Full coverage: 2016 Rio Olympics

The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games is set for Friday, with most contests starting the following day. But to accomodate a full schedule of events, some competitions need to start early—women’s football being one of them. And the Chinese women’s team who are returning to the Games after an eight year absence open up their campaign Wednesday against the host nation.

China's women's football prepare for games in Rio.

It could be a daunting task for Bruno Bini’s team to play against Brazil at the Olympic Stadium. The squad trained Monday to prepare for the football opener. 

China has recorded a series of encouraging results since Bini took over, beating world champion the United States 1-0 in New Orleans in December, the first game in a 13-match unbeaten run, but they suffered back-to-back defeats against France and Canada in Paris in July. Despite the losses, the Chinese women remain optimistic ahead of the match against Brazil on Wednesday, two days before the formal opening of the Games.

“I’m happy that I can compete at the Rio Olympics. I hope we can show the spirit of China’s women football on this stage. We arrived in Rio July 30, so we are used to the climate here. Now the only thing in my mind is the opening match against Brazil,” said China Captain Li Dongna.