American soccer player Sophia Smith (11) controls the ball in a game against New Zealand on Feb. 20, 2022, in Carson, California.
Credit: © Ringo Chiu/Shutterstock

Professional soccer player Sophia Smith is a champion. Even though the United States Women’s National Team was eliminated from the 2023 FIFA World Cup tournament, Sophia Smith showcased her talents as a rising star. Australia and New Zealand are hosting the World Cup this year. Smith scored two points against Vietnam, a feat known as a brace, on July 21st. While Smith led U.S.W.N.T. to the next round of the tournament, the team lost to Sweden on Aug. 6th. The loss marked the team’s earliest exit from the tournament in history.

Sophia Smith isn’t new to the spotlight. Smith led the Portland Thorns to win the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) championship in 2022. At only 22 years old, Smith became the youngest player in NWSL history to be named league Most Valuable Player (MVP). She is known for her versatility (ability to do many things well) on the field and skilled dribbling.

Sophia Olivia Smith was born on Aug. 10, 2000, in Windsor, Colorado. Smith attended Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Collins. She was named First-Team All-Conference during her freshman year. Smith began playing for the Under 17 USA team in 2016. In 2018, while playing for the USA Under 20 team at the Women’s World Cup in France, Smith scored three goals. Smith enrolled at Stanford University to play soccer in 2018. She helped Stanford win the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Women’s Soccer Championship in 2019.

In 2020, after her sophomore season at Stanford, Smith was named the number-one recruit for the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). Smith left college to pursue soccer full-time in the league. She was drafted to the Portland Thorns. The 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Smith debuted for the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) in November 2020. In a game against Uzbekistan on Apr. 9, 2022, Smith scored three goals—a feat known as a hat trick—becoming the youngest USWNT player to score a hat trick since 2000 and the fifth youngest in league history.  In July 2022, Smith scored twice for the United States team to defeat Jamaica 5-0 at the 2022 CONCACAF Women’s Championship, qualifying the United States team for the 2023 FIFA World Cup and the 2024 Summer Olympics. CONCACAF stands for Confederation of North, Central America, and Caribbean Association Football. FIFA stands for Fédération Internationale de Football Association (International Federation of Association Football). Soccer is called football in much of the world.

Portland Thorns FC forward Sophia Smith (9) controls the ball in a game against Kansas City Current on Oct. 29, 2022, in Washington, D.C.
WASHINGTON, DC, USA – 29 OCTOBER 2022: Portland Thorns FC forward Sophia Smith (9) goes around Kansas City
Credit: © Tony Quinn, Alamy Images

In 2022, Smith set a Portland Thorns record for scoring 14 goals in a regular season. On Oct. 29, 2022, Smith scored a goal when the Portland Thorns won the NWSL Championship against the Kansas City Current 2-0.

American Megan Rapinoe on a penalty in a match against the Netherlands on July 7, 2019, during the FIFA Women’s World Cup in France.
Credit: © Romain Biard, Shutterstock

June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month. All month long, Behind the Headlines will feature lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning pioneers in a variety of areas.

An athlete, fashion icon, and role model in the LGBTQ community, Megan Rapinoe does it all. Rapinoe is a professional United States soccer player. She helped the U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) win a gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. Rapinoe also helped the USWNT win a bronze medal at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games. The 2020 Summer Olympic Games were postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2015 and again in 2019, Rapinoe helped lead the United States to FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament championships. In 2019, she was awarded the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player. FIFA stands for Fédération Internationale de Football Association (International Federation of Association Football). FIFA is the governing body for soccer, which is called football in many parts of the world. Rapinoe also played on the U.S. World Cup team in 2011 and the U.S. Olympic team in 2016. In 2019, Rapinoe earned the Best FIFA Women’s Player award as soccer’s best female player. The award replaced the Ballon d’Or in 2016.

Rapinoe, a midfielder, is known for her dynamic skills as a scorer and playmaker. In soccer, a playmaker controls a team’s offense, often coordinating scoring chances through precise passing. For a discussion of soccer positions and formations, see Soccer (Players and officials).

Megan Anna Rapinoe was born on July 5, 1985, in Redding, California. She began playing soccer as a youth. In high school, Rapinoe played for Elk Grove Pride United, a team for players under age 19, and the Elk Grove Pride of the Women’s Premier Soccer League, a semiprofessional league in the second tier of women’s soccer in the United States. Rapinoe then played soccer at the University of Portland in Oregon, where she helped the team win a college national championship in 2005. She also played on U.S. national youth teams before debuting for the U.S. Women’s National Team in 2006. Injuries caused her to miss international tournaments in 2007 and 2008.

