2015 FIFA Women's World Cup

2015 FIFA Women's World Cup
Coupe du monde féminine de football 2015
Tournament logo
Tournament details
Host country Canada
Dates 6 June – 5 July
Teams 24 (from 6 confederations)
Venue(s) 6 (in 6 host cities)
Final positions
Champions  United States (3rd title)
Runners-up  Japan
Third place  England
Fourth place  Germany
Tournament statistics
Matches played 52
Goals scored 146 (2.81 per match)
Attendance 1,353,506 (26,029 per match)
Top scorer(s) Germany Célia Šašić
United States Carli Lloyd
(6 goals each)
Best player United States Carli Lloyd
Best young player Canada Kadeisha Buchanan
Best goalkeeper United States Hope Solo
Fair play award  France

The 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup was the seventh FIFA Women's World Cup, the quadrennial international women's football world championship tournament. In March 2011, Canada won the right to host the event, the first time the country would host the tournament and the third time it has been held in North America. Matches were played in six cities across Canada in five time zones. The tournament began on 6 June 2015, and finished with the finals on 5 July 2015[1] with a United States victory over Japan.

The 2015 tournament saw the World Cup expanded to 24 teams from 16 in 2011.[2] Canada's team received direct entry as host and a qualification tournament of 134 teams was held for the remaining 23 places. With the expanded tournament, eight teams made their Women's World Cup debut.[2] All previous Women's World Cup finalists qualified for the tournament, with defending champions Japan and returning champions Germany (2003, 2007) and the United States (1991, 1999) among the seeded teams.[3]

The 2015 tournament used goal-line technology for the first time with the Hawk-Eye system.[4][5] It was also the first World Cup for either men or women to be played on artificial turf, with all matches played on such surfaces. There were some initial concerns over a possible increased risk of injuries from playing on artificial turf, but a legal challenge suggesting matches should be played on grass as in similar men's tournaments was dropped in January 2015.[6]

Host selection

The bidding for each FIFA Women's World Cup typically includes hosting rights for the previous year's FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup (similar to the men's version, in which the host nation stages the Confederations Cup the year before). Bids for the tournament were required to be submitted by December 2010. Only two bids were submitted:[7]

Zimbabwe withdrew its bid on 1 March 2011.[9] The country was seen as a long shot as its women's team was ranked 103rd in the world at the time of the bid and has never qualified for a Women's World Cup. There is also ongoing political and economic instability in the country.[10]

Qualification

  Qualified
  Did not qualify
  Did not enter
  Women's team inactive

For 2015, the number of qualifying teams grew from 16 to 24 and scheduled matches increased from 32 to 52.[11] On 11 June 2012, FIFA announced a change to the allocation of the qualifying berths for its continental confederations. The FIFA Executive Committee approved the following slot allocation and the distribution of eight new slots:[12]

After North Korea had several players test positive for performance-enhancing drugs during the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, FIFA banned the North Korean team from participating in the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada. This was the first time a women's team had been banned from a Women's World Cup, and it was the first time since 1995 that North Korea did not participate in a Women's World Cup.[13]

Qualified teams

The latest published FIFA Rankings prior to the tournament (March 2015) are shown in brackets.[14]

AFC (5)
CAF (3)
CONCACAF (4)
CONMEBOL (3)
OFC (1)
UEFA (8)

Broadcasting

Fox Sports studio at Jack Poole Plaza.

The 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup was one of the first FIFA tournaments under new rights deals in two North American markets. In its host country of Canada, the competition was televised by CTV, TSN and RDS (French) through a new rights agreement with parent company Bell Media.[15][16] In the United States, English-language television rights were held by Fox Sports with coverage carried on the main Fox broadcast network, along with the Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports 2 cable channels. Spanish-language rights were held by NBC Deportes, with telecasts airing on Telemundo over-the-air and NBC Universo on cable.[17] Fox constructed a temporary studio for the Women's World Cup at Jack Poole Plaza in Vancouver, located outside the Vancouver Convention Centre.[18][19]

In December 2014, the European Broadcasting Union extended its rights to FIFA tournaments for its members in 37 countries, including the 2015 Women's World Cup.[20] In the United Kingdom, all matches from the tournament were shown by the BBC across BBC Two, BBC Three and BBC Red Button. All England games, and other selected matches, were broadcast on radio by BBC Radio 5 Live.[21] In Australia, SBS aired all 52 matches live online, and televised 41 matches live, with the only matches not televised live being those which aired concurrently.[22]

Mascot and sponsors

On 17 June 2014, the mascot of the tournament, Shuéme, a female great white owl was unveiled at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa.[23]

