Welcome to RealTime Mandarin, a free weekly newsletter that helps you improve your Mandarin in 10 minutes a week.
Subscribe today to get your fluency back, stay informed about China, and communicate with confidence in Chinese — all through immersion in real news.
The 2026 World Cup has kicked off in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
China’s national team (known as “国足” in Chinese) is absent again, and hasn’t made it to the World Cup since 2002.
The irony of that absence has not gone unnoticed by Chinese football fans as one widely shared comment on social media put it:
“Except for the national team, everything China could send showed up.”
除了国足，中国能来的都来了。
That’s because off the pitch, China seems to be everywhere at the World Cup.
Chinese companies appear heavily on the advertising boards, Chinese-made souvenirs fill the shops, and even Labubu, the “ugly cute” toy made by Chinese company Pop Mart, had a role in the opening ceremony, which is a first for a Chinese brand.
Elsewhere, Chinese technology is behind the VAR system, the IT and AI infrastructure across all 16 stadiums, and even the sensors inside the official match balls are Chinese-made.
On the pitch, though, in the absence of their national team to follow, Chinese fans have found a surprising alternative: his name is Ma Ning (马宁), and is the only Chinese referee at the tournament, and the first to take charge of a World Cup match in 24 years.
Ma's first match was Ecuador versus Curaçao on 20 June. Unbeknownst to the two teams on the pitch, millions of Chinese fans tuned in. Not to watch the teams compete, but to see Ma Ning referee the match. Views on social media platform RED surpassed 10 million by the final whistle.
Fans lamented how Ma Ning was China’s “only starter” (唯一首发) in the tournament, while others photoshopped him alongside the Lababu from the opening ceremony creating a mock China squad list.
“China’s starting line-up: Ma Ning and Labubu.”
“中国队首发：马宁和拉布布。”
Related
Ma Ning was born in 1979 and spent his early career as a university PE teacher in Wuxi. Refereeing started as a hobby which he did in his spare time.
In 2005, at age 26, Ma enrolled in the Chinese Football Association’s national referee training programme. He passed the exams and came top in both theory and fitness. He began refereeing in the lower Chinese leagues, before working his way up to the Chinese Super League.
Then in 2011 he became an international referee. A decade later, at Qatar 2022, he made it it into the referring squad as fourth official and VAR assistant. But never took charge of a match. After that Ma trained for four more years and, against the odds, made it into the refereeing squad for this World Cup at age 47.
A big part of his appeal with Chinese fans is that he is the only Chinese national on the pitch at the World Cup. But beyond that, it’s his style which has won him viral appeal and given rise to his nickname:
Within the profession, he’s known as the “Card Master”.
It’s not a jab, but a respectful acknowledgement.
His approach on the pitch is simple to the point of stubbornness: he follows the rules, not a player’s reputation.
业内人送他外号”卡牌大师”。这不是调侃，是带着敬畏的认可。他的赛场逻辑简单到近乎固执：只认规则，不认脸。
He was first called "Card Master" in 2015, after a Shanghai derby where he handed out twelve cards: nine yellow and three red. The name comes from a card-throwing character in the video game League of Legends (英雄联盟).
Ma Ning’s rise is a story of hard work and persistence. He spent years refereeing in the lower leagues, earning next to nothing. And now, after more than 20 years, that persistence has paid off in a way almost no referee ever sees: he has sponsorship deals with some of China’s biggest brands, Lenovo (联想), Mengniu (蒙牛), Hisense (海信) and Meituan (美团).
Ma Ning’s achievement poses an awkward question: how can one referee reach the World Cup through sheer effort, while the Chinese men’s team is nowhere to be seen? One widely shared article offers an opinion that seems to resonate:
You can buy in outside help, but you can’t buy integrity, less still backbone.
With a rotten core, the system devours its own players and crushes talent before it can flourish.
能买来外援，买不来底线，更买不来骨气。腐朽内核：体制吃人，天才夭折。
The problems of corruption in Chinese football is something we’ve explored before in this newsletter.
Let’s hope Ma Ning’s arrival at this World Cup will finally help to drive change.
