FIFA Women's World Cup USA 2003™

FINAL TOURNAMENT STANDINGS

WINNER, Germany

RUNNER-UP Sweden

THIRD PLACE USA

FOURTH PLACE Canada

TOURNAMENT AWARDS

Adidas Golden Ball Birgit Prinz (Germany).

FIFA Fair Play Award China PR

Adidas Golden Boot Birgit Prinz (Germany)

Adidas Bronze Shoe Katia (Brazil)

Adidas Bronze Ball Meinert Maren (Germany)

Adidas Silver Ball Victoria Svensson (Sweden)

Adidas Silver Shoe Meinert Maren (Germany)

TOP SCORERS

Birgir Prinz (Germany forward 9) 7 goals

Katia (Forward 17 Brazil) 4 goals

Kerstin Garefrekes (Midfield Germany) 4 goals

STATS

32/32 Matches played 107 goals scored

3.3 average goals per match

HISTORY

Germany defeats Sweden to win the first Women's World Cup as Europe dominates while the USA serves as the host

USA step in to host the competition in 1999.

Nia Kunzer scores the game-winning goal, while Birgit Prinz wins the Golden Ball and Golden Boot.

Ma Liangxing, the coach of China PR, presented the FIFA Women's World CupTM trophy to April Heinrichs, the coach of the newly-announced hosts USA, in a symbolic gesture on July 17, 2003, during the group draw at the Home Depot Center. The 2003 finals would still take place, but they would be distant from their intended location and on a different continent.

Concerns about the SARS pandemic in China throughout April and May caused the tournament to be in flux, and on May 26 FIFA sadly announced to the world that the new hosts would be the United States in order to keep the event on schedule. Even under extreme pressure, the event went ahead without a hitch, and on September 20, football fans all across the world turned their attention to the United States.

They saw several recognizable athletes, such Sun Wen, Mia Hamm, Bettina Wiegmann, Hege Riise, and others who had returned, as well as some fresh faces, most notably France, Korea Republic, and Argentina, who were making their finals debuts.