(Reuters) – List of FIFA Women’s World Cup champions since the tournament began in 1991:
China 1991 (hosts) – United States (winners)
* The United States won the inaugural Women’s World Cup by defeating Norway 2-1 in China.
* The tournament had 12 teams divided into three groups, with matches lasting 80 minutes and awarding two points for a win.
Sweden 1995 (hosts) – Norway (winners)
* Norway beat Germany 2-0 in Sweden.
* The tournament featured 12 teams, including debutants Australia, Canada and England.
United States 1999 (hosts) – United States (winners)
* The United States hosted and won the tournament, which set a string of records for attendance, TV ratings and public interest when they beat China 5–4 in a shootout.
* The number of teams increased to 16, while all referees and match officials were female.
United States 2003 (hosts) – Germany (winners)
* Germany won the tournament when they defeated Sweden 2–1 in extra time and became the first country to win both the men’s and women’s World Cups.
* A severe outbreak of SARS in China led FIFA to move the tournament to the United States.
China 2007 (hosts) – Germany (winners)
* Germany began their campaign with a record-breaking 11-0 win against Argentina and went on to become champions by defeating Brazil 2-0 in the final without conceding a single goal in the tournament.
Germany 2011 (hosts) – Japan (winners)
* Japan won the final against the United States in a shootout and became the first Asian team to win the tournament.
* The victory came months after Japan’s devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
Canada 2015 (hosts) – United States (winners)
* The final was a rematch of the 2011 decider, with the United States beating Japan 5–2 to claim their first title in 16 years and become the first team to win three Women’s World Cups.
* Canada received direct entry as hosts, and a qualification tournament of 134 teams was held for the remaining 23 places.
France 2019 (hosts) – United States (winners)
* The United States won their fourth title by defeating the Netherlands 2-0 in the final at Parc Olympique Lyonnais.
* The tournament introduced the Video Assistant Referee system and had 24 teams participating.
(Compiled by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