Favourite Five
1. 缺席 quē xí
to be absent, be missing
唯独中国男足，永远缺席世界绿茵 - But the Chinese men’s national football team remains absent from the international pitch. [1]
2. 死磕 sǐ kē
to persist stubbornly, fight relentlessly
国家队没能站上的地方，他凭着二十年的死磕，站上去了 - He got to where the national team fell short through twenty years of sheer perseverance. [2]
3. 无欲则刚 wú yù zé gāng
free from desire, one becomes strong; integrity comes from having no selfish desires
马宁在国际赛场上“没有软肋”“无欲则刚”，更能全心全意地贯彻执法哲学 - On the international stage, Ma Ning has neither vulnerabilities nor vested interests, which allows him to fully commit to his approach to officiating. [3]
Related:
不安分 bù ān fèn – restless, unwilling to stay within limits
4. 卡牌大师 kǎ pái dà shī
card master
业内人送他外号“卡牌大师”。这不是调侃，是带着敬畏的认可。他的赛场逻辑简单到近乎固执：只认规则，不认脸 - Within the profession, he is known as the “Card Master”. It is not a jab, but a respectful acknowledgement. His approach on the pitch is simple to the point of stubbornness: he follows the rules, not a player’s status or reputation. [2]
5. 十年磨一剑 shí nián mó yí jiàn
to spend ten years honing one sword; years of dedication to perfect a skill
二十年磨一剑：从无锡职院的操场，到世界杯的聚光灯 - Twenty years in the making: from a Wuxi vocational college pitch to the World Cup spotlight [2]
Note: originally the phrase refers to “ten years” (十年), but it can be adapted to 20 years (as it is here), or 30 or more.
🗣️ Ready to get your speaking confidence back? 🗣️
The RTM Speaking Sprint is a 12-week program of weekly conversations in Mandarin with native speakers about real news as it’s happening.
Including live Zoom sessions, a supportive community, and much more.
It’s ideal if you’re rusty, out of practice, or “fluent with gaps” and want to get your speaking confidence back.
With just enough structure to keep you motivated, moving forward, but not overwhelmed.
Consuming the Conversation
Useful words
6. 敛财 liǎn cái
to amass wealth, make money unscrupulously
金元足球疯狂敛财，归化工程沦为闹剧 - As big-money football became a cash grab, the naturalization project descended into a farce. [1]
7. 顽疾 wán jí
chronic problem, persistent issue
根深蒂固的行业腐败、利益捆绑的管理机制、功利化的虚假青训，形成闭环式足坛顽疾 - Entrenched corruption, management systems tied up in vested interests, and profit-driven youth training scheme have formed a self-perpetuating cycle of chronic problems in Chinese football. [1]
8. 讽刺 fěng cì
ironic, irony
说起来挺讽刺的，第一个火遍全网的中国人，不是哪个球员，是裁判马宁 - It’s quite ironic that the first Chinese participant to go viral on the internet was not a player, but referee Ma Ning. [2]
9. 底气 dǐ qì
confidence, self-assurance
再加上中国不是足球强国，也让中国裁判相比国际同行少了几分底气 - On top of that, since China is not a football powerhouse, Chinese referees are somewhat less confident than their international counterparts. [3]
10. 软肋 ruǎn lèi
weak spot, vulnerability
“没有软肋”的马宁，让C罗都发怵 - Ma Ning, who has no vulnerabilities, even makes Cristiano Ronaldo nervous. [3]
Three-character phrases
11. 清一色 qīng yī sè
all of the same kind, entirely
场馆基建、官方吉祥物、顶级赞助商、赛事定制数字足球，全产业链清一色中国制造 - From stadium infrastructure and official mascots to major sponsors and bespoke digital match balls, the entire World Cup ecosystem is dominated by Chinese products. [1]
12. 意难平 yì nán píng
lingering regret, unresolved disappointment
这不是玩笑，是亿万球迷十几年的意难平，更是刻在足坛的耻辱 - This is no laughing matter, but the frustration of hundreds of millions of fans over more than a decade, and a lasting stain on the game history. [1]
