(Reuters)
Updated: 2007-09-07 21:11

With a Swedish coach and the "female Wayne Rooney" on their side, China is hoping for Women's World Cup glory on home soil over the next few weeks as a fitting prelude to next year's Beijing Olympics.

The 16-team tournament kicks off on Monday, with defending champions Germany facing Argentina shortly after an opening ceremony at Shanghai's newly renovated Hongkou Stadium.

Group matches will be played in five cities across China's vast expanse, including Tianjin, host to Olympic preliminaries in 2008.

Four years later, China has pinned its hopes on a golden-haired Swede and a stocky teenage prodigy to restore pride on home soil.

Feisty Player

Marika Domanksi-Lyfors, who took unheralded Sweden to the World Cup final in 2003, was appointed coach in March, and given five months to galvanise a team suffering its worst form in years.

Much of eleventh-ranked China's prospects will hinge on 19-year-old striker, Ma Xiaoxu, dubbed the "female Wayne Rooney".

The feisty Young Asian Player of the Year's explosive runs and eye for a goal are seen as crucial for China to advance beyond group matches featuring Brazil and in-form Denmark.

For Chinese organisers, perhaps more important than a crowd-pleasing display, is a smoothly-run tournament.

As the last major international event before the 2008 Beijing Olympics, local authorities have taken pains to renovate venues, recruit hundreds of volunteers and draft nearly 2,000 performers for an opening ceremony spectacular at Shanghai's Hongkou Stadium on Monday night.

"Visitors will see many soccer balls and roses during the ceremony, which reflects the combination of strength and beauty," opening ceremony organiser, Teng Junjie, told local media.