China women's football team -- the Steel Roses -- must overcome a thorny opening match against hosts Canada at the World Cup as they bid to rediscover their blossoming form of the 1990s.

They are one of the youngest squads at Canada 2015, and with a player dubbed "Little Messi" in their ranks, some believe the team ranked 16th by FIFA have the potential to go far.

But the squad have lost their star striker Yang Li to injury, and they carry a heavy weight of expectation on their young shoulders after China failed to make the 2011 tournament, capping a period of relative decline.

China face Canada in the tournament opener on June 6, before matches against their other Group A opponents Netherlands and New Zealand.

They lost to their North American rivals in the quarter-finals of the 2003 World Cup, with Canada's 1-0 win their first victory in 12 matches over China.

Canada also claimed a morale-boosting victory over China in January's Four-Nation Women's Tournament, coming back from a goal down to win 2-1.

But Chinese midfielder Gu Yasha said her team were upbeat going into their first match of the tournament.

"Our coach asked us to do the post-match homework, watching the replay," she said of January's defeat, according to information release by FIFA, football's governing body.

"They have shortcomings and we can find chinks in the armour. It is a 50-50 affair and it is really down to finishing ability," said Gu.

China staged the first World Cup in 1991, were fourth in 1995, and runners-up in 1999, losing the final to hosts the United States in a heart-breaking penalty shoot-out.

Quarter-final defeats followed in 2003 and 2007 before they failed to qualify for Germany 2011 or the London Olympics the following year.

But the team have been revitalised since Hao Wei was appointed coach soon after, arriving from Chinese Super League side Changsha Ginde, which later became Guangzhou R&F.

China qualified for Canada by finishing third in the 2014 AFC Women's Asia Cup, losing 2-1 to World Champions Japan in the semi-finals before beating South Korea by the same scoreline.

The team have lost leading striker Yang to injury, various media reports said. Yang was the top scorer in last year's continental championship, netting six goals including four in a 7-0 thrashing of Thailand.

China will now be looking to attacking midfielder Xu Yanlu as their threat going forward, a player who has assumed the nickname "Little Messi" for both her skill and her hairstyle.

Gu Yasha is considered the veteran of the side, despite only being 24, given that she featured in the 2008 Olympics.

"These young players are confident and eager to mount a challenge in the Women's World Cup, so there should be no such thing as stage fright," Gu said.

"We will take the game to our opponents."

Most of the team have spent the past three years playing and training together, giving them a firm basis for success, coach Hao said.

"We have laid the foundation for the future national team," he said. "They can represent the country for many years."