for the World Cup is 届 (jiè). It might not be one of the most common measure words in Chinese but is customarily used for sports tournaments like the World Cup.
For example,
这届/本届世界杯
this Word Cup
zhè jiè / běn jiè shìjiè bēi
三届世界杯
sān jiè shìjiè bēi
three World Cups
上届世界杯
shàng jiè shìjiè bēi
the last World Cup
下届奥运会
xià jiè àoyùn huì
the next Olympic Games
Chinese Names for the Countries Playing in the World Cup
Every World Cup sees 32 top national teams compete for the title of football world champions (48 teams in 2026). Let’s get on with a list of the countries with frequent World Cup appearances in Chinese.
巴西 (Bā xī / Brazil)
阿根廷 (Ā gēn tíng / Argentina)
乌拉圭 (Wū lā guī / Uruguay)
美国 (Měi guó / USA)
墨西哥 (Mò xī gē / Mexico)
德国 (Dé guó / Germany)
法国 (Fǎ guó / France)
英格兰 (Yīng gé lán / England)
意大利 (Yì dà lì / Italy)
西班牙 (Xī bān yá / Spain)
葡萄牙 (Pú táo yá / Portugal)
荷兰 (Hé lán / Netherlands)
比利时 (Bǐ lì shí / Belgium)
瑞典 (Ruì diǎn / Sweden)
瑞士 (Ruì shì / Switzerland)
俄罗斯 (É luó sī / Russia)
塞尔维亚 (Sài ěr wéi yà / Serbia)
摩洛哥 (Mó luò gē / Morocco)
喀麦隆 (Kā mài lóng / Cameron)
日本 (Rì běn / Japan)
韩国 (Hán guó / Korea)
沙特阿拉伯 (Shā tè ā lā bó / Saudi Arabia)
伊朗 (Yī lǎng / Iran)
澳大利亚 (Ào dà lì yà / Australia)
FYI, China (中国/Zhōng guó) has played once in the World Cup, and that was in 2002 when it lost all three games and failed to score a single goal. The appearance, however, was monumental.
Interested in learning more Chinese country names? Here’s the full list of 197 country names in Chinese plus their abbreviations.
World Cup Vocabulary in Chinese
Ready to brush up on your vocabulary in Chinese? World Cup fans and football newbies alike will enjoy this awesome vocabulary list!
If you want to branch out beyond football, we also have a general post on sports in Chinese. For now, check out the following sections broken down by category so you can talk all about the World Cup in Chinese!
General World Cup Vocabulary in Chinese
These words are vital to know to get the conversation started with Chinese-speaking football fans.
English
Chinese
Pinyin Pronunciation
World Cup
世界杯
shìjiè bēi
football (soccer)
足球
zúqiú
game/match
比赛
bǐsài
…vs…
…对…
duì
host nation
东道主
dōngdàozhǔ
watch
观看/看
guānkàn/kàn
live games
直播
zhíbō
replay
重播
chóngbō
highlights
集锦
jíjǐn
win/beat
赢
yíng
lose
输
shū
draw/tie
平
píng
score
比分
bǐfēn
points
积分
jīfēn
team
球队
qiúduì
national team
国家队
guójiā duì
player
球员
qiúyuán
fan
球迷
qiúmí
spectator
观众
guānzhòng
supporter
支持者
zhīchízhě
stadium
球场
qiúchǎng
group stage
小组赛
xiǎozǔ sài
group table
小组积分
xiǎozǔ jīfēn
group of death
死亡之组
sǐwáng zhī zǔ
qualify
晋级
jìnjí
eliminate
淘汰
táotài
knockout stage
淘汰赛
táotài sài
semi-final
半决赛
bàn juésài
final
决赛
juésài
underdog
黑马
hēi mǎ
champions
冠军
guànjūn
trophy
奖杯
jiǎngbēi
World Cup Game Lingo in Chinese
Now we’ll cover the different tangible components of the football game to help you level up.
English
Chinese
Pinyin Pronunciation
forward
前锋
qiánfēng
midfielder
中场
zhōngchǎng
defender
后卫
hòuwèi
goalkeeper
守门员
shǒuményuán
captain
队长
duìzhǎng
referee
裁判
cáipàn
coach
教练
jiàoliàn
attack
进攻
jìngōng
defense
防守
fángshǒu
dribble
带球
dài qiú
pass
传球
chuán qiú
shoot/shot
射门
shè mén
header
头球
tóu qiú
goal
进球
jìn qiú
own goal
乌龙球
wūlóng qiú
kick-off
开球
kāi qiú
out of bounds
出界
chū jiè
throw-in
边线球
biānxiàn qiú
corner-kick
角球
jiǎo qiú
goal kick
球门球
qiúmén qiú
offside
越位
yuèwèi
foul
犯规
fànguī
dive
假摔
jiǎshuāi
free kick
任意球
rènyì qiú
penalty
点球
diǎnqiú
yellow card
黄牌
huáng pái
red card
红牌
hóng pái
injure
受伤
shòushāng
substitutes
替补
tìbǔ
stoppage time
补时
bǔ shí
extra time
加时
jiā shí
Not enough? We’ve also written a detailed Chinese vocabulary guide for football if you want to talk more knowledgeably about football in Chinese.
Chinese Phrases Related to the World Cup
Now that you’ve seen a bunch of useful vocabulary words about the World Cup in Chinese, we’ll leave you with some top Chinese phrases you can use when talking about the World Cup, or watching the games with your Chinese-speaking friends.
We’ve also thrown in a few advanced expressions at the end if you’re ready to take your knowledge to the next level!
