A rubric was developed to determine which team has been the most historically successful. The points rubric awards progressively more points the further a national team went in the playoffs. The results suggest that the United States is by far the most successful nation at the FIFA Women’s World Cup, but that was not always the case in the past.
POINTS RUBRIC
16 pts – World Cup winner
8 pts – Second Place
4 pts – Reached final 4 teams
2 pts – Reached final 8 teams
1 pts – Reached final 16 teams
TOP 5 MOST SUCCESSFUL TEAMS
1. UNITED STATES – 84 pts.
The United States national team has won the women’s World Cup four times and the last two in 2019 and 2015. The team has never placed lower than third in the competition, never losing more than one game in each tournament. In the team’s debut appearance in 1991, they won without conceding a single goal. The last time they lost in the tournament was in 2011 in penalties to Japan in the final match.
2. GERMANY – 54 pts.
The German women’s national team has won the World Cup two times, the only team other than the United States to win it more than once. They won it twice in a row in 2003 and 2007. Germany dominated the 2003 tournament, scoring a record-breaking 25 goals. Since then, the team has somewhat struggled, not even winning third place.
3. NORWAY – 37 pts.
The Norwegian national team has won the women’s World Cup once, in 1995, when it was hosted in Sweden. They have also finished as runners-up once in the first World Cup. In the 1995 tournament, they won all six of their matches. However, the team has not be especially successful recently. Norway’s best performance since their 1995 win was in 2007 when they finished in fourth place.
4. Japan – 27 pts.
The Japanese national team has won the women’s World Cup once, in 2011, and finished as runners-up once, in 2015. In the 2011 tournament, they beat the United States on penalties in the final, becoming the first Asian team to win the tournament. In the 2015 tournament, they lost to the United States in the final. They have qualified for every World Cup since its inception in 1991.
5. Sweden – 25 pts.
The Swedish women’s national team has never won the World Cup but has finished as runners-up once, in 2003, where they lost to Germany in extra time. They have also finished in third place three times. In the 2019 tournament, they reached the semi-finals but lost to the Netherlands on penalties. In the 2011 tournament, they finished in fourth place.
TABLE OF DATA
| National Team | Total | 1991 | 1995 | 1999 | 2003 | 2007 | 2011 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 84 | 16 | 20 | 36 | 40 | 44 | 52 | 68 | 84 |
| Germany | 54 | 4 | 12 | 14 | 30 | 46 | 48 | 52 | 54 |
| Norway | 37 | 8 | 24 | 28 | 30 | 34 | 34 | 35 | 37 |
| Japan | 27 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 18 | 26 | 27 |
| Sweden | 25 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 16 | 16 | 20 | 21 | 25 |
| China | 21 | 2 | 6 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 21 |
| Brazil | 18 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| England | 14 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 14 |
| Netherlands | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| France | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 8 |
| Australia | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 7 |
| Canada | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 7 |
| Italy | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Denmark | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Russia | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Nigeria | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Cameroon | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| North Korea | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Taiwan | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Spain | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Colombia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| South Korea | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Switzerland | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
