Japan beat the Americans for the title in a riveting final July 17, 3-1 on penalties after rallying from behind twice in a 2-2 draw. The star of the shootout was dogged goalkeeper Ayumi Kaihori, who made two brilliant saves in the shootout.
All tournament the teammates poignantly reminded the world they were playing for their battered country, still reeling from the devastation of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
They held the gleaming trophy high above their smiling faces as confetti swirled around the podium, flecking their hair with gold.
This was Japan’s first appearance in the final of a major tournament, and they had not beaten the Americans in their previous 25 meetings, including a pair of 2-0 losses in warm-up matches a month before the World Cup. But the Nadeshiko pushed ahead, playing inspired football and hoping their success could provide even a small emotional lift to their nation, where nearly 23,000 people died or were reported missing.
The Americans found it all too hard to grasp. They believed they were meant to be World Cup champions after their rocky year - needing a playoff to qualify, a loss in group play to Sweden, the epic comeback against Brazil. They simply couldn’t pull off one last thriller.
FIFA Women's World Cup
The current format of the tournament involves 16 teams competing for the title at venues within the host nation(s) over a period of about three weeks;– this phase is often called the World Cup Finals. A qualification phase, which currently takes place over the preceding three years, is used to determine which teams qualify for the tournament together with the host nation(s).
The FIFA Women's World Cup is recognized as the most important International competition in women's football and is played amongst women's national football teams of the member states of FIFA, the sport's global governing body. The first Women's World Cup tournament, named the Women's World Championship, was held in 1991, sixty-one years after the men's first FIFA World Cup tournament in 1930. The six World Cup tournaments have been won by four different national teams.
The next World Cup will be hosted by Canada in 2015.
Results
| Year | Host | Winners | Score | Runners-up | Third Place | Score | Fourth Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 Details |  China |  United States | 2–1 |  Norway |  Sweden | 4–0 |  Germany |
| 1995 Details |  Sweden | Norway | 2–0 | Germany | United States | 2–0 |  China PR |
| 1999 Details |  United States | United States | 0–0 asdet (5–4 pso) | China PR |  Brazil | 0–0[A] (5–4 pso) | Norway |
| 2003 Details | United States | Germany | 2–1 asdet | Sweden | United States | 3–1 |  Canada |
| 2007 Details | China | Germany | 2–0 | Brazil | United States | 4–1 | Norway |
| 2011 Details |  Germany |  Japan | 2–2 a.e.t. (3–1 pso) | United States | Sweden | 2–1 |  France |
| 2015 Details |  Canada |
