60 Fun Facts About Women's World Cup

The first FIFA Women's World Cup was held in 1991 in which country?

China earned the job because its Guangdong province had staged FIFA's 1988 trial tournament, and the 1991 event was officially titled a World Championship, not yet a World Cup.

The first Women's World Cup in 1991 carried which candy brand's name in its official title?

M&M's got its name in because its maker, Mars, sponsored the event, which was officially the 1st FIFA World Championship for Women's Football for the M&M's Cup.

Which rule was used only at the first Women's World Cup, in 1991?

80-minute matches were meant to protect the players, who objected and asked for the standard 90; FIFA brought it in for the next tournament in 1995.

Which US forward went in goal at the 1995 Women's World Cup after the goalkeeper was sent off?

Mia Hamm took the gloves late in a group match because the US had already used all three substitutes, and she saw out a 2–0 win.

Which US forward's ten goals won the Golden Boot at the 1991 Women's World Cup?

Michelle Akers scored five in one quarter-final and then both American goals in the final, the winner coming two minutes from time.

Which African nation played at all of the first nine Women's World Cups, from 1991 to 2023?

Nigeria came closest to a semi-final in 1999, fighting back from 3–0 down in their quarter-final before losing to a golden goal in extra time.

Whose header in the 122nd minute against Brazil kept the US alive in the 2011 Women's World Cup quarter-final?

Abby Wambach headed the equaliser with the US a goal and a player down, and the Americans went on to win the penalty shootout.

Which nation won the 1995 Women's World Cup, four years after losing the first final?

Norway beat Germany 2–0 in the final after knocking out the United States, the team that had beaten them in 1991, in the semi-finals.

The 1995 Women's World Cup doubled as the qualifying tournament for which other event?

The 1996 Summer Olympics took its women's field from the World Cup, but quarter-finalists England were ineligible as a non-Olympic nation, so their place went to a team knocked out in the group stage.

The 1999 Women's World Cup final drew a crowd of 90,185 to which stadium?

The Rose Bowl crowd was then the largest ever for a women's sporting event, yet it saw no goals in 120 minutes before the hosts won on penalties.

Who scored the winning penalty in the 1999 Women's World Cup final and celebrated by whipping off her jersey?

Brandi Chastain had scored an own goal against Germany in the quarter-final, then equalised in the same match, which the US won 3–2.

Which US goalkeeper saved Liu Ying's kick in the 1999 Women's World Cup final shootout?

Briana Scurry later admitted she had stepped off her line early to narrow the angle, telling a reporter: "Everybody does it."

Which Chinese forward won the Golden Ball and shared the Golden Boot at the 1999 Women's World Cup?

Sun Wen scored seven goals and converted her kick in the final shootout, yet still finished on the losing side.

The 2003 Women's World Cup was moved from its original host to the USA because of what?

A SARS outbreak made FIFA move the tournament in May 2003, only four months before kick-off, and the original host was handed the 2007 edition instead.

Which team did Germany beat with a golden goal in the 2003 Women's World Cup final?

Sweden led at half-time, but substitute Nia Künzer headed the winner in the 98th minute, a year before football scrapped the golden goal.

The 2003 Women's World Cup final was played at which stadium, newly opened for the LA Galaxy?

Home Depot Center had opened only four months earlier and held about 27,000; the late change of host country had left organisers booking smaller grounds.

Germany opened the 2007 Women's World Cup by beating which South American team 11–0?

Argentina's goalkeeper Vanina Correa was dropped after that match and later quit football, yet she came back at the 2019 World Cup and saved an England penalty.

Germany's 2007 Women's World Cup winners managed which feat, unmatched by any champion through 2023?

Conceding no goals in six matches, Germany kept the record intact when goalkeeper Nadine Angerer saved a penalty in the 2–0 final.

Which Brazilian won both the Golden Ball and Golden Boot at the 2007 Women's World Cup?

Marta scored seven goals but had a penalty saved in the final, which Brazil lost 2–0 to Germany.

Which German striker's record of 16 World Cup goals did a woman beat at the 2019 Women's World Cup?

Miroslav Klose was caught by a penalty against Australia and passed five days later by another against Italy, both from the same forward.

Which German striker scored 14 Women's World Cup goals and won back-to-back titles in 2003 and 2007?

