60 Fun Facts About Women's World Cup

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

FIFA was still so cautious about the 'World Cup' brand that the event was officially the 1st FIFA World Championship for Women's Football.

The 1991 tournament carried the name of which candy brand as its official sponsor?

Mars, Incorporated sponsored the event, so the official title ended with 'for the M&M's Cup'.

How long did matches last at the 1991 Women's World Cup, uniquely among all editions?

Two points for a win was also the rule that year; both quirks were dropped for 1995.

The 1991 final was played in front of 63,000 people at the Tianhe Stadium in which city?

All the venues were in Guangdong province, spread across Guangzhou, Foshan, Jiangmen and Zhongshan.

Which US forward's ten goals won the Golden Boot at the 1991 tournament?

She, Jennings and captain Heinrichs formed a forward line nicknamed the 'Triple-Edged Sword'.

Before 1991, FIFA ran a 1988 invitation tournament as a feasibility test. Who won it?

The opening match drew 45,000 people, which convinced FIFA a full World Cup was viable.

Which country was originally awarded the 1995 Women's World Cup before relinquishing it to Sweden?

Sweden thereby became the first country to have hosted both the men's and women's World Cups, having staged the men's in 1958.

After the 1995 title, the champions' plane was escorted by F-16s home to which capital?

About one in four Norwegians watched the final on television.

The eight quarter-finalists at the 1995 Women's World Cup earned qualification for which other event?

Women's football made its Olympic debut at Atlanta 1996, so the World Cup doubled as the qualifying tournament.

The 1999 final at the Rose Bowl set a women's sports attendance record with how many spectators?

The stadium had also hosted the 1984 Olympic gold-medal match and the 1994 men's World Cup final.

Who scored the winning penalty in the 1999 final shootout and celebrated by whipping off her jersey?

She had also scored an own goal earlier in the tournament against Germany, then equalised in the same match.

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

Her response to the accusation was simply that 'everybody does it'.

Which two players shared the 1999 Golden Boot with seven goals each?

Sun Wen also took the Golden Ball, and her side only lost the final on penalties.

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

The original host was given the 2007 tournament as compensation.

The 2003 final was decided by a 98th-minute golden goal headed in by which German substitute?

It remains the only Women's World Cup final decided by a golden goal, since FIFA scrapped the rule before 2007.

The 2003 final was played at which venue in Carson, California, rather than the Rose Bowl?

The match included a formal handover of the trophy from Chinese coach Ma Liangxing to US coach April Heinrichs.

The 2007 tournament opened with a record 11–0 win for Germany over which team?

That stood as the biggest win in tournament history until the United States' 13–0 result in 2019.

What defensive feat did Germany manage on the way to the 2007 title?

They beat the South Americans 2–0 in the final and remain the only team to win the trophy with a perfect defensive record.

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

She scored seven goals as her country reached its first and only final.

Marta's record-setting 17th World Cup goal, a penalty in 2019, came against which team?

It made her the outright leading scorer, male or female, across all World Cups at the time.

Which German striker sits second on the all-time Women's World Cup scoring list with 14 goals?

She won back-to-back titles in 2003 and 2007 and was Golden Ball winner in 2003.

Japan's 2011 triumph made it the first team from which confederation to win a senior FIFA World Cup?

Japan won on penalties after a 2–2 draw in the final.

Which Japanese captain took both the Golden Ball and Golden Boot in 2011?

She later became the first Asian person of any gender to be named FIFA World Player of the Year.

The 2011 final was staged in which German city?

The Commerzbank-Arena had also hosted the 2005 men's Confederations Cup final.

The 2015 tournament in Canada was the first World Cup for men or women played entirely on what?

A group of players filed a human-rights complaint over the surface but withdrew it in January 2015.

The 2015 competition expanded the field from 16 to how many teams?

The next jump, to 32 teams, came in 2023, and 48 is scheduled for 2031.

Which US midfielder scored a hat-trick inside the first quarter-hour of the 2015 final against Japan?

Her third goal was struck from the halfway line and was nominated for the Puskás Award.

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

Hurst's came for England at Wembley in 1966; Kylian Mbappé later added one in 2022.

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

The same tournament was the first with 24 teams and the first held entirely on a synthetic surface.

Which two players were named in World Cup squads for a record sixth time in 2015?

The Brazilian midfielder went on to play a seventh in 2019 at the age of 41.