The five top-tier sponsors were Coca-Cola, Adidas, Hyundai–Kia, Visa, and Gazprom. In the final week of the tournament, the Canadian government added Gazprom to a list of organizations sanctioned for supporting the Russian annexation of Crimea. Media suggested the addition was delayed to reduce embarrassment to FIFA.[24]

Venues

The cities of Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal and Moncton were selected to host tournament matches.[25] Halifax was also considered, but removed itself from contention in March 2012.[26] Toronto decided not to bid, due to potential conflicts with the 2015 Pan American Games.[27] Due to FIFA's policy against commercial sponsorship of stadium names, Investors Group Field in Winnipeg and TD Place Stadium in Ottawa were respectively known as Winnipeg Stadium[28] and Lansdowne Stadium[29] during the tournament.

Canada had previously hosted FIFA tournaments including the 1987 FIFA U-16 World Championship, 2002 FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship, the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, which set an attendance record for that tournament, and most recently the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.

Vancouver Edmonton Winnipeg Ottawa
BC Place Commonwealth Stadium Investors Group Field
(Winnipeg Stadium)		 TD Place Stadium
(Lansdowne Stadium)
49°16′36″N 123°6′43″W / 49.27667°N 123.11194°W / 49.27667; -123.11194 (BC Place) 53°33′35″N 113°28′34″W / 53.55972°N 113.47611°W / 53.55972; -113.47611 (Commonwealth Stadium) 49°48′28″N 97°8′45″W / 49.80778°N 97.14583°W / 49.80778; -97.14583 (Investors Group Field) 45°23′53.44″N 75°41′1.14″W / 45.3981778°N 75.6836500°W / 45.3981778; -75.6836500 (Frank Clair Stadium)
Capacity: 54,320 Capacity: 53,058 Capacity: 33,422 Capacity: 24,000
Surface: Polytan LigaTurf Surface: FieldTurf Duraspine Surface: FieldTurf Revolution Surface: FieldTurf
Time zone: PDT (UTC−7) Time zone: MDT (UTC−6) Time zone: CDT (UTC−5) Time zone: EDT (UTC−4)
Montreal Moncton
Olympic Stadium Moncton Stadium
45°33′28″N 73°33′7″W / 45.55778°N 73.55194°W / 45.55778; -73.55194 (Olympic Stadium) 46°6′30″N 64°47′0″W / 46.10833°N 64.78333°W / 46.10833; -64.78333 (Moncton Stadium)
Capacity: 56,040 Capacity: 13,000
Surface: Xtreme Turf Surface: FieldTurf
Time zone: EDT (UTC−4) Time zone: ADT (UTC−3)

Note: Seating capacities as configured for these FIFA games.

Artificial turf

All of the tournament's venues had fields composed of artificial turf, which some players believe results in a higher risk of injuries to players. More than 50 players protested the use of the surface instead of grass on the basis of gender discrimination. They filed a lawsuit challenging FIFA's decision to play on artificial turf, claiming FIFA would never allow the men's World Cup to be played on "unsafe" artificial turf and thus the organizers had violated the Canadian Human Rights Act.[30][31][32] 2012 Women's World Player of the Year Abby Wambach noted "The men would strike playing on artificial turf."[33] The controversial issue of gender equality and an equal playing field for all sparked debate in many countries around the world. An application filed on 1 October 2014 with the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal by a group of women's international soccer players against FIFA and the Canadian Soccer Association noted that, in 1994, FIFA spent $2 million to plant natural grass over artificial turf in New Jersey and Detroit.[34][35] Some celebrities and prominent players showed their support for the women soccer players in defence of their lawsuit, including United States men's team keeper Tim Howard. Even with the possibility of boycotts, FIFA's head of women's competitions, Tatjana Haenni, made it clear "We play on artificial turf and there's no Plan B."[36][37] In January 2015, the lawsuit was withdrawn by the players.[38]

Fox commentator Julie Steward-Binks measured the turf temperature at several games. On 21 June at the Canada vs Switzerland round of 16 game in Vancouver, she reported that her thermometer was "officially broken". Her thermometer appears to max out at 120 °F (49 °C).[39]

During the tournament, Australian striker Michelle Heyman slammed the playing conditions, saying the turf is like "walking on hot coals" and the players feet "just turn white, your skin is all ripped off".[40]

Prior to the start of the Australia vs Japan quarterfinal in Edmonton on 27 June, Fox commentator Kyndra de St. Aubin measured the air temperature at 82 °F (28 °C) and the turf temperature at 150 °F (66 °C). Despite such dangerous conditions, officials decided against taking cooling breaks during the match because the air temperature was under 32 °C (90 °F). As the game wore on, players appeared noticeably exhausted due to the playing conditions.[41]