Birgit Prinz turned down an offer in 2003 to join the Italian men's club Perugia, fearing she would be a publicity stunt left on the bench.

By what nickname is Japan's team, winners of the 2011 Women's World Cup, known?

Nadeshiko Japan twice came from behind against the United States before winning on penalties, four months after the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.

Which Japanese captain took both the Golden Ball and Golden Boot at the 2011 Women's World Cup?

Homare Sawa flicked in a 117th-minute equaliser in the final against the United States, and Japan then won the shootout.

Which German city hosted the 2011 Women's World Cup final?

Frankfurt's final drew 48,817, but hosts and holders Germany were not in it, having lost their quarter-final to Japan in extra time.

The 2015 Women's World Cup was the first World Cup for men or women played entirely on what?

Artificial turf drew a discrimination claim from dozens of players, who argued men would never be asked to play a World Cup on it, but they dropped the case in January 2015.

Which country hosted the 2015 Women's World Cup, the first with 24 teams?

Canada won the hosting rights unopposed after Zimbabwe, whose team had never qualified for the tournament, withdrew the only rival bid.

Which US midfielder scored a hat-trick in the first 16 minutes of the 2015 Women's World Cup final?

Carli Lloyd struck her third from the halfway line, a goal later shortlisted for the Puskás Award, as the US led 4–0 after 16 minutes.

Before the 2015 Women's World Cup final, who was the last player to score a hat-trick in any World Cup final?

Geoff Hurst did it for England at Wembley in 1966, and Kylian Mbappé matched it in the 2022 men's final, which his team still lost.

Which system provided goal-line technology when it debuted at the 2015 Women's World Cup?

Hawk-Eye owed its chance to a refereeing blunder: FIFA's president resisted goal-line technology until England's Frank Lampard was denied a clear goal at the men's 2010 World Cup, then reopened the debate.

Which player appeared at a record seven Women's World Cups, the last in 2019 at age 41?

Formiga had retired from her national team in 2016, but the coach talked her into a comeback two years later.

Which US goalkeeper won the Golden Glove at both the 2011 and 2015 Women's World Cups?

Hope Solo had been dropped for the 2007 semi-final, a 4–0 defeat, and said in public that she would have made those saves.

The 2019 Women's World Cup was the first to use which officiating system?

Video assistant referee (VAR) checks caught goalkeepers leaving their line early, so several saved penalties were retaken, and the automatic yellow card for it was dropped for shootouts mid-tournament.

The United States' 13–0 win in 2019, then the biggest in Women's World Cup history, came against which team?

Thailand trailed only 3–0 at half-time, then conceded ten more in the second half, four of them in a six-minute spell.

Which US striker scored five goals in the 13–0 group win at the 2019 Women's World Cup?

Alex Morgan's five equalled a World Cup single-match record that had stood since 1991, and she set up three of the other goals as well.

Who did the United States beat 2–0 in the 2019 Women's World Cup final?

The Netherlands, European champions two years earlier, reached the final at only their second World Cup and held out for an hour before conceding a penalty.

Which US winger won both the Golden Ball and Golden Boot at the 2019 Women's World Cup?

Megan Rapinoe took the Golden Boot only on a tie-break of fewer minutes played, after a team-mate matched her six goals and three assists.

Which referee took charge of the 2019 Women's World Cup final?

Stéphanie Frappart went on to referee the men's UEFA Super Cup five weeks later and, in 2022, became the first woman to take charge of a men's World Cup match.

Which country hosted the 2019 Women's World Cup, won by the United States?

France went out to the United States in a Paris quarter-final, so the hosts were gone before the semi-finals and final were played in Lyon.

The 2023 Women's World Cup was jointly hosted by Australia and which other nation?

New Zealand had gone five World Cups without a single win before taking the opening match of this one 1–0.

Who scored the only goal of the 2023 Women's World Cup final as Spain beat England 1–0?

Olga Carmona learned only after the final whistle that her father had died two days earlier.

Which Spanish midfielder won the Golden Ball as best player of the 2023 Women's World Cup?

Aitana Bonmatí had been one of 15 players who made themselves unavailable for Spain in 2022 in a dispute over how the team was run, then returned in time to win the title.