From 2009 through 2012, Rapinoe played in the Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) league and the United Soccer League’s W-League. Rapinoe also played for Olympique Lyonnais in France’s top women’s league. In 2013, Rapinoe began playing for the Seattle Reign FC (now the OL Reign) of the National Women’s Soccer League, the top tier of women’s soccer in the United States. FC stands for football club. Rapinoe (along with her soccer-playing twin sister, Rachael) also runs soccer training clinics and has worked with a number of human rights organizations, including ones devoted to LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) rights. In 2022, Rapinoe received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor awarded by the president of the United States.

Mikaela Shiffrin is a champion American alpine skier. Shiffrin won the slalom gold medal at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, making her the youngest slalom champion in Olympic history. In 2018, she won the giant slalom gold medal at the Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. She has also won the slalom world championship several times.
Credit: © Stefan Holm, Shutterstock

March is Women’s History Month, an annual observance of women’s achievements and contributions to society. This month, Behind the Headlines will feature woman pioneers in a variety of areas.

On Saturday, March 11, 2023, American Alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin won her 87th World Cup race in Slovenia. Shiffrin broke Swedish skier Ingemar Stenmark’s record for most career World Cup victories. Her record-breaking victory occurred 12 years after her first World Cup win at 15. She completed the course hundredths of a second faster than her opponents, securing her place as one of the greatest skiers of all time.

Shiffrin was born on March 13, 1995, in Vail, Colorado. She began skiing at the age of 3. Her family moved to New Hampshire when she was 8. Shiffrin graduated in 2013 from Burke Mountain Academy in Vermont, a high school for young skiers. In 2011, she made her World Cup debut at the age of 15, winning the bronze medal at Lienz, Austria. Later that year, at the age of 16, she won the slalom title at the United States National Championships in Winter Park, Colorado. She thus became the youngest skier to win that event. Slalom skiing involves racing down a winding course with flags. In 2012, she won her first World Cup race and was named World Cup Rookie of the Year.

Shiffrin won the slalom gold medal at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, making her the youngest slalom champion in Olympic history. In 2018, she won the giant slalom gold medal and the combined silver medal at the Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. She also won the slalom World Championship in 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2019; the super G World Championship in 2019; the combined World Championship in 2021; and the giant slalom World Championship in 2023. Shiffrin has won more world championship titles (7) than any other American skier.

The slalom, giant slalom, and super G are three of the skiing races that make up the Alpine World Cup. The cup is awarded annually to the men and women who have won the most points in a series of five races—the slalom, giant slalom, downhill, super G, and combined. Shiffrin initially concentrated on the slalom and giant slalom. She won the World Cup slalom title in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2023. In 2019 and 2023, she also won the World Cup giant slalom title. In 2016, she began competing in the other three World Cup events. Shiffrin won the World Cup super G title in 2019. She won the overall World Cup title in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, and 2023 for earning the most combined points in all the events. In 2022, Shiffrin won her 47th World Cup slalom race, setting the record for most career World Cup victories in a single event.

Brazilian soccer star Pelé
Credit: © Nelson Antoine, Shutterstock

World-renowned soccer star, Pelé passed away in São Paulo, Brazil, on Thursday, December 29th. Despite retiring in 1974, Pelé still held world records for the sport. Pelé a Brazilian athlete, won fame as the greatest soccer player of his time and the most recognized athlete in world sports.

A forward, Pelé electrified crowds with his daring dribbling, perfect passing, and accurate shooting. He holds every major scoring record in Brazil, and scored 1,281 goals in 1,363 games during his professional career. Pelé is the only professional soccer player to score 1,000 goals in a career.

Pelé, a Brazilian athlete, won fame as the greatest soccer player of his time and became one of the most recognized athletes in the world. A forward, Pelé thrilled crowds with his daring dribbling, perfect passing, and accurate shooting.
Credit: © AFP/Getty Images

Pelé was born on Oct. 23, 1940, in Tres Coracoes, Brazil. His real name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento. Pelé joined the Santos (Brazil) Football Club in 1956 and led Santos to world club titles in 1962 and 1963. He is the only soccer player to have played on three world championship teams, leading the Brazilian national team to World Cup championships in 1958, 1962, and 1970. Pelé is the only player in the world who has won three World Cup championships.