你是球迷吗？
Nǐ shì qiúmí ma?
Are you a football fan?
这次世界杯你看了吗？
Zhè cì shìjiè bēi nǐ kàn le ma?
Did you watch the World Cup this time?
全世界的球迷都在看世界杯。
Quán shìjiè de qiúmí dōu zài kàn shìjiè bēi.
Football fans around the world are watching the World Cup.
卡塔尔世界杯是史上最贵的一届世界杯。
Kǎ tǎ ěr shìjiè bēi shì shǐ shàng zuì guì de yí jiè shìjiè bēi.
The World Cup Qatar is the most expensive World Cup ever in history.
这是梅西和罗纳尔多的最后一届世界杯。
Zhè shì Méi xī hé Luó nà ěr duō de zuìhòu yí jiè shìjiè bēi.
This is Messi and Ronaldo’s last World Cup.
昨天的比赛你看了吗？
Zuótiān de bǐsài nǐ kàn le ma?
Did you watch the game yesterday?
我没看直播，但看了集锦。
Wǒ méi kàn zhíbō, dàn kàn le jíjǐn.
I didn’t watch the live game. But I watched the highlights.
比赛太精彩了！
Bǐsài tài jīngcǎi le!
What an exciting game!
昨天晚上的比赛谁赢了？
Zuótiān wǎnshang de bǐsài shéi yíng le?
Which team won last night?
二比一。日本赢了。
Èr bǐ yī. Rì běn yíng le.
2-1. Japan won.
今天晚上的比赛是谁对谁？
Jīntiān wǎnshang de bǐsài shì shéi duì shéi?
Which teams are playing against each other tonight?
比赛几点开始？
Bǐsài jǐ diǎn kāishǐ?
When does the game start?
我们去哪里看球？
Wǒmen qù nǎli kàn qiú?
Where are we going to watch the game?
决赛马上开始了！
Juésài mǎshàng kāishǐ le!
The final is about to begin!
你支持哪支球队？
Nǐ zhīchí nǎ zhī qiúduì?
Which team are you for?
你看好哪支球队？
Nǐ kàn hǎo nǎ zhī qiúduì?
Which team do you think will win?
我猜阿根廷二比一赢。
Wǒ cāi Ā gēn tíng èr bǐ yī yíng.
I think Argentina will win 2-1.
你最喜欢哪名球员？
Nǐ zuì xǐhuan nǎ míng qiúyuán?
Who is your favorite player?
我赌巴西是冠军！
Wǒ dǔ Bā xī shì guànjūn!
I bet Brazil will be the champion!
比赛怎么样了？
Bǐsài zěnmeyàng le?
How is the game going?
几比几了？
Jǐ bǐ jǐ le?
What’s the score now?
还有多少时间？
Háiyǒu duōshǎo shíjiān?
How much time is left?
法国要输了！
Fǎ guó yào shū le!
France is about to lose!
这个人不会射门！
Zhège rén bú huì shèmén.
This guy doesn’t know how to shoot.
裁判是个瞎子！
Cáipàn shì gè xiāzi!
The referee is blind!
没有犯规，是假摔！
Méiyǒu fànguī, shì jiǎshuāi!
It wasn’t a foul! He dived!
内马尔受伤了。他打不了下一场比赛。
Nèi mǎ ěr shòu shāng le. Tā dǎ bù liǎo xià yì chǎng bǐsài.
Neymar was injured. He can’t play the next match.
他跑不动了，看上去非常累。
Tā pǎo bú dòng le, kàn shàngqu fēicháng lèi.
He can’t run anymore. He looks very tired.
比赛结束了！
Bǐsài jiéshù le!
The game ended!
不会吧！德国被淘汰了！
Bú huì ba! Dé guó bèitáo tài le!
No way! Germany was eliminated!
恭喜英格兰晋级下一轮！
Gōngxǐ Yīng gé lán jìnjí xià yī lún!
Congratulations on England’s qualification for the next round!
我们赢啦！我们是世界冠军！
Wǒmen yíng la ! Wǒmen shì shìjiè guànjūn!
We won! We are the champions of the world!
Recap: Talking World Cup in Chinese
With this post, we’ve got you covered to be able to keep up with all the go-to vocab and phrases you’ll need when talking about the World Cup with your Chinese-speaking friends. Don’t be afraid to holler out a few of these at opportune moments during a game, modifying them for your favorite team, of course!
While you’re here, feel free to explore ImproveMandarin.Com, one of the world’s largest sites dedicated to Chinese learning. We serve up straightforward, science-backed guides and honest reviews of courses and apps we’ve battle-tested ourselves to dramatically improve your Chinese.
Here are some posts to help you get started:
Sports in Chinese – The Complete Vocab Guide
Basic Chinese Words and Phrases to Survive in China
Chinese Grammar Made Easy for Overwhelmed Beginners
The Best Way to Learn Chinese in 2023 – An Actionable Guide
By the way, if you’re thinking about taking a Chinese course online, make sure to read our review first. We’ve taken the time to try out dozens of Chinese courses on the internet, some are fabulous while others are junk. Here are honestly the best online Chinese courses in 2023.
The post World Cup in Chinese – The Quick Vocabulary Guide appeared first on ImproveMandarin.
Every four years, millions of people across China, like the rest of the world, gather in front of TV screens to watch the FIFA World Cup – the biggest sporting event on the planet! If you want to talk about the World Cup with the locals and put your Mandarin Chinese skills to the test, …
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The post World Cup in Chinese – The Quick Vocabulary Guide appeared first on ImproveMandarin.
