Best Women's World Cup performances of all time

Norway entered what became known as the first FIFA Women's World Cup in November 1991 as one of the powerhouses of the sport: a squad talented enough to journey all the way to the Final and (spoiler alert) win the 1995 tournament. China, the hosts of the inaugural competition, didn't buckle under the initial pressure, producing what FIFA.com refers to as a "stunning" 4-0 victory. Defender Ma Li hit the back of the net in the 22nd minute to make history as the first-ever Women's World Cup scorer. Unfortunately for Ma and her teammates, an early goal scored by Pia Sundhage propelled Sweden past China in the quarterfinal round. 

Cup finals are often dull, but both the United States and Norway went for it in the opening frame in front of an audience of either 63,000 or 65,000 , depending on which FIFA report you trust. In the 20th minute, Michelle Akers struck first for the Americans with a header. Just nine minutes later, however, some confusion among USWNT teammates inside the box allowed Linda Medalen to even the score. With the score still tied at two minutes from time (matches went only 80 minutes, explained by Nakul Karnik of Duke University), Akers forced a turnover outside the area, rounded the goalkeeper with a deft touch of the ball and then deposited a right-footed tap-in for the 2-1 victory. 

It's possible we'll never see another female footballer rival what American attacker Michelle Akers accomplished in the first World Cup. Akers netted 10 tallies, a record for a single tournament that still stands, as David Stubbings of The Guinness World Records wrote. Per ESPN's Jeff Carlisle, Anson Dorrance, who coached the US to its first World Cup title, called Akers "the most complete player of all time" in June 2013. In December 2000, FIFA named Akers and a player spotlighted later in this piece as FIFA Women Player of the Century.

According to FIFA, the USWNT began the 1995 World Cup favorites to retain the crown. For the second straight tournament, however, China proved to be a difficult out the first game. Despite losing Michelle Akers to injury after just seven minutes of play, as Jere Longman of the New York Times wrote, the Americans held a 3-1 lead once Mia Hamm scored in the 51st minute. Not to be denied, China rallied back thanks to goals from Wei Haiying in the 74th minute and Sun Wen 11 minutes from time. (Matches moved to the standard 90 minutes at the '95 World Cup.) The score of 3-3 was a fair result, but the U.S. earned revenge by defeating China 2-0 to win bronze. 

Hosts of the second World Cup, Sweden nearly bowed out after roughly 180 minutes. Brazil, not nearly as strong a side as it is in this World Cup, handed The Blue and Yellow a shock 1-0 defeat on the opening day of the tournament, and Sweden found itself down 2-1 to Germany 10 minutes from time in its second outing. Pia Sundhage leveled the match in the 80th minute, and Malin Andersson converted from the spot with four minutes to play before stoppage time for a dramatic 3-2 win. While the home side advanced to the knockout stages, it fell to China on penalties in the quarterfinals. 

A pair of first-half goals were all Norway needed to get past Germany and exchange runners-up medals for gold. Eight minutes from the halftime break, midfielder Hege Riise utilized quick thinking and clever dribbling to get past two defenders before slicing a couple of opponents with a right-footed curler that landed in the corner of the net. Just three minutes later, Marianne Pettersen doubled Norway's advantage, a lead it held through the final whistle. For her stellar play throughout the World Cup, Riise earned the Golden Ball, awarded to the tournament's best player. She also won the Silver Boot for her five tallies. Teammate Ann Kristin Aarones (six goals) earned the Golden Boot. 

In 1999 the Chinese once again encountered defending World Cup champions, this time with a trip to the Final on the line. As explained by FIFA, Norway brought several veterans from the previous competition into this tournament, including Hege Riise, Ann Kristin Aarones and Linda Medalen. Simply put, the Norwegians were no match for China, which romped to a convincing 5-0 win. Steven Goff of The Washington Post wrote the victors "ran circles around the baffled Norwegians," and Riise told reporters after the game she believed it was "hard to imagine" anybody beating China. 

Brazilian genius Marta entered the 2019 World Cup the greatest player to never win the tournament. China's Sun Wen held the distinction through the start of the 2000s. Praised by FIFA as "arguably the greatest women’s player to come out of Asia," Sun Wen was unbeatable for much of the tournament, and she took both the Golden Ball and Golden Boot (shared with Brazil's Sissi, as both scored seven goals) home. Along with Michelle Akers, she earned FIFA Women Player of the Century in 2000. 

Odds are you know plenty about the memorable and historic shootout between the United States and China in the 1999 World Cup Final, one that wouldn't have happened had Kristine Lilly not headed the ball off the line in extra time, a moment and match CNN's Jaide Timm-Garcia said "changed women's football." What's sometimes overshadowed is that China was playing with house money at that point. The Americans were hosts playing in front of over 90,000 screaming fans at the Rose Bowl, but they stood tall and converted five attempts from the spot to claim a second World Cup. 