Squads

Each team's squad for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup consisted of 23 players (three of whom must be goalkeepers), two more than the 2011 tournament, and the same number as men's World Cup squads. Each participating national association was required to confirm its final 23-player squad no later than 10 working days before the start of the tournament. Replacement of seriously injured players was permitted until 24 hours before the team in question's first World Cup game.[42]

The squads were officially announced by FIFA on 28 May 2015.[43][44] Formiga of Brazil and Homare Sawa of Japan were included in World Cup squads for the sixth time, a record for any men or women players.[45]

Match officials

A total of 22 referees, 7 support referees, and 44 assistant referees were selected for the tournament.[46][47]

Confederation Referee
AFC Rita Gani (Malaysia)
Abirami Naidu (Singapore)
Qin Liang (China)
Ri Hyang-ok (North Korea)
Sachiko Yamagishi (Japan)
CAF Gladys Lengwe (Zambia)
Therese Neguel (Cameroon)
Ledya Tafesse (Ethiopia)
CONCACAF Quetzalli Alvarado (Mexico)
Melissa Borjas (Honduras)
Carol Chenard (Canada)
Margaret Domka (United States)
Michelle Pye (Canada)
Lucia Venegas (Mexico)
CONMEBOL Salomé di Iorio (Argentina)
Yeimy Martinez (Colombia)
Olga Miranda (Paraguay)
Claudia Umpierrez (Uruguay)
OFC Anna-Marie Keighley (New Zealand)
Tupou Patia (Cook Islands)
UEFA Teodora Albon (Romania)
Stéphanie Frappart (France)
Katalin Kulcsár (Hungary)
Pernilla Larsson (Sweden)
Efthalia Mitsi (Greece)
Kateryna Monzul (Ukraine)
Esther Staubli (Switzerland)
Bibiana Steinhaus (Germany)
Carina Vitulano (Italy)
Confederation Assistant referees
AFC Cui Yongmei (China)
Fang Yan (China)
Allyson Flynn (Australia)
Sarah Ho (Australia)
Hong Kum-nyo (North Korea)
Kim Kyoung-min (South Korea)
Widiya Shamsuri (Malaysia)
Naomi Teshirogi (Japan)
CAF Ayawa Dzodope (Togo)
Bernadettar Kwimbira (Malawi)
Souad Oulhaj (Morocco)
Lidwine Rakotozafinoro (Madagascar)
CONCACAF Elizabeth Aguilar (El Salvador)
Princess Brown (Jamaica)
Enedina Caudillo (Mexico)
Marie-Josée Charbonneau (Canada)
Mayte Chávez (Mexico)
Kimberly Moreira (Costa Rica)
Suzanne Morisset (Canada)
Shirley Perello (Honduras)
CONMEBOL Janette Arcanjo (Brazil)
Liliana Bejarano (Bolivia)
Mariana de Almeida (Argentina)
Luciana Mascaraña (Uruguay)
Maria Rocco (Argentina)
Loreto Toloza (Chile)
OFC Lata Kaumatule (Tonga)
Sarah Walker (New Zealand)
UEFA Natalie Aspinall (England)
Ella de Vries (Belgium)
Petruța Iugulescu (Romania)
Chrysoula Kourompylia (Greece)
Angela Kyriakou (Cyprus)
Manuela Nicolosi (France)
Anna Nyström (Sweden)
Michelle O'Neill (Republic of Ireland)
Tonja Paavola (Finland)
Yolanda Parga (Spain)
Nataliya Rachynska (Ukraine)
Katrin Rafalski (Germany)
Lucie Ratajová (Czech Republic)
Sanja Rođak-Karšić (Croatia)
Mária Súkeníková (Slovakia)
Marina Wozniak (Germany)

Draw

The draw was held on 6 December 2014 at 12:00 Eastern Standard Time at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, Canada.[48] The seeding pots were announced the day before. Because UEFA qualified eight teams into the final tournament, which had only six groups, two groups by necessity had to contain two European teams. Otherwise, no group could have more than one team from any confederation.[49]

Pot 1 (Seeds) Pot 2 (CAF, CONCACAF, OFC) Pot 3 (AFC, CONMEBOL) Pot 4 (UEFA)

