China's national women's volleyball team Photo: VCG

China's national women's volleyball team will make their season debut at the 2026 Volleyball Nations League (VNL) in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu Province, on Wednesday, aiming to hone new offensive force. 

China will take on the Czech Republic, Thailand, Serbia and Poland till Sunday during the Nanjing leg before moving on to Turkey and ­China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) for the preliminary phase. The top eight ranked teams will participate in the VNL Finals to be held in the Macao SAR in July. 

China's star spiker Wu Mengjie will miss the Nanjing tournament due to a knee injury. Wu was China's leading attacker in 2025's VNL, averaging 18.92 points per match. Another spiker Li Yingying is also absent from the squad due to injury.  

From the current roster, China's women's volleyball team already lags behind the world's top teams in terms of firepower from its outside hitters and opposite attackers. The team is in urgent need of young players to step up and strengthen its attacking lineup, Liu Yu, a Beijing-based sports commentator, told the Global Times. 

Looking at the team's current squad, captain Gong Xiangyu said at a ceremony held in Nanjing on Monday that the team has some veteran players whose wealth of experience is a major asset, as well as a group of players in their prime who serve as the backbone of the squad.

"At the same time, we also have several younger players who have joined the national team over the past two years. Overall, the team's age structure is well balanced. Everyone understands their role on the court and is ready to support one another when challenges arise," said Gong. 

The squad blends experienced players with emerging talents who were impressive in the domestic league such as Li Chenxuan, Dong Yuhan and Guo Zhongnan. 

The coming VNL provides a valuable opportunity for these younger players to gain experience and prove themselves, while helping the team prepare for the more important Asian Women's Volleyball Championship later this year, Liu noted. 

Zhao Yu, head coach of the national team, set winning the Asian championship as the team's top priority, with the aim of securing early qualification for the 2028 Olympic Games, the Xinhua News Agency reported in April. 

The Asian tournament will take place in Tianjin from August 21 to 30, with the champion gaining direct qualification for the 2028 Olympics. 

Looking ahead to the upcoming VNL, Zhao said that the team will focus primarily on developing young players during the first half of this year's competition.

The goal is to give promising players more opportunities to sharpen their mental resilience as well as their technical and tactical abilities through high-level match play. Veteran players, meanwhile, will be eased back into competition gradually, Zhao said. 

As a result, some senior members of the squad may not be included in the roster or starting lineup for the first two legs of the tournament. The coaching staff will also make adjustments based on players' training performances, match conditions and injury status, he noted. 

Known for their perseverance in adversity and fighting spirit, the women's team also has eyes on the title at the Asian Games to be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4. 

China won nine of 12 preliminary matches at 2025's VNL to reach the Finals, but fell to Poland 3-2 in the quarterfinals of the final stage. 

During the 2025 Women's Volleyball World Championship in August, China was sent packing in the round of 16 after a 3-1 defeat to France.