FIFA Women's World Cup qualification

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The FIFA Women's World Cup qualification is the process a national women's association football team goes through to qualify for the FIFA Women's World Cup.

Qualifying tournaments are held within the six FIFA continental zones (Africa, Asia, North and Central America and Caribbean, South America, Oceania, Europe), and are organized by their respective confederations. For each tournament, FIFA decides beforehand the number of berths awarded to each of the continental zones, based on the relative strength of the confederations' teams. The hosts of the World Cup receive an automatic berth in the finals. For the 2015 and 2019 FIFA Women's World Cups, the number of finalists increased from 16 to 24.[1] Since 2023, the number is 32.[2]

All confederations, except for CONMEBOL, OFC, and UEFA, hold qualification process throughout continental tournaments. The UEFA organises its own qualification phase since 1999, as do CONMEBOL and OFC for 2027. Starting from 2031, the AFC will also organise its own qualification.

Teams in qualifying
Year Teams
1991
49
1995
55
1999
69
2003
98
2007
129
2011
126
2015
134
2019
143
2023
172
2027
186

The table below lists the numbers of berths allocated by FIFA for each continent in each tournament.

Intercontinental play-offs are played as two home-and-away matches. The team that scores a greater aggregate number of goals qualifies for the World Cup. Away goals rule applies. If these rules fail to determine the winner, extra time and penalty shootouts are used.

"H" denotes an automatic spot for the host. Places in intercontinental play-offs are represented as fractions, with a place in a direct play-off being counted as 0.5 spots.

Places allocated for continents
Continental zone 1991
China1
1995
Sweden
1999
United States
2003
United States2
2007
China
2011
Germany
2015
Canada
2019
France
2023
Australia
New Zealand
2027
Brazil
Africa 1122223344
Asia 3232.5+H2.5+H3555+H6
Oceania 111111110+H1
Europe 54+H6554.5+H88+H1111
North and Central America
and Caribbean
121.5+H2.52.52.53.5+H3.544
South America 111.52222.52.532+H
Play-off tournament Did not exist 33
Total 12121616161624243232
  • 1 In 1991, China hosted the tournament, but the location was determined after Asian qualifying had been completed.
  • 2 Originally to be held in China, the tournament was moved to the United States. China retained its automatic qualifying status as original host.

Qualification competition entrants over time

Entrants in continental qualifying tournaments[3][4]
Continental zone 1991
China
(12)
1995
Sweden
(12)
1999
United States
(16)
2003
United States
(16)
2007
China
(16)
2011
Germany
(16)
2015
Canada
(24)
2019
France
(24)
2023
Australia
New Zealand
(32)
2027
Brazil
(32)
Africa 881522352426244339
Asia 941118171720242738
Oceania 33610108411911
Europe 18301611612514146465153
North and Central America
and Caribbean
85112223322628283231
South America 351010101010101010
Total 49556998129126134143172182
Teams played 45526684109119130136155184
Matches played 111135152195263355406392505
Goals scored 4456558038671,0321,4361,6861,5622,143
  • 1 Only teams in European Class A could qualify for the Women's World Cup finals. Other sides could at best be promoted to Class A for subsequent tournament.
  • 2 A second Guatemalan side also competed, but their matches are not included in the list.
  • 3 The United States (eventual hosts of the finals) competed in the qualifying tournament.

First appearance in qualification by team

Listed are the first appearance in the qualifying stages by a national team.[3] Teams that entered for the first time but withdrew are written in italics.