 Canada (hosts)
 Brazil
 France
 Germany
 Japan
 United States

 Cameroon
 Ivory Coast
 Nigeria
 Costa Rica
 Mexico
 New Zealand

 Australia
 China PR
 South Korea
 Thailand
 Colombia
 Ecuador

 England
 Netherlands
 Norway
 Spain
 Sweden
  Switzerland

Controversies

Group stage

The provisional match schedule for the tournament was released on 21 March 2013,[58] with the hosts, Canada, placed in position A1. The final schedule with match times was released on the same day right after the draw was made.[59]

  Champion
  Runner-up
  Third place
  Fourth place
  Quarter-finals
  Round of 16
  Group stage

The first round, or group stage, saw the twenty four teams divided into six groups of four teams. Each group was played in a round-robin-format of six games, where each team played one match against each of the other teams in the same group. Teams were awarded three points for a win, one point for a draw and none for a defeat. The winners and runners-up from each group, as well as the best four third-placed teams, qualified for the first round of the knockout stage.[42]

The ranking of each team in each group were determined as follows:

  1. points obtained in all group matches;
  2. goal difference in all group matches;
  3. number of goals scored in all group matches;

If two or more teams were on the basis of the above three criteria, their rankings were determined as follows:

  1. points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned;
  2. goal difference in the group matches between the teams concerned;
  3. number of goals scored in the group matches between the teams concerned;
  4. drawing of lots by the FIFA Organising Committee.

Group A

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Group stage result
1  Canada (H) 3 1 2 0 2 1 +1 5 Advance to knockout stage
2  China PR 3 1 1 1 3 3 0 4
3  Netherlands 3 1 1 1 2 2 0 4
4  New Zealand 3 0 2 1 2 3 −1 2
Source: FIFA
(H) Host.
6 June 2015
Canada  1–0  China PR Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton
New Zealand  0–1  Netherlands Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton
11 June 2015
China PR  1–0  Netherlands Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton
Canada  0–0  New Zealand Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton
15 June 2015
Netherlands  1–1  Canada Olympic Stadium, Montreal
China PR  2–2  New Zealand Winnipeg Stadium, Winnipeg

Group B

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Group stage result
1  Germany 3 2 1 0 15 1 +14 7 Advance to knockout stage
2  Norway 3 2 1 0 8 2 +6 7
3  Thailand 3 1 0 2 3 10 −7 3
4  Ivory Coast 3 0 0 3 3 16 −13 0
Source: FIFA
7 June 2015
Norway  4–0  Thailand Lansdowne Stadium, Ottawa
Germany  10–0  Ivory Coast Lansdowne Stadium, Ottawa
11 June 2015
Germany  1–1  Norway Lansdowne Stadium, Ottawa
Ivory Coast  2–3  Thailand Lansdowne Stadium, Ottawa
15 June 2015
Thailand  0–4  Germany Winnipeg Stadium, Winnipeg
Ivory Coast  1–3  Norway Moncton Stadium, Moncton

Group C

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Group stage result
1  Japan 3 3 0 0 4 1 +3 9 Advance to knockout stage
2  Cameroon 3 2 0 1 9 3 +6 6
3   Switzerland 3 1 0 2 11 4 +7 3
4  Ecuador 3 0 0 3 1 17 −16 0
Source: FIFA
8 June 2015
Cameroon  6–0  Ecuador BC Place, Vancouver
Japan  1–0   Switzerland BC Place, Vancouver
12 June 2015
Switzerland   10–1  Ecuador BC Place, Vancouver
Japan  2–1  Cameroon BC Place, Vancouver
16 June 2015
Ecuador  0–1  Japan Winnipeg Stadium, Winnipeg
Switzerland   1–2  Cameroon Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton

Group D

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Group stage result
1  United States 3 2 1 0 4 1 +3 7 Advance to knockout stage
2  Australia 3 1 1 1 4 4 0 4
3  Sweden 3 0 3 0 4 4 0 3
4  Nigeria 3 0 1 2 3 6 −3 1
Source: FIFA
8 June 2015
Sweden  3–3  Nigeria Winnipeg Stadium, Winnipeg
United States  3–1  Australia Winnipeg Stadium, Winnipeg
12 June 2015
Australia  2–0  Nigeria Winnipeg Stadium, Winnipeg
United States  0–0  Sweden Winnipeg Stadium, Winnipeg
16 June 2015
Nigeria  0–1  United States BC Place, Vancouver
Australia  1–1  Sweden Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton

Group E

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Group stage result
1  Brazil 3 3 0 0 4 0 +4 9 Advance to knockout stage
2  South Korea 3 1 1 1 4 5 −1 4
3  Costa Rica 3 0 2 1 3 4 −1 2
4  Spain 3 0 1 2 2 4 −2 1
Source: FIFA
9 June 2015
Spain  1–1  Costa Rica Olympic Stadium, Montreal
Brazil  2–0  South Korea Olympic Stadium, Montreal
13 June 2015
Brazil  1–0  Spain Olympic Stadium, Montreal
South Korea  2–2  Costa Rica Olympic Stadium, Montreal
17 June 2015
Costa Rica  0–1  Brazil Moncton Stadium, Moncton
South Korea  2–1  Spain Lansdowne Stadium, Ottawa

Group F

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Group stage result
1  France 3 2 0 1 6 2 +4 6 Advance to knockout stage
2  England 3 2 0 1 4 3 +1 6
3  Colombia 3 1 1 1 4 3 +1 4
4  Mexico 3 0 1 2 2 8 −6 1
Source: FIFA
9 June 2015
France  1–0  England Moncton Stadium, Moncton
Colombia  1–1  Mexico Moncton Stadium, Moncton
13 June 2015
France  0–2  Colombia Moncton Stadium, Moncton
England  2–1  Mexico Moncton Stadium, Moncton
17 June 2015
Mexico  0–5  France Lansdowne Stadium, Ottawa
England  2–1  Colombia Olympic Stadium, Montreal

Ranking of third-placed teams

The four best third-placed teams from the six groups advanced to the next stage along with the six group winners and six runners-up. The ranking of the third-placed teams were determined by the "rules for classification" listed below the table (that is, ranked by columns Pts, GD, and GF in sequence; then by drawing lots).[42]

Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Result
1 F  Colombia 3 1 1 1 4 3 +1 4 Knockout stage
2 A  Netherlands 3 1 1 1 2 2 0 4
3 C   Switzerland 3 1 0 2 11 4 +7 3
4 D  Sweden 3 0 3 0 4 4 0 3
5 B  Thailand 3 1 0 2 3 10 −7 3
6 E  Costa Rica 3 0 2 1 3 4 −1 2
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored; 4) drawing of lots.

In the next stage the four third-placed teams were matched with the winners of groups A, B, C and D according to a table published in Section 28 of the tournament regulations.[42]

Knockout stage

The knockout stage comprises the 16 teams that advanced from the group stage of the tournament. There are four rounds of matches, with each round eliminating half of the teams entering that round. The successive rounds are the round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and the final. There is also a match to decide third and fourth place. For each game in the knockout stage, any draw at 90 minutes is followed by 30 minutes of extra time; if scores are still level, there is a penalty shootout to determine who progresses to the next round.[42] Single yellow cards accrued will be cancelled after the quarter-finals, therefore ensuring that no players miss the Final because of receiving a caution in the semi-finals.[60]

 
Round of 16Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
              
 
 20 June – Edmonton
 
 
 China PR1
 
 26 June – Ottawa
 
 Cameroon0
 
 China PR0
 
 22 June – Edmonton
 
 United States1
 
 United States2
 
 30 June – Montreal
 
 Colombia0
 
 United States2
 
 20 June – Ottawa
 
 Germany0
 
 Germany4
 
 26 June – Montreal
 
 Sweden1
 
 Germany (pen.)1 (5)
 
 21 June – Montreal
 
 France1 (4)
 
 France3
 
 5 July – Vancouver
 
 South Korea0
 
 United States5
 
 21 June – Moncton
 
 Japan2
 
 Brazil0
 
 27 June – Edmonton
 
 Australia1
 
 Australia0
 
 23 June – Vancouver
 
 Japan1
 
 Japan2
 
 1 July – Edmonton
 
 Netherlands1
 
 Japan2
 
 22 June – Ottawa
 
 England1 Third place
 
 Norway1
 
 27 June – Vancouver 4 July – Edmonton
 
 England2
 
 England2 Germany0
 
 21 June – Vancouver
 
 Canada1  England (a.e.t.)1
 
 Canada1
 
 
  Switzerland0
 
Combinations of matches in the Round of 16

The third-placed teams which advanced will be placed with the winners of groups A, B, C and D according to a table published in Section 28 of the tournament regulations.[42]

  Combination according to the four qualified teams
Third teams qualify from groups: Canada (1A) plays vs.: Germany (1B) plays vs.: Japan (1C) plays vs.: USA (1D) plays vs.:
A B C D 3C 3D 3A 3B
A B C E 3C 3A 3B 3E
A B C F 3C 3A 3B 3F
A B D E 3D 3A 3B 3E
A B D F 3D 3A 3B 3F
A B E F 3E 3A 3B 3F
A C D E 3C 3D 3A 3E
A C D F 3C 3D 3A 3F
A C E F 3C 3A 3F 3E
A D E F 3D 3A 3F 3E
B C D E 3C 3D 3B 3E
B C D F 3C 3D 3B 3F
B C E F 3E 3C 3B 3F
B D E F 3E 3D 3B 3F
C D E F 3C 3D 3F 3E

