From the brink of relegation to the summit of the league! After 23 years, Beijing Women's Football Team fulfills their dream of winning the Women's Super League championship again.

Special Contributor / Jing Peng On September 28th, at Xiannongtan Stadium, in the last round of the Women's Super League, Beijing Women's Football Team secured a 4-0 victory over Liaoning Women's Football Team with Zhao Yujie's hat-trick and Traore's goal, winning the championship again after 23 years.

Beijing Women's Football Team has a 30-year history. Since the 1990s, they have consistently achieved excellent results domestically, winning multiple national championships, leagues, Women's Super League titles, and National Games gold medals. They have also contributed many national players such as Liu Ailing, Wen Lirong, Liu Ying, and Gu Yasha to the national team.

However, after their glory days, Beijing Women's Football Team experienced a long period of decline. In recent years, due to financial shortages and lack of talent, the team's performance sharply dropped, and in the 2023 season, they even struggled to avoid relegation.

Learning from past hardships, the club has vigorously built youth training squads to prepare future talents, while actively strengthening the team through transfers to address weaknesses. After two years of hard work, Beijing Women's Football Team revived in the 2024 season, finishing sixth in the Women's Super League and winning the FA Cup; in 2025, they achieved a dream comeback by winning the championship in the final round.

It is worth mentioning that this season Beijing Women's Football Team performed excellently in both offense and defense, scoring 33 goals, tied for first with Shanghai, and conceding only 18 goals, ranking third behind Liaoning and Shanghai.

This season, Beijing Women's Football Team made good signings, including Zhang Linyan, Mukoma, and Traore. Zhang Linyan and Traore both played outstandingly in the championship match on the 28th.

Due to injury, Zhang Linyan went to Germany for treatment and only returned to Beijing for rehabilitation training at the end of March. On June 8th, in the 7th round of the Women's Super League, she represented Beijing Women's Football Team at Xiannongtan Stadium for the first time in six years, helping the team win 1-0 against Henan Women's Football Team; on August 31st, playing away against Henan, she scored twice to help the team draw 3-3; in the championship match on September 28th, she earned a penalty and created multiple threats. Mukoma led the scorer list with 8 goals for a time, helping maintain the team's championship contention but missed the last few matches due to injury; Traore joined mid-season from Wuhan Women's Football Team, overcame initial difficulties, regained her scoring form, and scored the team's second goal in the championship match.

The team had strong players as well as a familiar coach, Yu Yun.

When he was in second grade of middle school, Yu Yun trained at Chongwen Sports School. In high school, he joined Lucheng Sports School, becoming teammates with Yang Chen and Nan Fang, but eventually he went to Beijing Sport University. “I wasn’t the best among my peers. My family advised me to go to university, then become a coach or teacher, so I could still be involved with football.”

In 1995, after graduation, Yu Yun’s first job was working in the front desk reception at a high-end hotel. “At that time, I felt life without football was meaningless, but after a few months at the hotel, I realized I couldn’t give it up.”

Later, Yu Yun went to the China Football School in Qinhuangdao as a youth football coach, training players like Wang Ke and He Bin. In early 2000, he coached the Beijing Women's Football Youth Team.

“Switching from men's to women's football didn’t feel like a psychological gap; rather, I found coaching girls cooler and more interesting,” Yu Yun admitted he was initially shy. “I was under 30 then, and faced with a group of young girls, I even blushed during the first two training sessions!”

Since then, Yu Yun has rotated between the Beijing Women's Football first team and youth squads, serving as assistant coach, interim head coach, head coach, and second team head coach.

In 2019, Yu Yun officially became the head coach of Beijing Women's Football Team and has held the position for seven years.

At the start of 2025, during winter training in Zhangzhou, Fujian, Yu Yun expressed: “We hope to achieve good results in all competitions in the new season through solid training.” At critical moments this season, he repeatedly encouraged players: “To win matches, you must first focus on the process; then the results will naturally follow.”

In the championship match against Liaoning Women's Football Team, Beijing was fully aware that winning was the only option to claim the title. The match attracted huge attention, with tickets sold out five days in advance, and 2,868 fans attending the game.

From the game’s start, Beijing Women's Football Team took the initiative quickly. In the 29th minute, Zhang Linyan won a penalty, which Zhao Yujie converted, giving Beijing control of the championship race. Six minutes later, Traore extended the lead to 2-0.

In the second half, facing Liaoning’s counterattack, Beijing Women’s Football Team played steadily, first solidifying defense, then responding with counterattacks. Zhao Yujie scored two more goals in the 79th and 85th minutes, sealing a 4-0 victory.

When the final whistle blew, Xiannongtan Stadium erupted — Beijing Women's Football Team players embraced and cried, the coaching staff waved their fists excitedly, and head coach Yu Yun said: “Hard work finally pays off.”

Regarding this season’s Women's Super League, Yu Yun said all teams were closely matched, “It depends on who has the better mindset and who can seize opportunities.” Players also expressed pride in showing their best form at crucial moments, saying, “This victory is the reward for our daily hard training and the best thanks to all fans supporting us.”

A 4-0 triumph not only allowed Beijing Women's Football Team to lift the Women's Super League trophy again after 23 years but also continued the team’s recent revival — in 2024, they won their first-ever FA Cup and claimed a national championship after 18 years; in 2025, they secured the Women's Super League title. From fighting relegation to reaching the league’s peak, Beijing Women's Football Team completed a stunning transformation in two years.