FIFA Women's World Cups List
The FIFA Women’s World Cup is a soccer tournament that is played every four years and is the most prestigious women’s soccer tournament to exist. Throughout the competition, the world’s best women’s national soccer teams compete head to head, determining the world champion. Here is a list that provides an overview of each FIFA Women’s World Cup.
List of FIFA Women’s World Cups
- 1991 FIFA Women’s World Cup
- 1995 FIFA Women’s World Cup
- 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup
- 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup
- 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup
- 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup
- 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup
- 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup
1991 FIFA Women’s World Cup
- Host Country: China
- Dates: July 13 - July 30
- Champion: United States
- Runner-up: Norway
- Third Place: Sweden
- Fourth Place: Germany
The 1991 FIFA Women’s World Cup was the first women’s World Cup in history. After decades of excitement in the Men’s World Cup, FIFA realized the sport was large enough to create a whole other World Cup for its talented women’s athletes. The winner of the 1991 Women’s World Cup was the United States, beating Norway in the final.
1995 FIFA Women’s World Cup
- Host Country: Sweden
- Dates: June 5 - June 18
- Champion: Norway
- Runner-up: Germany
- Third Place: United States
- Fourth Place: China
The second FIFA Women’s World Cup was hosted in Sweden. The Norwegian Women’s National Team won this competition. Additionally, their forward, Ann Kristin Aarønes, won the Golden Boot award, having scored six goals throughout the tournament. The runner-up for the Golden Boot award was Hege Riise, also a Norwegian, with five goals.
1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup
- Host Country: United States
- Dates: June 19 - July 10
- Champion: United States
- Runner-up: China
- Third Place: Brazil
- Fourth Place: Norway
The 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup was the first Women’s World Cup to host 16 national teams, four more than the previous 1995 competition. In their home country, the United States won the World Cup. Both Brazil’s Sissi and China’s Sun Wen were tied for the most goals throughout the competition, each having scored seven goals.
2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup
- Host Country: United States
- Dates: September 20 - October 12
- Champion: Germany
- Runner-up: Sweden
- Third Place: United States
- Fourth Place: Canada
The fourth FIFA Women’s World Cup was the 2003 World Cup, also hosted in the United States. While the competition was originally set to be hosted in China, an outbreak of the SARS virus across the country prevented the event. Instead, the 2003 World Cup was once again hosted in the United States, where Germany took home the victory.
2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup
- Host Country: China
- Dates: September 10 - September 30
- Champion: Germany
- Runner-up: Brazil
- Third Place: United States
- Fourth Place: Norway
Since the 2003 Women’s World Cup was supposed to be hosted in China but was unable to due to a SARS outbreak, China was guaranteed the chance to host the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The leading goal scorer of the competition was Marta, a Brazilian forward, with a total of seven goals, winning her the Golden Boot Award, though Germany took home the ultimate victory in the final.
2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup
- Host Country: Germany
- Dates: June 26 - July 17
- Champion: Japan
- Runner-up: United States
- Third Place: Sweden
- Fourth Place: France
The 2011 Germany World Cup was the first time that an Asian team won the competition. In the final, Japan beat the United States in a penalty shootout after normal time ended with a score of 2-2. In the end, Japan beat the United States 3-1, with the United States missing three of their four penalties taken.
2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup
- Host Country: Canada
- Dates: June 6 - July 5
- Champion: United States
- Runner-up: Japan
- Third Place: England
- Fourth Place: Germany
The 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup saw the United States receive its third Women’s World Cup trophy. In the 2015 World Cup, the roster was expanded from 16 teams to 24 teams, making it the largest Women’s World Cup at the time. Canada, the host nation, lost in the quarterfinals against England, knocking them out of the tournament.
2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup
- Host Country: France
- Dates: June 7 - July 7
- Champion: United States
- Runner-up: Netherlands
- Third Place: Sweden
- Fourth Place: England
The 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup took place in France. The U.S. Women’s National Team took home the trophy for the fourth time since 1991, beating the Netherlands in the final. In the competition, Megan Rapinoe, a legendary American forward, was awarded the Golden Boot award along with the Golden Ball award.
FAQ
How many FIFA Women’s World Cups have there been?
Since the tournament’s creation in 1991, there have been eight FIFA Women’s World Cups. Each edition occurs every four years. The first Women’s World Cup was hosted in China and was won by the U.S. National Team. The most recent 2019 World Cup was hosted in France and was also won by the United States. Throughout the competition, the United States Women’s national team has won half of the total Women’s World Cups, with four victories.
Where is the next FIFA Women’s World Cup?
The next FIFA Women’s World Cup will be the 2023 World Cup, hosted in Australia and New Zealand. For the 2023 Women’s World Cup, 32 nations will compete, making it the largest Women’s World Cup in history. Across Australia and New Zealand, nine different cities will host the matches. Four of the locations will be set in New Zealand, and five will be held in Australia. Since New Zealand and Australia are the host nations, they will automatically qualify for the World Cup.