WC Europe South America North, Central America and Caribbean Asia Africa Oceania Total
China
1991
 Belgium
 Bulgaria
 Czechoslovakia
 Denmark
 England
 Finland
 France
 Germany
 Hungary
 Italy
 Netherlands
 Northern Ireland
 Norway
 Poland
 Republic of Ireland
 Spain
 Sweden
 Switzerland
 Brazil
 Chile
 Venezuela
 Canada
 Costa Rica
 Haiti
 Jamaica
 Mexico
 Trinidad and Tobago
 United States
 China
 Chinese Taipei
 Hong Kong
 Japan
 North Korea
 South Korea
 Malaysia
 Singapore
 Thailand
 Cameroon
 Congo
 Ghana
 Guinea
 Nigeria
 Senegal
 Zambia
 Zimbabwe
 Australia
 New Zealand
 Papua New Guinea
44
Sweden
1995
 Croatia
 Czech Republic
 Greece
 Iceland
 Latvia
 Lithuania
 Portugal
 Romania
 Russia
 Scotland
 Slovakia
 Slovenia
 Ukraine
 Wales
 FR Yugoslavia
 Argentina
 Bolivia
 Ecuador
NoneNone Angola
 Sierra Leone
 South Africa
 Zambia
None21
United States
1999
 Estonia Colombia
 Paraguay
 Peru
 Uruguay
 El Salvador
 Guatemala
 Guyana
 Honduras
 Puerto Rico
 Guam
 India
 Kazakhstan
 Philippines
 Uzbekistan
 DR Congo
 Egypt
 Kenya
 Lesotho
 Morocco
 Mozambique
 Namibia
 Swaziland
 Uganda
 American Samoa
 Fiji
 Samoa
24
United States
2003
 MoldovaNone Bahamas
 Belize
 Dominica
 Dominican Republic
 Montserrat
 Nicaragua
 Panama
 Saint Lucia
 Suriname
 U.S. Virgin Islands
 Indonesia
 Myanmar
 Nepal
 Vietnam
 Botswana
 Equatorial Guinea
 Eritrea
 Ethiopia
 Gabon
 Guinea-Bissau
 Ivory Coast
 Mali
 São Tomé and Príncipe
 Senegal
 Tanzania
 Zimbabwe
 Cook Islands
 Tahiti
 Tonga
 Vanuatu
21
China
2007
 Austria
 Belarus
 Serbia and Montenegro
None Antigua and Barbuda
 Aruba
 Barbados
 Bermuda
 British Virgin Islands
 Cayman Islands
 Grenada
 Netherlands Antilles
 Nicaragua
 Saint Kitts and Nevis
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
 Turks and Caicos Islands
 Indonesia
 Maldives
 Algeria
 Benin
 Central African Republic
 Congo
 Djibouti
 Kenya
 Libya
 Malawi
 Namibia
 Togo
 New Caledonia
 Solomon Islands
 Tonga
28
Germany
2011
 Armenia
 Azerbaijan
 Bosnia and Herzegovina
 Georgia
 Israel
 Macedonia
 Malta
 Serbia
 Turkey
None Anguilla
 Belize
 Cuba
 Bangladesh
 Iran
 Jordan
 Kyrgyzstan
 Palestine
 Botswana
 Tunisia
 Tahiti
 Vanuatu
21
Canada
2015
 Albania
 Faroe Islands
 Luxembourg
 Montenegro
NoneNone Bahrain
 Bangladesh
 Kuwait
 Lebanon
 Burkina Faso
 Comoros
 Rwanda
 South Sudan
None11
France
2019
 Andorra
 Kosovo
NoneNone Iraq
 Syria
 Tajikistan
 United Arab Emirates
 Gambia
 Libya
 New Caledonia9
Australia
New Zealand
2023
 CyprusNoneNone Afghanistan
 Laos
 Mongolia
 Nepal
 Turkmenistan
 Burundi
 Guinea-Bissau
 Liberia
 Mauritania
 Niger
 South Sudan
 Sudan
None10
Brazil
2027
 Gibraltar
 Liechtenstein
NoneNone Bhutan
 Cambodia
 Pakistan
 Saudi Arabia
 Sri Lanka
 Timor-Leste
 Turkmenistan
 Cape Verde
 Chad
None10

National teams results in World Cup preliminary competition (1991–2023)

See also

References

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