In the 1958 World Cup, Pelé was 17 years old. He scored six goals in the tournament, including two in the final to defeat Sweden. His skill landed Brazil their first of five World Cups.

Pelé retired as a player in 1974 but returned to competition in 1975 with the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League (N.A.S.L.). Pelé retired again after leading the Cosmos to the N.A.S.L. championship in 1977. He is known for popularizing soccer in the United States. He wrote a children’s book about his life in soccer, For the Love of Soccer! (2010).

Argentinian soccer players celebrate after winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Credit: © Moritz Muller, Alamy Images

Yesterday, Sunday, December 18th, Argentina and France faced each other in the 2022 FIFA World Cup Final in Qatar. In a tournament charged with controversy over the use of migrant workers to build the stadiums, a dramatic final game unfolded for millions of fans around the world. Argentina, with star player Lionel Messi, won the tournament for the first time since 1986, defeating France, the defending champions. French player Kylian Mbappé scored all three of France’s goals in regular time, securing a hat trick. It was the first hat trick in the World Cup final in 56 years. The game tied 3-3 after regulation time and two periods of extra time, bringing the legendary game to a penalty shootout. In the tie-breaking penalty shootout, Mbappé and French player Kolo Muani scored on Argentinian goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, but their teammates missed. Messi scored Argentina’s first shoot-out penalty kick on French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, followed by goals from Paulo Dybala, Leandro Paredes, and Gonzalo Montiel. In his first World Cup, Montiel scored to win the game for Argentina.

Argentinian Lionel Messi scores in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar
© dpa picture alliance/Alamy Images

In what is being called the “best World Cup final ever,” star Messi clinched his first World Cup title and a legacy as one of soccer’s best players. He scored one goal in regulation time, one in extra time, and one of the penalty kicks to win the game. Argentina’s Angel Di Maria scored the other goal in regulation time. Messi and Mbappé competed for the Golden Boot, the award for the player with the most goals in the World Cup tournament. France’s Mbappé scored three goals in regulation time and one penalty kick, rightfully earning the Golden Boot. Messi and Mbappé play for Paris Saint-Germain FC, one of soccer’s top teams, competing against each other in the World Cup with their respective home countries.

Argentina’s pride and joy, Messi won the 2022 Golden Ball awarded to the best player in the World Cup, becoming the first player to win the award twice in tournament history. Messi plays as a striker, an offensive position. He has played for FC Barcelona in La Liga, Spain’s highest league, and has played for Argentina in the Olympics and the 2018 World Cup in Russia. In 2006, he became the youngest Argentine to play in a World Cup match. In 2008-2009, Messi scored 38 goals to help Barcelona win a rare “treble” of the La Liga and Copa del Rey championships in Spain, and the European Champions League title. On March 7, 2012, Messi set a Champions League record by scoring five goals against Bayer Leverkusen. In 2012, Messi scored 91 goals, the most by a player during one calendar year in professional soccer history. He holds the record for most career goals in La Liga competition with 474. Messi was awarded the Golden Ball in the 2014 World Cup tournament. Argentina lost to Germany in the final, 1-0. He again played for Argentina in the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Messi signed with Paris Saint-Germain in 2021. Despite his reputation as a soccer star, this was his first World Cup win in his 22-year career.

French soccer player Kylian Mbappé
Credit: © ph.FAB/Shutterstock

Left-wing Mbappé carried France’s team, securing all three of the country’s goals before the penalty shootout. The star won the Golden Boot award and brought his total goals scored in World Cups to 8, a few days before his 24th birthday. He won the World Cup in Russia or France in 2018, holding up the trophy as a 19-year-old. While Messi and Argentina stole the show from Mbappé this year, Mbappé has an entire career ahead of him to win the Golden Ball and another World Cup title.

French soccer player Kylian Mbappé
Credit: © ph.FAB/Shutterstock

France secured a spot in the semifinals of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar after defeating England this Saturday, December 11th. France’s star player Kylian Mbappé is stealing the show as the top scorer in the entire tournament. Scoring 5 goals in 4 games, 23-year-old Mbappé is solidifying his reputation as one of the world’s best soccer players. Mbappé has also clocked speeds up to 22 miles (35 kilometers) per hour, the fastest speed in the tournament so far. In another historical record, Morocco beat Portugal on Saturday, becoming the first African and first Arab country to reach the World Cup semifinals. France will pair up against Morocco on Wednesday, December 14th, to see who moves on to the finals.

