On November 16, 1991, in Guangzhou, China, Norwegian footballer Tone Haugen kicked off the first Women’s World Cup. It was a symbolic gesture, putting an end to a 20-year struggle to get the Fédération Internationale de Football (FIFA) to open its competition up to women.
Before that, national teams and women’s clubs could only compete against each other in unofficial tournaments. These clandestine Cups have filled the annals of women’s football with anecdotes that reflect a bygone era, like a final organized in Mexico… where the goalposts were painted pink.
But these “pirate” competitions convinced international bodies that spectators were interested in women’s football. Without them, Japan’s Hinata Miyazawa, Spain’s Alexia Putellas and France’s Kadidiatou Diani would not be competing in Australia and New Zealand right now at the 9th Women’s World Cup.
