How do you say "World Cup" in Chinese?

"World Cup" in Chinese is 世界杯 (shìjièbēi). 世界 (shìjiè) means "world" and 杯 (bēi) means "cup" — literally "world cup." You will also hear 世界杯足球赛 (shìjièbēi zúqiúsài), the full name meaning "World Cup football tournament." 足球 (zúqiú) is the word for football/soccer.

What is the Chinese word for "goal" in football?

To score a goal is 进球 (jìnqiú) — 进 (jìn) "to enter" plus 球 (qiú) "ball." You can use it as a verb ("他进了一个球" — he scored a goal) or a noun ("一个漂亮的进球" — a beautiful goal). A related word is 射门 (shèmén), "to shoot at goal." The goalkeeper is 守门员 (shǒuményuán).

How do you say a match ended in a draw in Chinese?

A draw is 平局 (píngjú), and "to draw / be level" is 踢平 (tī píng) or 打平 (dǎ píng). For example, "两队一比一踢平" means "the two teams drew one to one." The score is 比分 (bǐfēn), and a number like "one to one" is said 一比一 (yī bǐ yī).

Do I need to know these words to follow the World Cup in Chinese?

These 35 words cover almost everything in a typical match recap. Most are HSK 3–5 level, and the football-specific terms (黄牌 yellow card, 越位 offside, 点球 penalty) are easy to pick up because they describe things you can see on screen. The best way to learn them is in context — listen to our level-graded World Cup recaps, where each new word is introduced and explained as the match unfolds.

Is Chinese football vocabulary the same in mainland China and Taiwan?

Most core terms are shared, but a few differ. Football itself is 足球 (zúqiú) everywhere. The biggest difference is the word for "soccer/football" in casual speech and some team and player names, which are transliterated differently. The vocabulary on this page uses standard Mainland Mandarin (普通话), which is what our episodes teach.

Vocabulary

World Cup & Football Vocabulary in Chinese

The 35 words you need to follow the 2026 World Cup in Chinese — each with pinyin, English, HSK level, and a real example sentence. Grouped from the basics to match action, results, and the tournament itself.

How to use this list

Don't try to memorize all 35 at once. Skim the groups, notice the words you already half-know, then listen to a match recap and watch them appear in context. Hearing 进球 (jìnqiú, “to score”) the moment a goal goes in is worth more than ten flashcards. Every recap comes at four levels, so you can start where 70–80% already makes sense.

The basics — the game and the people

Start here. These are the words that name the game itself, the people on the pitch, and the place it happens — the foundation every match report is built on.

世界杯: the World Cup
足球: football / soccer
比赛: match, game
球队: team
球员: player
球迷: (sports) fan
球场: stadium, pitch
教练: coach, manager
裁判: referee

On the pitch — what happens in a match

The verbs and moments that make up the ninety minutes: scoring, defending, fouls, and the calls that change a game.

进球: to score; a goal
射门: to shoot (at goal)
传球: to pass the ball
进攻: to attack
防守: to defend
守门员: goalkeeper
点球: penalty kick
越位: offside
黄牌: yellow card
红牌: red card

The result — winning, losing, drawing

How a match ends and what it means in the table. These words turn up in every headline and every recap’s opening line.

赢: to win
输: to lose
平局: a draw, a tie
比分: the score
扳平: to equalize
冠军: champion, title
夺冠热门: title favorite
出线: to advance, qualify
淘汰: to knock out, eliminate

The tournament — how it’s structured

From the group stage to the final — the words you need to follow a team’s road through the whole World Cup.

小组赛: group stage
小组: group
积分: points
排名: ranking, standings
淘汰赛: knockout stage
决赛: the final
加时赛: extra time

Common questions

Keep going

Learn Chinese with the 2026 World Cup

How the daily recaps work, and where to start at your level.

World Cup hub — daily recaps

Every matchday, recapped in Chinese at four levels. Standings and bracket too.

Chinese vocabulary by HSK level

Browse and study the words from every episode, grouped by level.

The comprehensible input method

Why learning football words in context beats memorizing lists.