# 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup

The 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup was the first FIFA Women's World Cup, the world championship for women's national football teams. It took place in Guangdong, China from 16 to 30 November 1991. FIFA, football's international governing body selected China as host nation as Guangdong had hosted a prototype world championship three years earlier, the 1988 FIFA Women's Invitation Tournament. Matches were played in the provincial capital, Guangzhou, as well as in Foshan, Jiangmen and Zhongshan. The competition was sponsored by Mars, Incorporated, maker of M&M's candy. With FIFA still reluctant to bestow their "World Cup" brand, the tournament was officially known as the 1st FIFA World Championship for Women's Football for the M&M's Cup.
It was won by the United States, whose captain April Heinrichs formed a forward line dubbed the "Triple-Edged Sword" with Carin Jennings and Michelle Akers-Stahl. Jennings was named player of the tournament while Akers-Stahl's ten goals won the Golden Boot. The United States defeated Norway 2–1 in the final in front of a crowd of 63,000 people at Guangzhou's Tianhe Stadium. Total attendance for the tournament was 510,000, an average per match of 19,615. In the opening match at the same stadium, Norway was defeated 4–0 by hosts China. Chinese defender Ma Li scored the first goal in Women's World Cup history, while goalkeeper Zhong Honglian, also of China, posted the first official "clean sheet" in the tournament.
The 12 qualified teams were divided into three groups of four (A to C). The top two teams and the two best third-place finishers from the three groups advanced to the knockout round of eight teams. For only the first edition of the Women's World Cup, all matches lasted only 80 minutes, instead of the typical 90, and two points were awarded for a win (both of which would change in 1995).

## Venues

Guangzhou :
| Guangdong Provincial Stadium | Tianhe Stadium | Ying Tung Stadium |
| Capacity: 25,000 | Capacity: 60,000 | Capacity: 15,000 |
| Map of Guangdong with 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup venues marked.GuangzhouFoshanZhongshanJiangmen |||
| Foshan | Jiangmen | Zhongshan |
| New Plaza Stadium | Jiangmen Stadium | Zhongshan Stadium |
| Capacity: 14,000 | Capacity: 13,000 | Capacity: 12,000 |

## Participating teams and officials
### Qualification

The 1991 Women's World Cup had twelve participating teams compete in the final tournament. Each of the six FIFA confederations had at least one representative.
| Africa (CAF)  Nigeria Asia (AFC)  China  Japan  Chinese Taipei South America (CONMEBOL)  Brazil Oceania (OFC)  New Zealand | Europe (UEFA)  Denmark  Germany  Italy  Norway  Sweden North America, Central America & Caribbean (CONCACAF)  United States |

## Squads

For a list of the squads that contended for the final tournament, see 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup squads.

## Match officials

For the first time in FIFA competition, six female officials were included. All functioned as lineswomen, except for Cláudia Vasconcelos who took charge of the third place play-off; becoming the first woman to referee a match sanctioned by FIFA.
| Confederation | Referee | Appointments |
| Male officials |||
| AFC | Dai Yuguang (China PR) | 4 matches as linesman |
| AFC | Li Haiseng (China PR) | 2 matches as linesman |
| AFC | Lu Jun (China PR) | 2 matches as referee, 1 match as linesman |
| AFC | Shyam Krishna Shrestha (Nepal) | 2 matches as referee, 1 match as linesman |
| AFC | Xuezhi Wang (China PR) | 3 matches as linesman |
| AFC | Yu Jingyin (China PR) | 4 matches as linesman |
| CAF | Fethi Boucetta (Tunisia) | 2 matches as referee, 2 matches as linesman |
| CAF | Omer Yengo (Congo) | 2 matches as referee, 1 match as linesman |
| CONCACAF | Rafael Rodríguez Medina (El Salvador) | 3 matches as referee, 2 matches as linesman |
| CONMEBOL | Salvador Imperatore (Chile) | 3 matches as referee |
| CONMEBOL | John Toro Rendón (Colombia) | 3 matches as referee, 1 match as linesman |
| UEFA | Jim McCluskey (Scotland) | 3 matches as referee, 2 matches as linesman |
| UEFA | Vassilios Nikakis (Greece) | 2 matches as referee, 1 match as linesman |
| UEFA | Vadim Zhuk (Soviet Union) | 3 matches as referee, 1 match as linesman |
| Female officials |||
| AFC | Zuo Xiudi (China PR) | 5 matches as lineswoman |
| CONCACAF | María Herrera García (Mexico) | 3 matches as lineswoman |
| CONMEBOL | Cláudia Vasconcelos (Brazil) | 1 match as referee, 3 matches as lineswoman |
| OFC | Linda May Black (New Zealand) | 5 matches as lineswoman |
| UEFA | Gertrud Regus (Germany) | 6 matches as lineswoman |
| UEFA | Ingrid Jonsson (Sweden) | 5 matches as lineswoman |