Round of 16

20 June 2015
16:00 EDT (UTC−4)
Germany  4–1  Sweden
Mittag  24'
Šašić  36' (pen.), 78'
Marozsán  88' 		Report Sembrant  82'
Lansdowne Stadium, Ottawa
Attendance: 22,486
Referee: Ri Hyang-ok (North Korea)

20 June 2015
17:30 MDT (UTC−6)
China PR  1–0  Cameroon
Wang Shanshan  12' Report

21 June 2015
14:00 ADT (UTC−3)
Brazil  0–1  Australia
Report Simon  80'
Moncton Stadium, Moncton
Attendance: 12,054
Referee: Teodora Albon (Romania)

21 June 2015
16:00 EDT (UTC−4)
France  3–0  South Korea
Delie  4 ',  48'
Thomis  8' 		Report
Olympic Stadium, Montreal
Attendance: 15,518
Referee: Salomé di Iorio (Argentina)

21 June 2015
16:30 PDT (UTC−7)
Canada  1–0   Switzerland
Bélanger  52' Report
BC Place, Vancouver
Attendance: 53,855
Referee: Anna-Marie Keighley (New Zealand)

22 June 2015
17:00 EDT (UTC−4)
Norway  1–2  England
Gulbrandsen  54' Report Houghton  61'
Bronze  76'
Lansdowne Stadium, Ottawa
Attendance: 19,829
Referee: Esther Staubli (Switzerland)

22 June 2015
18:00 MDT (UTC−6)
United States  2–0  Colombia
Morgan  53'
Lloyd  66' (pen.) 		Report

23 June 2015
19:00 PDT (UTC−7)
Japan  2–1  Netherlands
Ariyoshi  10'
Sakaguchi  78' 		Report Van de Ven  90+2'
BC Place, Vancouver
Attendance: 28,717
Referee: Lucila Venegas (Mexico)

Quarter-finals

26 June 2015
16:00 EDT (UTC−4)
Germany  1–1 (a.e.t.)  France
Šašić  84' (pen.) Report Nécib  64'
  Penalties  
Behringer
Laudehr
Peter
Marozsán
Šašić 		5–4 Thiney
Abily
Nécib
Renard
Lavogez
Olympic Stadium, Montreal
Attendance: 24,859
Referee: Carol Chenard (Canada)

26 June 2015
19:30 EDT (UTC−4)
China PR  0–1  United States
Report Lloyd  51'
Lansdowne Stadium, Ottawa
Attendance: 24,141
Referee: Carina Vitulano (Italy)

27 June 2015
14:00 MDT (UTC−6)
Australia  0–1  Japan
Report Iwabuchi  87'

27 June 2015
16:30 PDT (UTC−7)
England  2–1  Canada
Taylor  11'
Bronze  14' 		Report Sinclair  42'
BC Place, Vancouver
Attendance: 54,027
Referee: Claudia Umpierrez (Uruguay)

Semi-finals

30 June 2015
19:00 EDT (UTC−4)
United States  2–0  Germany
Lloyd  69' (pen.)
O'Hara  84' 		Report
Olympic Stadium, Montreal
Attendance: 51,176
Referee: Teodora Albon (Romania)

1 July 2015
17:00 MDT (UTC−6)
Japan  2–1  England
Miyama  33' (pen.)
Bassett  90+2' (o.g.) 		Report Williams  40' (pen.)
Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton
Attendance: 31,467
Referee: Anna-Marie Keighley (New Zealand)

Match for third place

4 July 2015
14:00 MDT (UTC−6)
Germany  0–1 (a.e.t.)  England
Report Williams  108' (pen.)
Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton
Attendance: 21,483
Referee: Ri Hyang-ok (North Korea)

Final

5 July 2015
16:00 PDT (UTC−7)
United States  5–2  Japan
Lloyd  3 ',  5 ',  16'
Holiday  14'
Heath  54' 		Report Ōgimi  27'
Johnston  52' (o.g.)
BC Place, Vancouver
Attendance: 53,341
Referee: Kateryna Monzul (Ukraine)

Goalscorers

For more details on this topic, see 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup statistics.
6 goals
5 goals
3 goals
2 goals
1 goal
1 own goal
2 own goals

Source: FIFA.com[61]

Awards

The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament.[62]

Award Winner[63] Other shortlisted candidates[64]
Golden Ball United States Carli Lloyd

