Dreaming Big:15 Special Big Moments in FIFA Women’s World Cup History

It will only be the eighth edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup when it begins in a short while. But numerous events and athletes have epitomized the thrill this tournament offers every four years since its start in 1991.

8. Solo gives the US’s 2015 campaign hope.

She was possibly the most talked-about player of the competition and the main reason behind the United States’ 2015 championship run. Hope Solo, the custodian, was unbeatable throughout the tournament, recording five clean sheets while giving up just three goals. Using Jedi Mind Tricks to stop a German penalty kick taker in the semifinal, she made one of her best saves without even having to register one. In essence, Solo made Célia Šašić nervous, which made her shoot poorly.

7. The Nationalelf’s Dominance

Speaking of the German national team, the women’s team was referred to as “The National 11,” and while they competed in the FIFA world rankings in the early to mid-2000s, they were more significant in the competition, taking home back-to-back titles in 2003 and 2007.

6. Mia’s Globe  

If you were a devoted football player or fan in the late 1990s and early 2000s, you knew that Mia Hamm was the driving force behind the sport’s national prominence. Before the 1999 Women’s World Cup in the United States, Hamm was a mainstay. She made a lasting impression on the competition just 17 minutes into the Americans’ opening-round match against Denmark, volleying the ball in the box in front of nearly 79,000 spectators at Giants Stadium and garnering international media attention. 5. American Brandi Chastain wins the 1999 World Cup.Although Chastain’s iconic photo in her sports bra may make this the most memorable moment in Women’s World Cup history, it’s also on our list for what she accomplished just a moment earlier—scoring the game-winning penalty against China following a taxing 120 minutes of soccer in the sweltering heat of California. When the score was tied at four goals apiece, Chastain took a deep breath, stepped up, and scored the goal that would make the United States the first country to win the trophy at home.

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4. What a Marta, what a Marta.

One of the greatest players of all time, Marta from Brazil has been a perfect representative of the expansion of the women’s game on and off the pitch since the beginning. Since 2007, Marta has been a dependable member of the Brazilian national team, leading them to the knockout stages each year as their all-time top scorer. She guided Brazil to the verge of winning the World Cup in her first before the Germans defeated them in the championship match.

3. Tea party with Alex Morgan

This was callous now. The 2019 Women’s World Cup saw no love lost between the United States and England. Morgan gave the Americans a 2-1 lead in the 31st minute with a perfectly timed header after the game had tied at 1. Her festivity? sending the British a very clear message by sipping imaginary tea. Her objective? the final victor of the match.

2. In 2019, Megan Rapinoe steals the show

If Mia Hamm was the star of the 1999 World Cup, Megan Rapinoe ensured 20 years later that the United States would have another player the entire world had to watch. In addition to being named the tournament’s best player, Rapinoe led the team that won the United States’ record-tying fourth World Cup thanks to a tournament-high six goals (tourmate Alex Morgan and England’s Ellen White also had six goals).

1. Carli Lloyd’s 2015 championship hat trick and midfield goal

The hometown favorite has to get the top spot this time. Even so, you have to admit that there is some hometown bias when you watch the goal the Delran native scored in the 2015 Women’s World Cup final against Japan—one of her three goals in a hat-trick performance that gave the United States its third trophy. Lloyd will always be regarded as one of the few players—men and women alike—who have accomplished this.