Kylian Mbappé Lottin was born on Dec. 20, 1998, in Paris. Mbappé’s mother is from Algeria and his father is from Cameroon. He grew up in Bondy, a suburb of Paris. Mbappé began playing soccer at a young age. He stars for France’s Paris Saint-Germain FC (commonly known as PSG), one of soccer’s top teams. FC stands for football club. Mbappé also plays for the French national team, commonly known as les Bleus (the Blues). As a forward, Mbappé’s primary responsibility is scoring goals. Mbappé is known for his dexterity in using both feet, speed, intelligent plays, and composure in front of the goal.

Mbappé is used to the spotlight. Mbappé began his professional career with AS Monaco FC of Ligue 1, France’s top soccer league, in 2015, when he was only 16 years old. AS stands for association sportive, or sporting association. In 2017, Mbappé helped Monaco win the Ligue 1 title. Later that year, he joined PSG. Mbappé has helped PSG win four Ligue 1 titles, in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2022. He has been named the Ligue 1 player of the year three times. Mbappé has led Ligue 1 in goals scored four times.

In 2017, Mbappé debuted for the French national team. The following year, he helped France win the FIFA World Cup. During the 2018 World Cup tournament in Russia, Mbappé became only the second teenager, after the Brazilian star Pelé, to score a goal in a World Cup championship game. He scored the final goal to defeat Croatia 4 to 2, securing his first World Cup championship. Mbappé was named the French Player of the Year in 2018 and 2019.

A general interior overview during the opening ceremony prior to the Group A – FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 match between Qatar and Ecuador at Al Bayt Stadium on November 20, 2022 in Al Khor, Qatar.
Credit: © Pablo Morano, BSR Agency/Alamy Images

Soccer‘s World Cup tournament for men, held every four years to determine the best team in international soccer, began on Sunday. The first match featured the team of the host country, Qatar, against Ecuador.

The tournament runs from November 20 to December 18 and will be held in six Qatari cities: (1) Al Khor, (2) Al Rayyan, (3) Al Thumama, (4) Al Wakrah, (5) Lusail, and (6) Doha. Favorites for this tournament include the teams from Argentina, Brazil, England, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain.

Qatar was chosen to host the 2022 World Cup. It became the first Middle Eastern country to host the World Cup. Qatar is a small Arab country in southwestern Asia. It occupies a peninsula that juts from eastern Arabia into the Persian Gulf (commonly known as the Arabian Gulf in Arab countries). Doha is Qatar’s capital and largest city.

Over two-thirds of Qatar’s people were born in other countries. The native-born people are called Qataris. Qatar’s economy depends largely on oil and natural gas. Since the 1950′s, the government has earned a large amount of income from oil exports and has used it to develop Qatar. Qatar ranks among the richest nations in terms of average income per person. The government provides free education, free health care, and housing for the poor.

The first match was held in Al Khor. Ecuador defeated Qatar 2-0, the first opening-game loss of a host country in the World Cup’s history. Ecuador’s striker Enner Valencia scored both goals.

The FIFA World Cup is the most important international competition in soccer. The year and name of each FIFA World Cup winner since 1974 is engraved on the underside of the trophy. A different trophy records the winners of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, which began in 1991.
Credit: © Alfredo Lopez, Jam Media/LatinContent/Getty Images

In the men’s FIFA World Cup, qualification tournaments begin three years before the final competition. The qualification tournaments are organized in six geographical zones. These six zones are (1) Africa, (2) Asia, (3) Europe, (4) North America, Central America, and the Caribbean, (5) Oceania, and (6) South America. The tournament finals bring together the 32 teams that qualify. The host country receives an automatic berth. In 2026, the tournament finals will be expanded from 32 teams to 48 teams.

The 32 teams that qualify are placed into eight groups, with each group having four teams. Each team plays the other three teams in their group. These matches are played at various locations throughout the host country. The two teams with the best record in each of the eight groups advance to the knockout stage. The knockout stage is a single-elimination tournament—that is, a team is eliminated after losing one game. As the competition progresses, teams are eliminated until two teams qualify for the final match. The televised men’s final is the most popular single sports event in the world.

Uruguay won the first men’s FIFA World Cup in 1930. The World Cup was not held in 1942 and 1946 because of World War II (1939-1945). Brazil has won the World Cup five times (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002), more than any other country.

U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe
© Romain Biard, Shutterstock

June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month. All month long, Behind the Headlines will feature lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning pioneers in a variety of areas.

