FIFA Women’s World Cup: U.S., Japan renew rivalry in epic final

American and Japanese ladies will renew their soccer rivalry when they file out today in the final of the FIFA Women’s World Cup at BC Place Stadium, Vancouver, Canada.

This will be the second time in succession when the two countries would be meeting in the final of the championship.

The first meeting was at the last edition held in Germany (2011) and the Japanese laughed last, lifting the trophy for the first time. After the match ended 2-2 at the regulation time, the match stretched to spot kicks and Japan won 3-1.

To reach this edition’s final, the United States of America defeated Germany 2-0, while Japan edged out hard-fighting England 2-1.

This will be U.S.A.’s seventh appearance at a FIFA Women’s World Cup. The country has won the trophy twice, in the event’s inaugural competition in 1991 and as hosts in 1999, and its worst record ever was finishing third in 1995, 2003 and 2007.

Japan, on the other hand, is one of the few nations to have featured in all seven FIFA Women’s World Cup, and is the only Asian nation to do so. It reached the knockout stage in Sweden 1995.

The FIFA Women’s World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior women’s national teams of the members of Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport’s global governing body.

The championship holds every four years since the 1991 inaugural tournament held in China, after the first men’s tournament was held 61 years prior.

The United States beat Norway 2-1 in the final, to become winners of the first ever FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The six World Cup tournaments have been won by four different national teams.

Past winners
China 1991 – USA beat Norway 2-1

Sweden 1995 – Norway beat Germany 2-0

USA 1999
– USA beat China 5-4 (Pen)

USA 2003 – Germany beat Sweden 2-1

China 2007 – Germany beat Brazil 2-0

Germany 2011 – Japan beat USA 3-1 (Pen)