China's 1-0 win vs. Cameroon booked their way to the quarter-finals. (Photo : The Guardian)
China will reward its women's football team with the "highest ever" bonus after qualifying for the quarter-finals of the World Cup in Canada, Monday.
The players will receive a whopping one million yuan ($160,000), according to Chinese Football Association vice president Yu Hongchen.
The team's victory against Cameroon on Sunday made way for their entry to the quarter-finals.
Assistant coach Chang Wei-Wei thanked the players for their hard work, saying that the women fought like warriors for more than 90 minutes.
The move was created to heighten popularity of football among women in China, where players on the national team earn about 300 yuan ($485) every month. It was way below than the national average of 4,100 yuan.
It was also in favor of Chinese President Xi Jinping's plan to revitalize football in the country.
"The World Cup bonus will be the highest in women's national team history," said Yu.
Still, the bonus was far less than the amount given to China's men football team.
China has reached the last eight for the sixth time in their World Cup history, but it will be the first quarter-final appearance in eight years after failing to qualify for the 2011 tournament.
China's women football team, also known as "Steel Roses," are preparing for a tough match against the U.S. on June 27. The team arrived in Vancouver on June 23, Tuesday, to begin preparing for the quarter-finals.
"I squandered many chances in one-on-one situation today and our goal of the World Cup is to finish with a medal," said Wang Shanshan, who has scored two goals at the ongoing World Cup.
Steel Roses fans agree, expecting the team to go deep in the 2015 World Cup.