## Tournament review

FIFA's technical report demonstrates that, after the tournament, players and officials were undecided whether to persist with 80-minute matches, or to change to 90 minutes in line with men's football. Opinion was also divided about the suitability of using a size five football. Some teams reported difficulty in sourcing good quality equipment in the correct size.
The tournament was considered a major success in the quality of play and attendances at the games. FIFA president João Havelange wrote that:
   "As president of FIFA it was a special pleasure for me to watch these young ladies playing with such flair and such elegance, and according to the reports of the many media representatives present, making the game truly into a celebration ... women's football is now well and truly established."
The perceived success of the tournament was a significant factor in the subsequent inclusion of women's football in the 1996 Summer Olympics. Sue Lopez reported that although attendances were very high, many tickets were complimentary. The "novelty factor" of women from foreign lands playing football also encouraged local people to attend.

## Draw

The draw for the group stage was held on 14 September 1991 at the Tianhe Stadium in Guangzhou, China. The draw was part of a televised two-hour live show, featuring songs in both Chinese and English from the female singers Zhang Qiang (Beijing), Lin Ping (Guangzhou), Jenny Tseng (Hong Kong) and Irene Yeh [zh] (Taiwan).

## Group stage

* Tie-breaking criteria for group play
* The ranking of teams in the group stage was determined as follows:
* Points obtained in all group matches (two points for a win, one for a draw, none for a defeat);
* Goal difference in all group matches;
* Number of goals scored in all group matches;
* Points obtained in the matches played between the teams in question;
* Goal difference in the matches played between the teams in question;
* Number of goals scored in the matches played between the teams in question;
* Number of wins in all group matches;
* Drawing of lots.

### Group A

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | China (H) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 3 | +7 | 5 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Norway | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 4 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 3 | Denmark | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 3 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 4 | New Zealand | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 11 | −10 | 0 | |

### Group B

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | United States | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 2 | +9 | 6 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Sweden | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 3 | +9 | 4 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 3 | Brazil | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 2 | |
| 4 | Japan | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 12 | −12 | 0 | |

### Group C

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Germany | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | +9 | 6 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Italy | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 4 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 3 | Chinese Taipei | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | −6 | 2 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 4 | Nigeria | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | −7 | 0 | |

### Ranking of third-placed teams

| Pos | Grp | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | A | Denmark | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 3 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | C | Chinese Taipei | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | −6 | 2 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 3 | B | Brazil | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 2 | |

## Knockout stage
### Bracket

| Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | | Final | Final |
| 24 November – Guangzhou (Tianhe) | 24 November – Guangzhou (Tianhe) | | | |
| China | 0 | | | |
| China | 0 | 27 November – Guangzhou (Ying Tung) | 27 November – Guangzhou (Ying Tung) | | |
| Sweden | 1 | 27 November – Guangzhou (Ying Tung) | 27 November – Guangzhou (Ying Tung) | |
| Sweden | 1 | Sweden | 1 | |
| 24 November – Jiangmen | 24 November – Jiangmen | | Sweden | 1 | |
| 24 November – Jiangmen | 24 November – Jiangmen | Norway | 4 | |
| Norway (a.e.t.) | 3 | Norway | 4 | |
| Norway (a.e.t.) | 3 | | | | 30 November – Guangzhou (Tianhe) | 30 November – Guangzhou (Tianhe) |
| Italy | 2 | | | | 30 November – Guangzhou (Tianhe) | 30 November – Guangzhou (Tianhe) |
| Italy | 2 | | | | Norway | 1 |
| 24 November – Zhongshan | 24 November – Zhongshan | | | | | Norway | 1 |
| 24 November – Zhongshan | 24 November – Zhongshan | | | | United States | 2 |
| Denmark | 1 | | | | United States | 2 |
| Denmark | 1 | 27 November – Guangzhou (Provincial) | 27 November – Guangzhou (Provincial) | | | |
| Germany (a.e.t.) | 2 | 27 November – Guangzhou (Provincial) | 27 November – Guangzhou (Provincial) | | | |
| Germany (a.e.t.) | 2 | Germany | 2 | | | |
| 24 November – Foshan | 24 November – Foshan | | Germany | 2 | | | |
| 24 November – Foshan | 24 November – Foshan | United States | 5 | | Third place play-off | Third place play-off |
| United States | 7 | United States | 5 | | Third place play-off | Third place play-off |
| United States | 7 | | | | 29 November – Guangzhou (Provincial) | 29 November – Guangzhou (Provincial) |
| Chinese Taipei | 0 | | | | 29 November – Guangzhou (Provincial) | 29 November – Guangzhou (Provincial) |
| Chinese Taipei | 0 | | | | Sweden | 4 |
| | | | | | Germany | 0 |

