The inaugural tournament: Women’s World Cup Moment No. 41

Last updated: 2023/06/10 at 12:54 AM

BigP Published June 10, 2023

Editor’s note: Each day between now and the kickoff of the first match of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup on July 20, FOX Sports is counting down the most memorable moments in the tournament’s 32-year history.

The 1991 Women’s World Cup wasn’t the first-ever Women’s World Cup — that took place in Italy in 1970 — but it was the first Women’s World Cup recognized by FIFA. It was also the first World Cup the United States women’s national team won.

The tournament, which was officially known as the 1st FIFA World Championship for Women’s Football for the M&M’s Cup, wasn’t the 32-team tournament we know today. It had 12 teams separated into three groups. The top-two teams in each group and the two third-place teams with the most points advanced to the knockout stage.

The United States finished at the top of its group with six points and drew the Chinese Taipei women’s national football team in the quarterfinals. After beating Chinese Tapei 7-0, the U.S. beat Germany 5-2 in the semifinal, setting the stage for a matchup with Norway.

The United States played Norway in the 1988 FIFA Women’s Invitation Tournament quarterfinals and lost 1-0. Norway went on to win the Women’s Invitation Tournament over reigning European champions Sweden.

This time around, it was the United States that came out on top, with the Americans winning 2-1. Michelle Akers scored both goals in the final, which brought her total tally for the tournament up to 10 goals. She went home with the golden boot, and the U.S. returned home as world champions.

The rest is history.