The 2015 final was then the most-watched soccer match on US TV with roughly how many viewers?

That beat both the 2015 NBA Finals and the Stanley Cup Final.

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

Its strict new rule on goalkeeper encroachment at penalties led to several saves being disallowed and retaken.

The United States' 13–0 win in 2019, the biggest in tournament history, came against which team?

One US player scored five times, tying the single-match record, and the celebrations drew criticism.

In their 13–0 group win in 2019, the United States set a record for goals in a single half. How many?

Four of them came inside six minutes, and Alex Morgan finished with five goals to tie the single-match record.

Who did the United States beat 2–0 in the 2019 final in Lyon?

It was the Dutch side's first World Cup final, coming two years after they won the European Championship.

At 34, who became the oldest player to win both the Golden Ball and Golden Boot in 2019?

Her penalty in the final also made her the oldest scorer in a Women's World Cup final.

Which French referee took charge of the 2019 final?

She went on to become the first woman to referee a men's World Cup match in 2022.

The 2019 tournament reached a combined global audience of roughly how many people?

The final alone drew 82.18 million viewers, a Women's World Cup record at the time.

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

It was the first edition with 32 teams and the first held in the Southern Hemisphere.

Who scored the only goal of the 2023 final as Spain beat England 1–0?

She learned only after the match that her father had died shortly before it.

Which Spanish midfielder won the Golden Ball as best player of the 2023 tournament?

Her teammate Salma Paralluelo took the Young Player Award, and Bonmatí won the Ballon d'Or months later.

Which Japanese player won the 2023 Golden Boot with five goals?

Japan scored 15 goals before losing to Sweden in the quarter-finals.

Which England goalkeeper won the 2023 Golden Glove and saved a penalty in the final?

The penalty she saved was taken by Jennifer Hermoso in the 70th minute after a lengthy VAR review.

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

They were one of eight debutants and reached the round of 16 in their first appearance.

Which country was the lowest-ranked qualifier for 2023 and the first landlocked African nation at any World Cup?

Ranked 81st, they still won a group match, beating Costa Rica 3–1.

Which venue hosted the 2023 final in Sydney?

The opening match had been at Eden Park in Auckland, with the two co-hosts each getting an opening-day fixture.

The trophy designed in 1998 by William Sawaya is silver clad in gold of what purity?

It stands 47 cm tall, weighs 4.6 kg and takes the form of a spiral band enclosing a football.

How many different nations have won the Women's World Cup across its first nine editions?

The United States has four titles, Germany two, and three others one each.

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

The 2024 FIFA Congress vote also made it the first time the tournament was awarded to a Latin American host.

In 2025, FIFA approved expanding the 2031 Women's World Cup to how many teams?

The 2031 plan also made it the first edition staged across more than two countries, adding a round of 32.

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

England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales put forward a joint bid to share the hosting.

How many nations in total have played in at least one Women's World Cup, as of the 2023 edition?

Eight of them made their debuts in 2023 alone, including Haiti, Panama, the Philippines, Portugal and Vietnam.

Which two countries have each hosted the tournament twice?

Australia, Canada, France, Germany, New Zealand and Sweden have hosted once each.

The 2023 tournament's roughly $570m revenue was about what share of the 2018 men's tournament's revenue?

2023 was also the first time FIFA sold the women's broadcast rights separately from the men's tournament.

Who was the first woman to referee at a FIFA tournament, at the 1991 third-place game?

The Brazilian's assignment came in a tournament that was otherwise officiated by men.

Which country won the unofficial 1970 and 1971 women's world tournaments in Italy and Mexico?

Denmark beat Mexico 3-0 in the 1971 final at the Azteca Stadium, two decades before FIFA's first official tournament.

Which Norwegian delegate pushed the 1986 FIFA Congress to do more for the women's game?

Her intervention led to the 1988 Invitation Tournament in China that tested whether a global women's World Cup was feasible.

Which experimental rule was tried at the 1995 tournament in Sweden and then scrapped?

The timeout was tightened mid-tournament to occur only after a break in play and never appeared again.

Who became the oldest player to appear in a Women's World Cup match, at age 40?

Pearce set the mark at the 2015 tournament in Canada, the same edition where Formiga and Sawa made record sixth appearances.

Spain's 2023 win made it the second nation to hold both men's and women's titles, after which?

The 2023 edition was the first held in the Southern Hemisphere and the first FIFA senior event staged across two confederations.