Japan Saori Ariyoshi
England Lucy Bronze
United States Julie Johnston

United States Megan Rapinoe
Germany Célia Šašić

Silver Ball France Amandine Henry
Bronze Ball Japan Aya Miyama
Golden Boot Germany Célia Šašić[note 1] —
Silver Boot United States Carli Lloyd[note 1]
Bronze Boot Germany Anja Mittag
Golden Glove United States Hope Solo

Germany Nadine Angerer

Japan Ayumi Kaihori

Young Player Award Canada Kadeisha Buchanan

Norway Ada Hegerberg

China Tang Jiali

FIFA Fair Play Trophy  France —
Notes
  1. 1 2 Šašić and Lloyd had the same number of goals and assists (6 goals, 1 assist). Šašić won the Golden Boot due to having played fewer minutes.

All-Star Team

The All-Star Team elected by FIFA's Technical Study Group consists of the following players:[65]

Goalkeepers Defenders Midfielders Forwards

England Karen Bardsley
Germany Nadine Angerer
United States Hope Solo

Canada Kadeisha Buchanan
England Lucy Bronze
England Steph Houghton
France Wendie Renard
Japan Saori Ariyoshi
United States Julie Johnston
United States Meghan Klingenberg

Australia Elise Kellond-Knight
France Amandine Henry
France Eugénie Le Sommer
Japan Aya Miyama
Japan Mizuho Sakaguchi
Japan Rumi Utsugi
United States Carli Lloyd
United States Megan Rapinoe

Australia Lisa De Vanna
France Élodie Thomis
Germany Anja Mittag
Germany Célia Šašić
Switzerland Ramona Bachmann

Dream Team

The Dream Team elected by users of fifa.com consists of the following players and manager:[66]

Goalkeepers Defenders Midfielders Forwards Manager

United States Hope Solo

Canada Kadeisha Buchanan
France Wendie Renard
United States Julie Johnston
United States Ali Krieger

Japan Aya Miyama
United States Carli Lloyd
United States Megan Rapinoe

Germany Anja Mittag
Germany Célia Šašić
United States Alex Morgan

Germany Silvia Neid

Prize money

The total prize money offered by FIFA for the tournament was US$15 million,[67] which represents 2.6% of the total prize money for the 2014 Men's World Cup ($576 million).[68]

The winning team, United States, received $2 million,[67] representing 5.7% of the amount received by Germany for winning the 2014 Men's World Cup ($35 million).[68]

Tournament ranking

Per statistical convention in football, matches decided in extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by penalty shoot-out are counted as draws.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Final result
1  United States 7 6 1 0 14 3 +11 19 Champions
2  Japan 7 6 0 1 11 8 +3 18 Runners-up
3  England 7 5 0 2 10 7 +3 15 Third place
4  Germany 7 3 2 2 20 6 +14 11 Fourth place
5  France 5 3 1 1 10 3 +7 10 Eliminated in
Quarter-finals
6  Canada (H) 5 2 2 1 4 3 +1 8
7  Australia 5 2 1 2 5 5 0 7
8  China PR 5 2 1 2 4 4 0 7
9  Brazil 4 3 0 1 4 1 +3 9 Eliminated in
Round of 16
10  Norway 4 2 1 1 9 4 +5 7
11  Cameroon 4 2 0 2 9 4 +5 6
12  Colombia 4 1 1 2 4 5 −1 4
13  Netherlands 4 1 1 2 3 4 −1 4
14  South Korea 4 1 1 2 4 8 −4 4
15   Switzerland 4 1 0 3 11 5 +6 3
16  Sweden 4 0 3 1 5 8 −3 3
17  Thailand 3 1 0 2 3 10 −7 3 Eliminated in
Group stage
18  Costa Rica 3 0 2 1 3 4 −1 2
19  New Zealand 3 0 2 1 2 3 −1 2
20  Spain 3 0 1 2 2 4 −2 1
21  Nigeria 3 0 1 2 3 6 −3 1
22  Mexico 3 0 1 2 2 8 −6 1
23  Ivory Coast 3 0 0 3 3 16 −13 0
24  Ecuador 3 0 0 3 1 17 −16 0
Source: FIFA.com
(H) Host.

