First women’s soccer world cup It’s late but it’s come Between November 16 and 30, 1991, the People’s Republic of China, selected after the success of the pilot test at the 1988 International Women’s Football Tournament, hosted the inaugural edition in five cities of Guangdong province in the southeast of the country: Canton, Foshan, Jiangmen, Panyu and Zhongshan .
Step by step
The competition was widely accepted by the public and averaged 20,000 spectators per game. That first edition had some peculiarities. Unlike men’s football, all matches lasted eighty minutes divided into forty-two sections, with two points calculated for the win.
A total of 12 teams participated, divided into three groups of four, with China, the United States and Germany topping out. The runners-up were Norway, Sweden and Italy, and Denmark and Taipei advanced to the quarterfinals as the top two teams from the third place table. Sweden and Germany reached the semi-finals and the Swedish team won the bronze medal, beating the German (4-0) in the third place match.
Norway and the United States played in a very even final for the championship, which was eventually won by the already historic king of the competition and the four-time World Champion North American team (1-2).
Michelle Akers, a woman of record
Two of the United States’ first World Cup-worthy goals in the final belonged to Michelle Akers. The California forward became the top scorer in the first World Cup with 10 goals and the top scorer in a tournament.
In addition, he scored five goals in the quarter-final match against Chinese Taipei, a record that could only be matched 28 years later by compatriot Alex Morgan at the 2019 World Cup in France.