Which Australia captain missed all three group matches of the 2023 Women's World Cup with a calf injury?

Sam Kerr came back as a substitute in the knockout rounds and equalised in the semi-final with her first goal of the tournament, but England won 3–1.

Which England goalkeeper won the Golden Glove at the 2023 Women's World Cup and saved a penalty in the final?

Mary Earps had said before England's first match that it was "hurtful" fans could not buy her shirt, because Nike was not making a replica goalkeeper kit.

Which nation became the first Arab country to qualify for a Women's World Cup, in 2023?

Morocco lost their first match 6–0 to Germany, then won the next two 1–0 and went through at Germany's expense.

Which team, the lowest-ranked at the 2023 Women's World Cup, was the first landlocked African nation at any World Cup?

Zambia lost their first two matches 5–0 each, then beat Costa Rica 3–1 for a first World Cup win.

Which stadium, built for the 2000 Olympics, hosted the 2023 Women's World Cup final?

Stadium Australia once held 114,714 for the Olympic closing ceremony, but a rebuild after the Games cut its capacity, so the final drew 75,784.

Which music legend's daughter helped fund the revival of Jamaica's team before its 2019 Women's World Cup debut?

Bob Marley's daughter Cedella became the team's ambassador in 2014, raising money after the federation had cut the programme, and Jamaica reached the knockout rounds in 2023.

Which coach led the United States to Women's World Cup titles in 2015 and 2019?

Jill Ellis grew up in England with no girls' team to play for, joining the boys' kickabouts instead, and played organised football only after her family moved to the US in 1981.

Which country won the 2024 vote to host the 2027 Women's World Cup, South America's first?

Brazil beat a joint Belgian, Dutch and German bid by 119 votes to 78 in Bangkok, weeks after the United States and Mexico had withdrawn to aim for 2031 instead.

Which winner of the first women's Ballon d'Or skipped the 2019 Women's World Cup in protest at her own federation?

Ada Hegerberg had walked away from her national team in 2017 over how its federation treated the women's game, and she did not return for five years.

In 2025, FIFA named which bid the sole valid candidate to host the 2035 Women's World Cup?

The UK home nations, England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, had first aimed at 2031 and switched after FIFA limited the 2035 edition to bidders from Europe and Africa.

Which team beat Germany 2–1 at the 2023 Women's World Cup with a winner in the 97th minute?

Colombia's stoppage-time goal by Manuela Vanegas left Germany exposed, and a 1–1 draw with South Korea in their last group match sent the two-time champions home at the group stage for the first time.

Which player, who retired with a record 190 international goals, appeared at six Women's World Cups?

Christine Sinclair took the record in January 2020, when a penalty and a second goal in the same match carried her past the old mark of 184.

Which Spain head coach was dismissed just 16 days after winning the 2023 Women's World Cup?

Jorge Vilda had survived a revolt by 15 of his players a year earlier, then lost his job in the fallout from the federation president's suspension after the final.

Which England forward was sent off for stepping on an opponent in the 2023 Women's World Cup round of 16?

Lauren James was banned for two matches, so she missed the quarter-final and semi-final and returned only as a substitute in the final.

Which country won both unofficial women's World Cups of 1970 and 1971, two decades before FIFA's first?

Denmark beat hosts Mexico 3–0 in 1971 before an estimated 110,000 at the Azteca Stadium, more than any official Women's World Cup match has drawn, yet FIFA does not recognise the title.

Which coach lost back-to-back Women's World Cup finals, in 2019 and 2023, with two different nations?

Sarina Wiegman had led each of those teams to a European title on home soil a year or two earlier, then lost the World Cup final that followed.

Which experimental rule did FIFA try out at the 1995 Women's World Cup?

Coaches' timeouts were tightened mid-tournament: a team could then call one only at its own throw-in or goal kick, or after a goal.

Which US defender became the oldest player in a Women's World Cup final when she came on in 2015, aged 40?

Christie Rampone came on in the 86th minute, 11 days after her 40th birthday, and won a second title 16 years after her first in 1999.

Who scored the United States' second goal in the 2019 Women's World Cup final after running through the defence?

Rose Lavelle struck eight minutes after the opening penalty, sealing a second straight title, a feat only Germany had managed before.