Gong Luming Discusses Li Yueru Missing the World Cup in Interview

The 2026 Women's Basketball World Cup is about to begin. However, China women's basketball team has received very bad news: key player Li Yueru will be unable to participate. This situation has dealt a major blow to the team.

As is widely known, Li Yueru is one of the top centers in China women's basketball. Over the past more than 10 years, she has been the team's leading center and helped China achieve many good results. Now that Li Yueru will miss the World Cup, the team's interior strength has dropped significantly.

As for why Li Yueru will miss the World Cup, the reason is related to a passport issue. Her passport expired, so she applied for a new one. However, the new passport was lost during the mailing process and could not be found despite multiple searches. Without a passport, Li Yueru was unable to complete registration and could not participate in the World Cup.

Li Yueru's absence from the Women's Basketball World Cup caught China women's basketball team off guard, surprised head coach Gong Luming, and also surprised Li Yueru herself. The World Cup was a tournament she strongly wanted to participate in, as she hoped to prove herself again on that stage. The outcome was unexpected.

China women's basketball head coach Gong Luming also expressed regret over Li Yueru missing the Women's Basketball World Cup during an interview, saying that her absence would be a major blow to the team's interior.

Gong Luming said: 'We feel very sorry that Li Yueru will miss the World Cup. This situation has reduced the strength of our interior. However, the team will still prepare seriously and play well, making up for this loss through everyone's efforts. We require every player on the court to perform better.'

China women's basketball team's first game will be against the United States women's basketball team, considered the strongest team in this World Cup. Gong Luming said that the team has completed all preparations at this stage, will play team basketball, and will strive to perform well in the upcoming games.

Frankly speaking, with Li Yueru absent, China women's basketball team's interior strength has declined significantly. In addition, the United States women's basketball team is considered extremely strong. Therefore, the writer predicts that China could lose by 30 points in this matchup, or possibly even by 40 points.

Therefore, the writer believes that in the game against the United States women's basketball team, Gong Luming does not need to push too hard for a result. He could give more playing time to younger players and treat the game as a practice opportunity, which may be more beneficial for China's later matches. What do you think?

Note: The game between China women's basketball team and United States women's basketball team will officially begin on September 4.