Former Swedish national women's soccer team boss Lyfors Domanski has become the first-ever foreign coach to head hosts China for the upcoming FIFA Women's World Cup in July, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) announced on Tuesday.

As the only candidate for heading the recently trouble-riddled "Steel Roses", Domanski will shoulder the difficult task of leading China to the semifinals of the World Cup and at least to win a medal at the Beijing Olympic Games 2008.

"I'm very confident of achieving the task and the Chinese team has the potential," said the 47-year-old Swede.

"I watched their second-half match against Sweden during the Algrave Cup. Although they lost by 1-0, the players had some really good performances."

Domanski led Sweden to the 2003 World Cup final which they lost to Germany. She stepped down after nine years as Sweden's coach in2005, but still works for the Swedish Football Association and coaches the under-21 side.

Chinese coach Ma Liangxing left his position in January for an "heart illness", and his request of returning after rehabilitation was denied by the CFA.

China, who won the silver medals at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and the 1999 Women's World Cup, made an unprecedentedly awkward Algrave Cup tour with six consecutive defeats, including a fiasco when they lost to Iceland 4-1.

Assistant coach Wang Haiming has been handling the team during Ma's absence.

Earlier this month well-traveled German coach Eckhard Krautzun stepped down as an adviser to the team. He was considered a candidate for the top job.

China will host the women's World Cup in September and will be under pressure to perform. The World Cup is the last major sporting event prior to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and China was once considered among the favorites along with Germany, Sweden, Norway, DPR Korea, Brazil and the United States