As documented by FIFA, concerns over a SARS outbreak resulted in the 2003 World Cup's relocation from China to the United States. The competition's home country likely wouldn't have mattered as it pertained to Germany's brilliance. Birgit Prinz, brilliantly nicknamed the "Prinz of Goals" by FOX, notched seven goals and five assists to win both the Golden Ball and Golden Boot as Germany triumphed over the rest of the field. The 25 goals Germany scored equaled the number tallied by the Americans in 1991, per Nick Harris of Sporting Intelligence, and, according to Jere Longman of The New York Times, the champions conceded only four throughout the tournament. 

This time it was China's turn to be on the wrong side of a surprising result. Canada, having advanced to the knockout stages of a World Cup for the first time, pulled off what U.S. Soccer named "the tournament’s biggest surprise," a 1-0 win over China. Charmaine Hooper scored seven minutes into the action, and the underdogs held the clean sheet for the remainder of play. 

"Golden Goal." The most exciting two-worded phrase in all of football. While no longer an existing rule, this sudden-death, extra-time format determined the winner of the 2003 World Cup Final between Germany and Sweden. With everything to play for, Nia Kunzer rose to deliver a headed attempt on goal eight minutes into the overtime period. The flick sailed over the goalkeeper for what remains, according to FIFA, the last Golden Goal scored at a World Cup. 

The 2003 German squad may have been the greatest in World Cup history; that is, until the country's 2007 roster arrived in China. Germany announced its attentions on Matchday 1, crushing Argentina 11-0 in a game that was put to bed well before halftime. According to the Guinness World Records, that was the tournament's largest margin of victory. Of course, that changed when the U.S. beat Thailand 13-0 in its initial game in this year's World Cup.

The 2007 World Cup semifinal between Brazil and the United States is remembered for two vastly different reasons. U.S. head coach Greg Ryan benched in-form goalkeeper Hope Solo in favor of Brianna Scurry, a decision criticized by the media before a ball was kicked. Brazilian magician Marta stole the show on the pitch via a pair of goals, including one of the best scored at a major tournament, and the Canarinhas rolled to a 4-0 victory. 

Brazil's attack was special in 2007, but no unit was putting one past German goalkeeper Nadine Angerer. Angerer guessed correctly and dove to her right to save a Marta penalty shot halfway through the second, and two tallies during that half drove Germany to the 2-0 win. According to Francesca Brancati of Duke University, this remains the only time any World Cup champion conceded zero goals throughout a tournament. 

Four years after Marta's flair and finishing sunk the Americans, Brazil and the United States tangled for a berth in the 2011 World Cup semifinals. They delivered one of the greatest matches ever played at a major tournament. With the score tied 1-1 after 90 minutes, Marta completed her brace two minutes into the first overtime period, and hope seemed lost for the U.S., down a player after Rachel van Hollebeke was sent off in the second half in the closing minutes of stoppage time. With maybe 100 seconds remaining, Megan Rapinoe played a cross into the box for Abby Wambach, who scored what fans voted the greatest goal in FIFA Women's World Cup ahead of the 2015 tournament. The USWNT advanced via penalty kicks. 

One couldn't have been blamed for believing Germany would hold serve at home and become the first nation to win the Women's World Cup a third consecutive time. After all, the hosts went a perfect 3-0 in the group stage to clinch a showdown with Japan. But Japan kept the high-powered Germany attack that notched seven goals in group play in check through 90 minutes, and Karina Maruyama opened the scoring in the 108th minute for the game's lone tally that bounced the two-time reigning champions from the competition without a medal. 

Following Wambach's heroics vs. Brazil, the United States fell victim to a late-show goal in the Final. Japan needed to locate an answer for another extra-time Wambach header, this one delivered in the first overtime frame, and Homare Sawa came through by scoring off a corner three minutes from time to send the match to penalties. According to the Guinness World Records, Sawa's goal is the latest ever scored in a Women's World Cup Final. Japan won the shootout and the title, gifting a grieving nation recovering from the disastrous March 2011 earthquake and tsunami a moment to celebrate. 

Brazil won all three of its group stage matches of the 2015 World Cup, and a Round-of-16 showdown vs. Australia likely didn't concern many supporters of the Canarinhas. The Matildas remained strong at the back for over an hour when Kyah Simon entered the match in the 64th minute. Sixteen minutes later she pounced on a rebound and struck a first-hit attempt for the goal that sent Australia into its first-ever World Cup quarterfinal game. 

What athletic feat can you accomplish in roughly five minutes? If you're Switzerland's Fabienne Humm, it's scoring a hat trick. On June 12, 2015, Humm hit the back of the net on three occasions between the 47th and 52nd minute during her side's 10-1 thrashing of Ecuador. Per the BBC and FIFA, it's the fastest hat trick tallied at a Women's World Cup. 

U.S. Soccer icon Carli Lloyd told Fabienne Humm "hold my Golden Ball" during the 2015 World Cup Final between the Americans and Japan. Lloyd hit Japan for three goals in the first 16 minutes of play, including a long-distance chip, to all but secure the title while making history in the process. As Laken Litman of For The Win wrote, Lloyd became the first player to ever notch a hat trick in a Women's World Cup Final.