The professional soccer player Megan Rapinoe is a champion both on and off the field. As a midfielder for the U.S. Women’s National Team, Rapinoe is known for her dynamic skills as a scorer and playmaker. In soccer, a playmaker controls a team’s offense, often coordinating scoring chances through precise passing. Off the field, Rapinoe—along with her soccer-playing twin sister, Rachael—runs soccer training clinics. She has also worked with a number of human rights organizations, including groups devoted to LGBTQ+ rights.

Rapinoe helped the U.S. Women’s National Team to win a gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. In 2015 and again in 2019, she helped lead the United States to FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament championships. FIFA stands for Fédération Internationale de Football Association (International Federation of Association Football). FIFA is the governing body for soccer, which is called football in many parts of the world. In 2019, Rapinoe was awarded the Golden Ball as the World Cup tournament’s best player. Rapinoe also played on the U.S. World Cup team in 2011 and the U.S. Olympic team in 2016. In 2019, Rapinoe earned the Best FIFA Women’s Player award as soccer’s best female player. The award replaced the Ballon d’Or in 2016.

Megan Anna Rapinoe was born on July 5, 1985, in Redding, California. She began playing soccer when she was young. In high school, Rapinoe played for Elk Grove Pride United, a team for players under age 19, and the Elk Grove Pride of the Women’s Premier Soccer League, a semiprofessional league in the second tier of women’s soccer in the United States. Rapinoe then played soccer at the University of Portland in Oregon, where she helped the team win a college national championship in 2005. She also played on U.S. national youth teams before debuting for the U.S. Women’s National Team in 2006. Injuries caused her to miss international tournaments in 2007 and 2008.

From 2009 through 2012, Rapinoe played in the Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) league and the United Soccer League’s W-League. Rapinoe also played for Olympique Lyonnais in France’s top women’s league. Since 2013, Rapinoe has played for the Seattle Reign FC (now OL Reign) of the National Women’s Soccer League, the top tier of women’s soccer in the United States.

July 17, 2018

On Sunday, July 15, at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia, the French national men’s soccer team defeated Croatia 4-2 to win the FIFA World Cup championship. It was the second world title for France, which first won the tournament in 1998. It was Croatia’s first trip to the World Cup final. FIFA stands for Fédération Internationale de Football Association (International Federation of Association Football). Soccer is called football or association football in much of the world. FIFA is soccer’s world governing body. Held every four years, the World Cup is the world’s most important and prestigious soccer tournament.

The French national men’s soccer team celebrates its World Cup championship at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia, on July 15, 2018. Credit: © Franck Fife, AFP/Getty Images

Winning the global soccer championship is the dream of every nation’s team, and fans on every continent—yes, Antarctica too—follow the tournament closely, even rabidly, devouring every minute of every match. Many fans travel great distances and pay exorbitant amounts of money to watch their teams compete in the tournament, which was played this year in 12 stadiums in mostly western Russian cities. The World Cup is the end of a two-year elimination tournament process that narrows the global field of more than 200 teams to just 32. The host country (in this case, Russia) and the previous champion (Germany) receive automatic berths.

The year and name of each FIFA World Cup winner since 1974 is engraved on the underside of the trophy. Credit: © Alfredo Lopez, Jam Media/LatinContent/Getty Images

The opening group stage of the World Cup divides the 32 teams into 8 groups of 4. The top two teams of each group advance after playing the other three teams in their group. This year, Russia romped its way through the opening stage in front of delirious fans. Germany, however, became the fourth defending champion in the last five tournaments to be eliminated in the group phase. Superstar forward Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal shone in the opening round, while fellow star Lionel Messi helped prevent early ejection for Argentina.

In the so-called “knockout” phase (because one loss means elimination) of 16 teams, both Ronaldo and Messi packed their bags for home, as did the Mexico team that looked so impressive in the group stage. A talented Belgium squad mounted a furious comeback to eliminate Japan, which was the first World Cup team to advance from the group stage on “fair play” points. Japan had tied Senegal in every category on the field but one: the Japanese had fewer fouls. In the intense quarterfinals, Belgium, England, and France advanced over Brazil, Sweden, and Uruguay, respectively, and feisty Croatia scraped by in a penalty kick shootout win over Russia. In the semifinals, France downed Belgium 1-0, and England lost to Croatia and its superior midfield, 2-1.