Qualification for the 2016 Summer Olympics

Same as the qualification process for previous Olympics, UEFA uses the World Cup to determine which women's national teams from Europe qualify for the Olympic football tournament. Three places in the 2016 Summer Olympics women's football tournament, to be held in Brazil, are reserved for teams from Europe. These are filled by the UEFA teams that progress the furthest in the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, other than ineligible England.[69][70] Two places went to France and Germany, the only UEFA quarter-finalists besides England.[71] The third best finish was a tie between four teams eliminated in the round of 16: Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. No tiebreaker criteria based on World Cup Finals performances was used: instead a play-off tournament in March 2016 determined UEFA's third Olympic qualifier.[72] Sweden won the tournament and qualified for the last available Olympic spot from Europe.[73]

Even though England were one of the top three UEFA teams in the World Cup, they were not eligible to play at the Olympics. The English Football Association (FA) is affiliated to the British Olympic Association and on 2 March 2015 said it wanted a British Olympic team to compete if England earned a place.[74] Following strong objections from the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish football associations, and a commitment from FIFA that they would not allow entry of a British team unless all four Home Nations agreed, the FA announced on 30 March 2015 that they would not seek entry into the Olympic tournament.[75] Similar circumstances prevented them from playing in the 2008 Olympics, when England finished as one of the top three UEFA teams in the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup.[76] Great Britain did compete in 2012 as the host nation.

References

  1. ↑ "FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015™ - Matches - USA-Japan - FIFA.com". FIFA.com. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  2. 1 2 Kessel, Anna. "Biggest Women's World Cup to kick off in Canada amid surface tension". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  3. ↑ "USA Draws The 'Group of Death' In 2015 Women's World Cup". Five Thirty Eight. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  4. ↑ "Women's World Cup: Hawk-Eye used in Canada tournament". BBC Sport. 31 March 2015.
  5. ↑ "Hawk-Eye confirmed as goal-line technology provider for Canada 2015". FIFA.com. 31 March 2015.
  6. ↑ Rubin, Josh. "Women drop artificial turf complaint over 2015 World Cup in Canada". Toronto Star. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  7. ↑ "Remarkable interest in hosting FIFA competitions". FIFA. 17 January 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
  8. ↑ cbc.ca; Canada in mix for 2015 Women's World Cup; 17 January 2010
  9. ↑ "Zimbabwe withdraws bid to host 2015 Women's World Cup". BBC. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
  10. ↑ Reed, Nigel (21 February 2011). "2015: The case for Canada". Cbc.ca. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  11. ↑ MacKinnon, John (1 December 2010). "The party's over … what's next?". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
  12. ↑ "Qualification slots for Canada 2015 confirmed". FIFA.com. 11 June 2012.
  13. ↑ "FIFA Disciplinary Committee decisions for Germany 2011". 25 August 2011. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
  14. ↑ "Women's Ranking (27 March 2015)". FIFA.com. 27 March 2015.
  15. ↑ "Bell Media lands deal for FIFA soccer from 2015 through 2022". TSN.ca. Retrieved 18 February 2014.
  16. ↑ "FiFA awards further TV rights". FIFA. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  17. ↑ "FIFA awards U.S. TV Rights". FIFA. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  18. ↑ "Screen goes dark on women's soccer game, Vancouver fans go ballistic". The Province. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  19. ↑ "Fox Sports transforms Vancouver Convention Centre into FIFA broadcast studio". CBC News. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  20. ↑ "EBU & FIFA conclude media rights agreement". EBU. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  21. ↑ "Women's World Cup on the BBC". bbc.co.uk/sport. BBC. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
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  23. ↑ "FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015™ unveils official mascot". FIFA.com. 17 June 2014.
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  36. ↑ "Players file lawsuit in Canada over artificial Women's World Cup turf". Global News. 1 October 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  37. ↑ "FIFA officials to inspect BC Place turf in light of controversy". Global News. 7 October 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
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  40. ↑ "Matildas say synthetic turf 'like hot coals'". Sydney Morning Herald. 25 June 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  41. ↑ "Australia vs Japan quarterfinal". Twitter. 27 June 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  42. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Regulations FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015™" (PDF). FIFA.com.
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  44. ↑ "FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015™ – List of Players" (PDF). FIFA.com.
  45. ↑ "Japan legend Sawa makes cut for sixth World Cup". Reuters. 1 May 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
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  55. ↑ "Results of the Women's World Cup draw include a group of death and controversy". SB Nation. 6 December 2014.
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  58. ↑ FIFA Women's World Cup 2015 match schedule published. FIFA.com. 21 March 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
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  61. ↑ "Statistics – Players – Top goals". FIFA.com.
  62. ↑ "Awards". FIFA.com.
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  64. ↑ "FIFA announces shortlists for FIFA Women's World Cup 2015 awards". FIFA.com. 2 July 2015.
  65. ↑ "Canada 2015 Technical Report published, All-Star Squad announced". FIFA.com.
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