Published : 2024-11-16
Starting from November 16 to November 30 in 1991, the first ever FIFA Women's World Cup was hosted by Guangdong Province, China.
There were 12 teams participating in the inaugural Women's World Cup. Besides the host team China, the other teams were Denmark, Norway, USA, Sweden, Brazil, Japan, New Zealand, Germany, Italy, Nigeria, and Chinese Taipei.
The 12 teams were divided into 3 groups, with 4 teams in each group. In Group A, China faced Denmark, Norway, and New Zealand.
The opening match was between China and Norway, held at the Tianhe Stadium in Guangzhou, attracting over 60,000 spectators.
Taking advantage of the home ground, China won a resounding 4-0 victory, with goals from Ma Li (馬莉), Liu Ailing (劉愛玲), and Sun Qingmei (孫慶梅). Liu Ailing scored twice, netting two goals within 10 minutes in the second half.
China advanced as the first in their group with 2 wins and 1 draw, but unfortunately lost 0-1 to Sweden, exiting in the quarterfinals.
The final was also held at Tianhe Stadium in Guangzhou, where the powerful USA team defeated Norway with 2-1 to win the first Women's World Cup championship. China finished in fifth place.
