DANAS against China: A constant back and forth

The first duel with China at the FIH Pro League 2025 in Berlin was lost. However, the DANAS were able to win the second one. For several years now, defeats and victories against the well-organized Chinese have been constantly alternating. In the duels in Berlin (June 25th, 5:30 p.m. & June 28th, 3:30 p.m.) every point won counts for DANAS this year.

Between 1990 and 2006, the DANAS met China five times in a row in the World Cup group phases, but since then there has not been a duel at the World Cup. In 2024, as in 2000 and 2016 at the Olympic Games, the two nations met in Paris and the German hockey women defeated China 4-2.

This duel reached its climax earlier. In 2004 in Athens and 2008 in Beijing they met in the semi-finals of the Olympic Games. In a thrilling duel, the DANAS won 4-3 in the 2004 penalty shootout and later became Olympic champions in the final against the Netherlands. In 2008, however, the German team lost 2-3 in the semifinals and China later celebrated the silver medal, the Chinese women's national team's greatest success at intercontinental tournaments to date.