New film captures triumphs and trials of university soccer teams

A documentary film capturing the determination, setbacks and triumphs of young Chinese soccer players on the international stage will be released nationwide on Sept 16.

The Stage, set against the backdrop of the 2025 FISU University World Cups held in Dalian, Liaoning province, follows four Chinese university teams — from Beijing Normal University, Beihang University, Shanghai University of Sport and Yanbian University — as they compete in the game, which brought together 24 university teams from 17 countries across five continents.

Rather than focusing solely on the results, the film explores what happens behind the scorelines, highlighting the perseverance and resilience of student athletes.

Among the moments featured are Beihang University's men's team scoring a dramatic stoppage-time winner after twice falling behind, and Beijing Normal University's women's team fighting through a depleted squad to overcome a strong opponent.

"There was no staging in any of the footage. Everything was recorded as it happened. We wanted to capture the determination in the players' eyes — when they were behind, when they were exhausted, and when they finally won," said Cong Wei, the film's chief director during the film's premiere held in Beijing on Aug 31.

The film also broadens its focus beyond the pitch, weaving in encounters among young athletes from different countries. Drinking together, words of encouragement between opponents and spontaneous embraces after matches offer glimpses of how soccer can transcend language and cultural differences.

The production budget for the documentary was extremely tight. The director himself invested 1.5 million yuan ($223,400) of his personal savings, and all 20 members of the filming crew were college students.

Huo Yan, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Dalian Municipal Committee, said that she hopes this film will show the world the vibrant spirit of Chinese youth soccer and the determination of Chinese college students.

At the premiere, Cong announced that all net box-office profits from the film will be donated to programs supporting youth soccer in China, including school soccer development, talent training, coaching programs and international exchanges.