### Final
## Awards

The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament:
| Golden Ball | Silver Ball | Bronze Ball |
| Carin Jennings | Michelle Akers-Stahl | Linda Medalen |
| Golden Shoe | Silver Shoe | Bronze Shoe |
| Michelle Akers-Stahl | Heidi Mohr | Linda Medalen Carin Jennings |
| 10 goals | 7 goals | 6 goals |
| FIFA Fair Play Award |||
| Germany |||

## Statistics
### Goalscorers

There were 99 goals scored in 26 matches, for an average of 3.81 goals per match. Michelle Akers-Stahl of the United States won the Golden Boot award for scoring ten goals.
10 goals
* Michelle Akers-Stahl
7 goals
* Heidi Mohr
6 goals
* Linda Medalen
* Carin Jennings
5 goals
* Lena Videkull
4 goals
* Liu Ailing
* Carolina Morace
* Pia Sundhage
* April Heinrichs
3 goals
* Bettina Wiegmann
* Tina Svensson
* Anneli Andelén
2 goals
* Helle Jensen
* Susan Mackensie
* Agnete Carlsen
* Helen Nilsson
* Mia Hamm
1 goal
* Elane
* Ma Li
* Sun Qingmei
* Sun Wen
* Wei Haiying
* Wu Weiying
* Zhou Yang
* Chou Tai-ying
* Lin Mei-chun
* Lisbet Kolding
* Hanne Nissen
* Annette Thychosen
* Gudrun Gottschlich
* Silvia Neid
* Britta Unsleber
* Feriana Ferraguzzi
* Rita Guarino
* Adele Marsiletti
* Raffaella Salmaso
* Kim Nye
* Birthe Hegstad
* Hege Riise
* Susanne Hedberg
* Ingrid Johansson
* Malin Lundgren
* Joy Biefeld
* Julie Foudy
* Wendy Gebauer
1 own goal
* Sayuri Yamaguchi (against Sweden)
* Terry McCahill (against Norway)

### Assists

4 assists
* Martina Voss
* Helen Johansson
3 assists
* Carin Jennings
2 assists
* Li Xiufu
* Wu Weiying
* Helle Jensen
* Roswitha Bindl
* Adele Marsiletti
* Carolina Morace
* Tone Haugen
* Gunn Nyborg
* Helen Nilsson
* Pia Sundhage
* Julie Foudy
* April Heinrichs
* Shannon Higgins
1 assist
* Cenira
* Shieh Su-jean
* Annie Gam-Pedersen
* Hanne Nissen
* Irene Stelling
* Birgitt Austermühl
* Gudrun Gottschlich
* Beate Wendt
* Bettina Wiegmann
* Anna Mega
* Monique van de Elzen
* Agnete Carlsen
* Margunn Humlestøl
* Hege Riise
* Heidi Støre
* Cathrine Zaborowski
* Anneli Andelén
* Anette Hansson
* Ingrid Johansson
* Michelle Akers-Stahl
* Joy Biefeld
* Linda Hamilton
Source: FIFA Technical Report

### Tournament ranking

Per statistical convention in football, matches decided in extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by penalty shoot-outs are counted as draws.
| Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Final result |
| 1 | B | United States | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 5 | +20 | 12 | Champions |
| 2 | A | Norway | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 10 | +4 | 8 | Runners-up |
| 3 | B | Sweden | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 7 | +11 | 8 | Third place |
| 4 | C | Germany | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 10 | +3 | 8 | Fourth place |
| 5 | A | China (H) | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 4 | +6 | 5 | Eliminated in quarter-finals |
| 6 | C | Italy | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 4 | Eliminated in quarter-finals |
| 7 | A | Denmark | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 6 | +1 | 3 | Eliminated in quarter-finals |
| 8 | C | Chinese Taipei | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 15 | −13 | 2 | Eliminated in quarter-finals |
| 9 | B | Brazil | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 2 | Eliminated in group stage |
| 10 | C | Nigeria | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | −7 | 0 | Eliminated in group stage |
| 11 | A | New Zealand | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 11 | −10 | 0 | Eliminated in group stage |
| 12 | B | Japan | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 12 | −12 | 0 | Eliminated in group stage |