From the opening kick of the World Cup final, France’s superb athletes dominated the pitch, outrunning and eventually out-shooting their Croatian opponents. A French free kick in the 18th minute (each match has two 45-minute halves) ricocheted off a Croatian defender and into the net, giving France a 1-0 lead on the first “own goal” in World Cup final history. The lead was short-lived, however, as Croatia’s Ivan Perišić knocked in the equalizer 10 minutes later. Before the half, French star Antoine Griezmann drilled a penalty kick for a 2-1 advantage.

France hit the accelerator in the second half as stars Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappé each hit dazzling goals for a seemingly insurmountable 4-1 lead. As the champagne was chilling, however, a few ice cubes clinked to the floor as Mario Mandžukić retaliated with a Croatian goal in the 69th minute. The final 20 minutes then evaporated as France played keep away and thwarted every Croatian attack. A few minutes of stoppage time passed uneventfully, and the final whistle gave all of France—the team, the fans, and the nation—the feu vert (green light) to pop the corks.

French manager Didier Deschamps, who was team captain on the 1998 world championship squad, embraced his players as they lined up in a sudden drenching rain to receive their World Cup gold medals. For France, the date of its 2018 title (July 15) can now be celebrated every year after the country’s great national holiday, Bastille Day (July 14.) Croatian disappointment was quickly replaced by pride in the achievement of reaching the final, and midfielder Luka Modrić added to Croatia’s consolation by winning the Golden Ball Award as the tournament’s best player.

On the day before the World Cup final, Belgium defeated England 2-0 in the highly anticlimactic contest for third place in the tournament. England’s Harry Kane won the Golden Boot by leading all scorers with six goals. Thibaut Courtois of Belgium won the Golden Glove Award as the tournament’s best goalkeeper. Since the World Cup began in 1930, Brazil has the most championships (5); followed by Germany and Italy (4 each); Argentina, France, and Uruguay (2); and England and Spain (1).

March 14, 2016

The world’s great mania for soccer—which is called football in most countries—has taken root and thrived in the United States. Professional leagues for both men and women are more popular than ever, and Americans watched in record numbers as the U.S. Men’s National Team battled to a tough knockout round loss to Belgium in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. FIFA is soccer’s world governing body. But it is the U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT)—Team USA—which has earned the title megastar.

The United States Women’s National Team celebrates with the trophy after they beat Japan 5-2 in the FIFA Women’s World Cup soccer championship in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Sunday, July 5, 2015. Credit: © AP Photo/Elaine Thompson

The USWNT began humbly in 1985, losing badly to more traditional soccer powers from Europe and South America. But U.S. women’s soccer gained momentum in spectacular fashion as the team won the inaugural FIFA Women’s World Cup held in China in 1991. That first World Cup began humbly, too. In fact, the sport’s governing body refused to call it a World Cup. Few remember that early tournament’s official title: 1st FIFA World Championship for Women’s Football for the M&M’s Cup. That title doesn’t quite roll off the tongue, say, like an M&M.

Women’s soccer gained great popularity following the M&M’s Cup, and the next global tournament, held in Sweden in 1995, was graced with the World Cup title. The USWNT finished third that year, but won the World Cup again in 1999 as the tournament was played on American soil. The USWNT crept into mainstream U.S. sports talk, and soon people began to recognize such stars as Michelle Akers, Brandi Chastain, and Mia Hamm.

The USWNT blossomed in the 2000’s, cultivating such stars as Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan, Christie Rampone, Megan Rapinoe, Hope Solo, and Abby Wambach. Team USA fell short, however, in the 2003, 2007, and 2011 Women’s World Cups, finishing second or third in all three tournaments. The team returned to greatness in 2015, however, dominating the Women’s World Cup in Canada for their third world championship. That year, U.S. head coach Jill Ellis was named FIFA’s World Coach of the Year for Women’s Football. Lloyd, who famously scored three goals in the World Cup Final, won the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year award. Two other Team USA players had previously won that award: Hamm (2001 and 2002) and Wambach (2012).

The USWNT has dominated the Olympic Games since women’s soccer became an official sport in 1996. In five Olympics, Team USA has won four gold medals and one silver. With the Summer Olympics just a few months away in Brazil, expect another dazzling medal run for the American megastars.

Other World Book articles

• Soccer (1998) – A Back in Time article
• Soccer (1999) – A Back in Time article
• Soccer (2002) – A Back in Time article
• Soccer (2004) – A Back in Time article
• Soccer (2006) – A Back in Time article
• Soccer (2008) – A Back in Time article
• Soccer (2012) – A Back in Time article
• Soccer (2013) – A Back in Time article
• Soccer (2014) – A Back in Time article